Scheduled MonumentsWalesRuperra Castle
Post Medieval/Modern · House (domestic)

Ruperra Castle

Wales
Cadw SAM GM379
Period
Post Medieval/Modern
Site type
House (domestic)
Broad class
Domestic
Nation
Wales
The designation
Reference
Cadw SAM GM379
Authority
Cadw
Designated
1976-09-02
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Ruperra Castle is a seventeenth-century fortified house located in Glamorgan, Wales, constructed in the 1620s by Thomas Morgan of Tredegar as a statement of wealth and status during the early Stuart period. The building combines defensive features typical of post-medieval gentry houses with domestic comfort, reflecting the transitional architectural character of its era when true military function was becoming subordinate to residential display. Its distinctive design includes crenellated walls and corner towers that emphasise its castle-like appearance, though these elements served primarily ornamental purposes rather than genuine military defence. The structure represents an important example of seventeenth-century Welsh gentry architecture and remains a significant monument to the social ambitions and building practices of the Tudor and Stuart periods in South Wales.

Ruperra Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM379. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Ruperra Castle?

Ruperra Castle is a seventeenth-century fortified house located in Glamorgan, Wales, constructed in the 1620s by Thomas Morgan of Tredegar as a statement of wealth and status during the early Stuart period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference GM379.

What period does Ruperra Castle date from?

Ruperra Castle dates from the post medieval/modern period, and is classified as a house (domestic). It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Ruperra Castle?

Ruperra Castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is GM379.

What other scheduled monuments are near Ruperra Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Castle Field Camp E Of Craig-Llywn (2.8 km), Druidstone Standing Stone (3.6 km), Pen-y-Lan Camp (4.1 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Ruperra Castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Ruperra Castle's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
First month just £4.99, then £9.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Ruperra Castle report
Or see a real report first
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Ruperra Castle

Ruperra Castle stands on Lower Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.