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Tretower
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Tretower Court
Tretower Castle was first established by a Norman knight of the Picard family who assisted Bernard de Neufmarche in his conquest of Brycheiniog. The manor continued to be held by the Picard family for many generations, during which time the original timber castle was upgraded. It then passed through several hands, being damaged by Owain Glyndwr whilst garrisoned against him by Sir James Berkeley. By this time the main dwelling was at the Court built nearby, and the castle fell into disrepair.
The Vaughan family held the Court from the late fifteenth century and developed it as a fortified manor house. By the time the Vaughans sold it to the Parry family in 1783 the great days of the ancient mansion were behind it and it had evolved into a substantial farm.
http://history.powys.org.uk/history/crick/tretwr.html
Tretower Court
Tretower Court - The courtyard seen from the Gatehouse Standing against the splendid backdrop of the Black Mountains, this remarkable medieval country house is one of the rare and glorious survivals that Wales has to offer. When Roger Picard arrived in the valley at the end of the 11th century with the Norman invaders, he built a simple motte and bailey castle at Tretower, which the next six generations of the family enlarged and strengthened. By the early 14th century more comfortable domestic accommodation was required, so the building of Tretower Court began and was continued over the next 350 years. With an architectural history almost as complex as the family succession, this charming fortified manor house offers the visitor an evocative glimpse of the lifestyle enjoyed by the more affluent members of society during the Middle Ages.
Among the early owners of Tretower Court are listed Lord Berkeley and the Earl of Pembroke, but probably the most noted link with the house is that of Henry Vaughan, the 'Silurist'. Henry was a nephew to the owner of Tretower and never actually lived at the house, but history records that he had an intimate association with the property, inspired by the tranquillity of its surrounding environment. As a great poet and distinguished writer, whose works are highly acclaimed among the literature of 17th century England, Henry's love of the gentle Usk valley and the hauntingly beautiful Black Mountains was captured for eternity by his words.
Up until 1783 Tretower Court was owned by descendants of Picard, although the family name changed several times as a result of the circumstances of inheritance.
By the middle of the 15th century the family name of Vaughan was firmly established, and it was Sir Roger Vaughan, an extremely wealthy commoner, who really made his mark on the new building, doubling the size and embellishing it with quality dressed stonework and ornate woodwork.
Additions and alterations were subsequently made, especially after it passed out of the family in the late 18th century to become a farm, but the core of the house remains essentially 14th/15th century in origin. Developed to form an irregular four-sided, two-storey building with a central courtyard, the house looks intriguingly different from every angle. There is a first floor timber gallery running the length of one range, there are battlemented wall walks along a further two ranges, and there is a most amazing combination of various window styles and doorways throughout the entire building.
Even though Tretower Court is devoid of furniture, this in no way detracts from the wonderful atmosphere of the individual rooms and, if anything, serves only to enhance the medieval beauty of the building. With no priceless works of art to admire, the eyes are able to focus on some of the surviving details of skilled craftsmanship, and appreciate how much intensive labour this work must have taken with their simple set of medieval tools. In comparison to the cold comforts afforded by the old stone castle, the relative luxury of this once grand and imposing 'modern' house must have seemed strangely disconcerting at first for the Vaughan family.
http://www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/manor%20houses/tretower%20court.htm
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