CASTLES MONMOUTH

Monmouth Castle was built between 1067 and 1071 by William fitz Osbern on a hilltop overlooking the confluence of the River Wye and River Monnow. The castle is renowned as the birthplace of King Henry V in 1387, an event commemorated in nearby Agincourt Square. The best surviving features include a 12th-century tower and 13th-century great hall, with sections of castle walls offering breathtaking countryside views. The Monmouthshire Royal Engineers Regimental Museum occupies the castle grounds, housing exhibits detailing the regiment's history and Wales' wider military heritage from formation to the present day.

Pembridge Castle is a Grade I listed late 12th to early 13th-century border fortress located near Welsh Newton in Herefordshire, originally called Newland Castle. The site features a distinctive four-story round tower on its western corner, believed to be the keep, with gatehouse and curtain walls added at the end of the 13th century. As a moated fortification, the castle experienced siege damage during the 1644 English Civil War when it was partially ruined and later slighted. Restoration work in 1675 and the early 20th century repaired the gatehouse and curtain walls with new crenellations added, transforming the castle into a restored historic site of architectural and defensive interest.