Castle Quest - Reply to Topic

Forum:	Individual Castles
Topic:	St. Briavel's Castle, Gloucestershire

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T O P I C R E V I E W
judiabbott What can anyone tell me about this castle. Who built it, who held it in early times, was it ever attacked, etc.
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Judi
Philip Davis ST BRIAVELS Gloucestershire.
This castle is privately owned which, in my experience of british castles, means there is usually not a lot of information readily available. However this is what Plantagent Somerset Fry has to say;
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An enclosure castle of the twelfth century, St Briavels received a square great tower probably in the time of Henry II, which is recorded as having finally collapsed in ruins in 1752. St Briavels still has its huge, twin-cylindrical towered gatehouse, built by Edward I, c. 1292—3, at a cost of nearly Ł500. It can be seen from the road. The towers are supported at the bottom by spurs like those at Goodrich. St Briavels is situated within the Forest of Dean and in the thirteenth century it served as an arsenal for iron crossbow-bolts which were manufacrured at the iron forges in the forest. In preparation for the siege of Bedford Castle in 1224, Henry III ordered miners from the Forest of Dean to assist in fashioning the stone missiles for the trebuchets and he may also have sent for supplies of crossbow-bolts from St Briavels.
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If you want more detailed information you can request information from the Royal Commission of Historic Monuments England which is how combined with English Heritage at http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/
The information is free but whilst you can request it online it only comes snail mail.
Andrew Muller St Briavels IS privately owned - but it is also a Youth Hostel and is part-owned by English Heritage who open it to the general public during the summer. They did (two years ago anyway) do a guidebook for it.