Dunraven Castle-a Glamorgan Mansion Through Time

Southerndown is renowned locally for its ruggedly beautiful coastline, scenic countryside and rusticated ambience making it a popular place all year around with ramblers, dog-walkers and with photographers as a click-and-go photo location. This scenic backdrop was once the setting for a stately looking mansion-the erstwhile Dunraven Castle. 

For centuries Dunraven Castle sat majestically on top of the steep promontory overlooking Dunraven Bay and was home to a succession of prominent families until its demolition during the middle of the twentieth century. Little remains today, save for a few low wall courses, to suggest that a building as grand as Dunraven Castle ever existed on this site at all. 

(Dunraven castle and bay-early twentieth century)

Dunraven Castle was not the first construction to have occupied this prominent location. There is evidence of habitation dating back to the Iron Age when the native Celts constructed a series of earth work defences on the headland. These earthwork defences can still be discerned if one looks carefully. 

During the medieval period a castle once occupied the site which was owned by a family called Butler, whom were tenants of the lord of Ogmore.  Dunraven Castle is reputed to have been destroyed or at least badly damaged by Owen Glyndwr. We know from historical records that Ogmore was badly attacked during the Glyndwr rebellion so there is probably an element of truth in this assertion.

The Butlers' owned Dunraven until sometime during the early to mid-sixteenth century when they were succeeded by a family called Vaughn who were most likely responsible for the construction of the Tudor period Dunraven House. This building was recorded by John Leland in his Itineraries which he simply referred to as a ‘manor place’ owned by one 'Richard Vehan' who had recently acquired it from marriage to the 'laste Boteler'. Glamorgan antiquarian Rhys Merrick also makes reference to Dunraven Castle in the late sixteenth century in his list of castles bordering on the sea coast. The house and manor were sold in 1642 to Sir Humphrey Wyndham, whose descendants officially altered the family name to Wyndham Quinn in 1815, after the marriage of Caroline Wyndham to Mr Wyndham-Quin in 1810.

(The Tudor period Dunraven Castle as seen from an eighteenth century print)

According to the Hearth-Tax Assessment for Glamorgan, the Tudor period Dunraven House contained 11 hearths under ownership of Humphrey Wyndham Esq during the 1670s. A print dating to 1775 shows Dunraven House sporting a series of chimneys with Tudor period mullions and window hood-moulds. The print also shows to its left two Gothic archways, which were a common architectural feature throughout the medieval period; could Dunraven House have incorporated elements of the medieval castle that once occupied the site? Celebrated antiquary and historian G.T Clark believed so. Upon his visit during the early nineteenth century Clark stated that 'part of Dunraven is old', with the further observation that 'in the centre of the later house at Dunraven, some masonary of Early English aspect is walled in'.

A gentlemanly visitor, one J. T Barber who visited Dunraven Castle in the late eighteenth century was clearly unimpressed by what he saw describing it as: 'a mis-shapen dismal building, only to be admired for its situation upon a lofty sea-promontory.' Perhaps the Wyndhams' agreed with Mr Barber’s cynical appraisal of their home as substantial alterations were made in 1803.

(Another eighteenth century view of the old  house of Dunraven, complete with gate and wall)

The Rev J Evans who visited Dunraven Castle in the midst of the remodeling was more positive in his appraisal than Mr Barber stating that: 

'Many parts of the house bear the marks of great antiquity. The entrance was formerly by a bold gothic arch, with a defaced coat of arms, probably of the founder. This has been taken down and other alterations have been made', further adding, 'The present proprietor (T. Wyndham, Esq), with a spirt that dignifies the possession of wealth, has procured a plan for restoring it to more than its original grandeur.'

Further alterations were made in 1858 and 1887 resulting in a sprawling castellated Gothic structure that seems typical of many fashionable nineteenth century mansions. Samuel Lewis in his Topographical Dictionary was impressed, calling the new building: 'an elegant and spacious structure.' Charles Frederick Cliffe writing in 1848 records, perhaps somewhat whimsically, that Dunraven: 'is a house in the bad taste of the last century'. Charles Frederick also recorded that the Wyndham-Quins' were happy to allow members of the public onto their estate stating that, ‘strangers are permitted to enter the walks that have been tastefully made around the partly-wooded headland.'

  (Rear view of the rebuilt Dunraven Castle)

During the early twentieth century the Wyndham-Quins' decided to permanently vacate Dunraven Castle leaving a skeleton staff to care and maintain the building. Owing to its rambling size, Dunraven Castle was used as a convalescent hospital during World War one and World War Two. Later it was used as a hostel /guest house but was seemingly living on borrowed time and by 1962 was ultimately deemed to have outlived its useful existence. It's contents and fittings were auctioned off and in 1963 Dunraven Castle was demolished. All that is left to remind us that an imposing mansion once stood at Dunraven Bay are a few short sections of masonry. Dunraven's walled gardens, which include an ‘ice tower’ folly shaped like a medieval tower, and a nineteenth century castellated entrance lodge located some distance away still remain. The lodge incorporates the weather beaten window mullions from the old demolished Tudor mansion.

     (Aerial view of Dunraven Castle)

There is a legend surrounding Dunraven Castle, that of the ‘Wreckers of Dunraven Bay’. This legend is mentioned by almost every nineteenth century visitor to Dunraven, including J.T Barber and the Rev. J Evans. A detailed narrative published in Charles Frederick Cliffe's 1848 book, The Book of South Wales seems to be the most well-known version of the story. This story concerns a former lord of Dunraven, the seemingly impoverished Walter Vaughn. The records show that there was indeed a Walter Vaughn (1505-1584) who lived at Dunraven Castle during the latter part of the sixteenth century-Walter was the son of Richard Vaughn, the first Vaughn to occupy Dunraven Castle.

Walter, finding himself in desperate need of cash, had formed an association with local pirates. One of whom, in almost pantomime fashion, had an iron-hook in leu of a hand-the aptly named ‘Mat of the Iron Hand’. Walter allegedly enlisted the help of such miscreants to help him restore the wealth of his estate by indulging in the practice of ‘wrecking’, whereby lanterns were deliberately lit to attempt to lure ships off-course and to their doom on the jagged shoreline of Southerndown. Walter’s prerogative as lord of Dunraven meant that he could legally lay claim to the salvage-provided of course that none of the ship’s crew survived.

  (A Painting by George Morland depicting wreckers plying their trade dated 1790-99)

The story goes that one night Walter and his villainous associates managed to lure a ship to its destruction. Walter was feeling pleased with himself for a profitable night’s work but his elation did not last long. Walter’s associate, Mat, had seemingly murdered one of the ships surviving passengers who, to Walter’s horror, turned out to be none other than his sole surviving son and heir, who was aboard the floundered vessel. To make matters worse, Mat had gone so far as to chop-off one of the unfortunate young man’s hands in order to appropriate his gold ring. This story-like all legends and folklore of Britain, likely contains an element of truth. Piracy and smuggling was rife along the coastline of Britain, in particular during the eighteenth century, and the story’s protagonist certainly would not have been the only man of status to have indulged in such unscrupulous acts, for example: Nicholas Herbert of Cogan Pill was in 1577 fined the sum of £200 for colluding with pirates.

  (Interior of Dunraven castle-the haunt of the Blue Lady)

There is also a ghost story associated with Dunraven Castle-that of ‘the Blue lady of Dunraven’. This wraith was apparently seen and felt by many of Dunraven Castle’s staff and patients who resided here when it was a hospital. The former earl of Dunraven had an interest in the subject and sought to collect as many first-hand accounts of encounters with this apparition as possible which he then had published. It is unclear whether or not the Blue lady continues to haunt the spot of the old house or was swept away with the bricks and mortar when the house at Dunraven was demolished. 

                                                   (The walled gardens at Dunraven Castle)

©Jonathan and Mark Lambert 2020

The right of Jonathan and Mark Lambert to be identified as Authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted, reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic means, including social media, or mechanical, or by any other means including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the authors.