Morris Castle or Castle Graig (Castell Morris or Castell Craig) is a ruined residential building situated on the Cnap-llwyd common in the Trewyddfa area of Swansea, Wales. Constructed by Sir John Morris to house the families of workers, it is one of the earliest examples of a tenement building.[1]
The castle was constructed between 1768 and 1775 by the coal and copper magnate Sir John Morris. A quadrangle of four towers, each four stories tall were connected by blocks three stories tall, the structure enclosed a central courtyard and was built using local sandstone with decorative battlements, quoins and string courses of copper slag and brickwork. The castle consisted of twenty-four family apartments and was built to house the workers at the Treboeth Level Colliery and the copper works at Landore.[2]
Usage and abandonmentedit
The ruins of Morris Castle
The castles location on the high Cnap-llwyd proved impractical for workers needs. By the late 1770s, Morris had constructed a number of more conventional workers cottages on the lower ground. These cottages proved to be much more popular, growing into an urban village which became known in English as Morris Town. Despite these issues, the castle would retain some occupants until as late as the 1850s when nearby mining activity made the structure unsafe. In 1877, the Ordnance Survey marked the structure as "in ruins".[3][4] On 25 January 1990, the easternmost wall of the structure collapsed in high winds during a storm.
Appraisaledit
In their 1814 survey of the economy of south Wales, Gwallter Mechain and Iolo Morganwg praised both the castle and John Morris himself as "the most extensive individual builder of comfortable habitations for the labouring class. He first erected a kind of castellated lofty mansion, of a collegiate appearance, with an interior quadrangle, containing the dwellings for forty families, all colliers, excepting one tailor, and one shoemaker."[5]
In 1976, the Castle remains were listed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw as a building "of national importance" and one of the first structures erected for housing workers in flats. Swansea City Council purchased the building from the Beaufort Estate the following year.[6]
Referencesedit
^"Morris Castle". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
^"Morris Castle". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
^Hughes, Stephen. A Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of the Swansea Region. Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments of Wales; Revised edition (1992)
^"Morris Castle". Visitswanseabay. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
^Davies, Walter (1814). General view of the agriculture and domestic economy of South Wales. London: G. and W. Nicol.
^"Morris Castle A Scheduled Monument in Landore (Glandŵr), Swansea (Abertawe)". Ancient Monuments.
External linksedit
Treboeth History Group
January 01, 1970
morris, castle, village, ireland, morriscastle, castle, graig, castell, morris, castell, craig, ruined, residential, building, situated, cnap, llwyd, common, trewyddfa, area, swansea, wales, constructed, john, morris, house, families, workers, earliest, exampl. For the village in Ireland see Morriscastle Morris Castle or Castle Graig Castell Morris or Castell Craig is a ruined residential building situated on the Cnap llwyd common in the Trewyddfa area of Swansea Wales Constructed by Sir John Morris to house the families of workers it is one of the earliest examples of a tenement building 1 Morris Castle or Castle GraigCastell Morris or Castell GraigGeneral informationTypeRuined tenement buildingLocationCnap llwyd common Trewyddfa Swansea WalesAddressTrewyddfa Road Morriston SA6Coordinates51 39 1 28 N 3 56 20 11 W 51 6503556 N 3 9389194 W 51 6503556 3 9389194Construction started1768Completed1774OwnerSwansea City CouncilTechnical detailsFloor count4 Contents 1 History 1 1 Construction 1 2 Usage and abandonment 1 3 Appraisal 2 References 3 External linksHistory editConstruction edit The castle was constructed between 1768 and 1775 by the coal and copper magnate Sir John Morris A quadrangle of four towers each four stories tall were connected by blocks three stories tall the structure enclosed a central courtyard and was built using local sandstone with decorative battlements quoins and string courses of copper slag and brickwork The castle consisted of twenty four family apartments and was built to house the workers at the Treboeth Level Colliery and the copper works at Landore 2 Usage and abandonment edit nbsp The ruins of Morris Castle The castles location on the high Cnap llwyd proved impractical for workers needs By the late 1770s Morris had constructed a number of more conventional workers cottages on the lower ground These cottages proved to be much more popular growing into an urban village which became known in English as Morris Town Despite these issues the castle would retain some occupants until as late as the 1850s when nearby mining activity made the structure unsafe In 1877 the Ordnance Survey marked the structure as in ruins 3 4 On 25 January 1990 the easternmost wall of the structure collapsed in high winds during a storm Appraisal edit In their 1814 survey of the economy of south Wales Gwallter Mechain and Iolo Morganwg praised both the castle and John Morris himself as the most extensive individual builder of comfortable habitations for the labouring class He first erected a kind of castellated lofty mansion of a collegiate appearance with an interior quadrangle containing the dwellings for forty families all colliers excepting one tailor and one shoemaker 5 In 1976 the Castle remains were listed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw as a building of national importance and one of the first structures erected for housing workers in flats Swansea City Council purchased the building from the Beaufort Estate the following year 6 References edit Morris Castle Coflein RCAHMW Retrieved 27 July 2023 Morris Castle Coflein RCAHMW Retrieved 27 July 2023 Hughes Stephen A Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of the Swansea Region Royal Commission on the Ancient amp Historical Monuments of Wales Revised edition 1992 Morris Castle Visitswanseabay Retrieved 27 July 2023 Davies Walter 1814 General view of the agriculture and domestic economy of South Wales London G and W Nicol Morris Castle A Scheduled Monument in Landore Glandŵr Swansea Abertawe Ancient Monuments External links editData Wales Morris Castle Treboeth History Group Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Morris Castle amp oldid 1222087990, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
