Oxwich, Swansea, SA3 1ND
For more information call Cadw - 01792 390359
Despite its name, Oxwich Castle is actually a fortified Tudor manor house. Built upon and inspired by an existing 13th and 14th century ruin, Sir Rice Mansel constructed his impressive mansion in the early 16th century.
The mansion, which is situated in a beautiful woody headland above Oxwich Bay, includes a mock military gateway complete with the family’s coat of arms cut in stone. Mansel’s son, Edward, succeeded the property and constructed a much grander structure which included a fashionable Elizabethan gallery, placed at a high vantage point allowing for panoramic sea views.
The Mansels loved keeping up with the latest building techniques and fashions, however the family moved out after only a few shorts decades, and after some years being leased as a residence to farmers, it fell into disuse. It seems they were spoilt for choice with all their castles, as the family took up residence in the nearby Margam instead.
Parts of the building had collapsed and demolition was threatened upon the grounds in 1949, however it was rescued by Lady Apsley, and the house is now in the care of Cadw.
The best surviving feature of the house has to be the north-east range, where visitors will find two vaulted undercrofts as well as a partial staircase to a vaulted kitchen.
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