Brampton Bryan Castle

Brampton Bryan Castle is a medieval ruin in the small village of the same name in the far northwest corner of Herefordshire, close to the Welsh border. The castle controlled a key passage through the River Teme valley toward Knighton and central Wales, a textbook Welsh Marches border position held by successive Marcher Lords. During the English Civil War in 1643, Lady Brilliana Harley famously defended the castle against a prolonged Royalist siege while her husband sat in Parliament — she died shortly after the besieging forces withdrew, and the castle was eventually slighted. The remaining walls are now a Grade I listed structure, set within an overgrown park beside the Church of St. Barnabas. It rewards visitors with an atmosphere of quiet decay, well off the beaten path.