Lydstep

Lydstep is a small village in south Pembrokeshire situated between Tenby and Manorbier.

Lydstep is on the bus route service number 349 and connects the village to Tenby and Haverfordwest.

In the centre of the village are the remains of Lydstep Palace, a late medieval hall house with a vaulted undercroft. It is now roofless and partially ruinous, but has been repaired as far as it’s possible to do so. Lydstep Palace appears to have been used as a court of the Manor of Manorbier and Penally, as well as being a domestic residence.

During the medieval period, it appears that the first floor comprised one large chamber, subdivided into smaller spaces by at least one open arch. Post-medieval alterations included the division of the first floor into three rooms.

A Neolithic stone axe head was retrieved from the soil when the building was excavated, but as the soil was brought in during the 19th century to create a garden, it’s likely the axe head came with it.