The castle stands on a limestone bluff that forms part of the tidal estuary that makes up the Milford Haven Waterway. The use of the site for military purposes extends back at least 2000 years as recent excavations in the outer ward have discovered multiple defensive walls of an Iron Age fort.<br /><br />The Norman castle has its origins in a stone keep around the year 1100. The present castle, which replaced an earlier stone keep, is constructed almost entirely from the local limestone. Although originally a Norman stronghold the castle maintains a mixture of architectural styles as modifications were made to the structure over successive centuries.<br /><br />Entry to the inner ward is across a dry moat that had a barbican and gatehouse. The front of the castle had three D-shaped towers and crenelated walls. The rear of the castle has two large round towers. In the 16th century the northern defensive wall was converted into a Tudor range with ornate windows and long gallery.<br /><br />The outer ward has earthworks that were built by Royalist defenders during the English Civil War in the 1640s.
The castle stands on a limestone bluff that forms part of the tidal estuary that makes up the Milford Haven Waterway. The use of the site for military purposes extends back at least 2000 years as recent excavations in the outer ward have discovered multiple defensive walls of an Iron Age fort.<br /><br />The Norman castle has its origins in a stone keep around the year 1100. The present castle, which replaced an earlier stone keep, is constructed almost entirely from the local limestone. Although originally a Norman stronghold the castle maintains a mixture of architectural styles as modifications were made to the structure over successive centuries.<br /><br />Entry to the inner ward is across a dry moat that had a barbican and gatehouse. The front of the castle had three D-shaped towers and crenelated walls. The rear of the castle has two large round towers. In the 16th century the northern defensive wall was converted into a Tudor range with ornate windows and long gallery.<br /><br />The outer ward has earthworks that were built by Royalist defenders during the English Civil War in the 1640s.
