THE CASTLE

Kinnersley Castle was one of the many Marches castles sited by the Normans along the Welsh border. As seen today it is predominantly the remodelled Elizabethan manor house of the Vaughan family, which houses various fine oak panelled rooms and the original 1588 plasterwork ceiling of the Solar. For images of the Castle & grounds see the photos.

The Castle has changed hands numerous times in its long, interesting life, and many families have made their own particular marks. Previous residents of note include:-
Richard de la Bere , father of 21 children, who won his spurs at the batlle of Crecy (1346); The Vaughan family(c.1588), legends about whose ancester “Black Vaughan” and the phantom black dog are widely recounted; Francis Smallman, who along with his eldest son was killed in the Civil War: Sir Thomas Morgan, Baronet and Govenor of Jersey (1660); The Reaveley family (c.1850’s), whose daughter married George Frederick Bodley, the Arts and Crafts architect and designer; Major Davey, inventor of the Davy Fire Escape, whose daughter Doreen landed the biggest ever rod-killed Wye salmon(1923); and Lord Brocket for a short period during WWII.

THE GROUNDS

There are about 8 acres of grounds containing some remarkable yew hedges, a walled kitchen garden and one of the largest Ginkgo Biloba trees in the country. All our land is organic and Soil Assosiation registered. Next to the Castle the Norman Church is also of historical interest having an unusual C.13th tower, wall paintings designed by Bodley and containing the significant Smallman monument of 1633.