Castle

St Briavels Castle

St Briavels, Gloucestershire
Directions
  • Open
  • Free entry
  • Assistance dogs only
  • Parking on site, free
  • English Heritage
St Briavels Castle: St Briavels Castle is a moated Norman castle at St Briavels in the English county of Gloucestershire. The castle is noted for its huge Edwardian gatehouse that
Photo: Thomas Tolkien from Scarborough, UK · CC BY 2.0 · Source

Quick answer

Checked 14 Oct 2026

St Briavels Castle is a castle near St Briavels, Gloucestershire, managed by English Heritage. Entry is free and the site is open at any reasonable time. Only assistance dogs are allowed. There is a free car park on site.

Getting to St Briavels Castle and parking

Plan your route

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Directions to St Briavels Castle View on a map
Parking
Car park on site, free. Very limited free parking to the right of the entrance ramp.
By train
Lydney is 5 miles away.
Public transport
Forest Community Transport 701 or 707 (Tue, Thu, Fri only); Geoff Willetts Coaches Monday service 787. Chepstow station 8 miles.

Dogs, accessibility and facilities

Dogs

Assistance dogs only
  • Pet dogs: not allowed.
  • Assistance dogs: welcome.
  • Assistance dogs only.

Food and facilities

  • Toilets Yes

What to see at St Briavels Castle

  • 01

    Gatehouse

    The fortified main entrance.

  • 02

    Keep

    The main fortified tower of the castle.

  • 03

    Curtain wall

    The outer defensive wall around the site.

  • 04

    Chapel

    A chapel inside the castle.

  • 05

    Moat

    A ditch, wet or dry, around the walls.

  • 06

    Gardens

    Gardens you can walk around.

History of St Briavels Castle

  1. c.1160 Castle in royal possession by the 1160s; rebuilt with a keep by Henry II
  2. 1292 Edward I adds the twin-towered gatehouse
  3. 1680 Unused buildings demolished
  4. 1752 Keep collapses
  5. 1777 East tower collapses, destroying adjoining buildings
  6. 1842 Last use as a debtors' prison

Photos

Castles near St Briavels Castle

All 3 castles in Gloucestershire

Sources

Every fact on this page last verified 14 Oct 2026
Suggest a correction
  1. Page on english-heritage.org.uk · checked 14 Oct 2026
  2. Page on english-heritage.org.uk · checked 15 Oct 2026
  3. Wikidata · checked 15 Oct 2026
  4. Page on english-heritage.org.uk · checked 14 Oct 2026
  5. Page on english-heritage.org.uk · checked 14 Oct 2026

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