Ogmore Castle, Glamorganshire

Ogmore Castle is part of the Duchy of Lancaster's Welsh estate.

The remains of this Norman motte and bailey castle lie on the south east bank of the river Ewenny in the village of Ogmore, two miles south of Bridgend.

The Norman family of de Londres founded Ogmore Castle in 1116. The manor and castle of Ogmore came to the Duchy of Lancaster in 1297 through the marriage of Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster to Mary Charworth.

The castle consists of an oval-shaped ringwork surmounted by masonry structures, with an earthwork bailey. A ruined courthouse lies on the north side of the bailey, along with the remains of a lime-kiln. A twelfth-century stone keep, one of the earliest of its kind, straddles the ringwork. The early thirteenth-century curtain wall includes a gateway and bridge. The remains of further buildings constructed inside the curtain wall can also be seen.

The castle is now under the guardianship of CADW, Welsh Historic Monuments. Admission is free, with access at all reasonable times.

www.cadw.wales.gov.uk