1. Precinct walls, having a defensive aspect, of St David's Cathedral close (see Nprn306): the present walls are thought to have been constructed in the later 13th century and remodelled in the late 14th century: modern walls follow the course of the precinct wall in places. Visible remains include: Porth-y-Twr (Nprn94102); Pont Cerwyn Dewi Tower (22619); dovecote tower (Nprn22632).
(source Os495card; SM72NE2)
Part of:
St David's Cathedral Close (Nprn402321).
J.Wiles 24.05.02

2. St Davdis cathedral sits at the heart of a very old and largely intact close, encircled by a strong wall with fortified gates. The close contains the fine ruins of a once lavish Bishop's Palace, now a protected ancient monument, and a complex of houses and lodgings for the archdeacons and other clerics to the north of the cathedral. Also within the close are a cemetery, a silted fish pond and original tracts of meadow unencumbered by any later development or infilling. The entire complex is still bisected by the River Alun, which is crossed by a ford in the centre below the cathedral. When Fenton visited he wrote: `This close was in circuit twelve hundred yards, had a walk round with a crenelled parapet. The entrance was by four handsome gateways or porths, answering to the four cardinal points'' The present wall was probably that built by Bishop Bek (1280-93), and of the four fortified gates, Porth Boning on the north side, Porth Gwyn on the north-west, Porth Padrig to the south and the twin towers of Porth y T'r to the east, the latter can still be seen and still functions as a main entrance from the city.
Extract from: Driver, T. 2007. Pembrokeshire, Historic Landscapes from the Air, RCAHMW, Chapter 4.
T. Driver, 28 June 2007.