Sisters House

Sisters House is a ruined complex of former gentry buildings near the village of Martletwy in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales. Hidden in woodland, it is one of the region's more enigmatic historic sites and is protected as a scheduled monument.

What is Sisters House?

The site has sometimes been described as a "bastle house", a fortified house type usually associated with northern England. Specialists regard that label as doubtful. Today what remains is a large, badly ruined group of buildings, overgrown with trees and undergrowth.

Where does the name come from?

The name is popularly linked to a medieval pilgrim hospice or a nunnery. Those stories are unproven. An earlier record from 1546 gives the form "Systerne House". Nothing in the complex can be dated with certainty to the medieval period.

History

The buildings date from the 16th century. Sources credit Roger Barlow with building it as a gentry house on land obtained from the Crown after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The Barlows stopped using it after 1700. It was then leased as a farm, fell increasingly into disrepair, and was ruinous by the early 19th century.

What can you see?

A recent survey by the Dyfed Archaeological Trust identified 13 buildings within enclosures. They include the remains of the former mansion, a large barn, a walled garden and water features. Heritage records also describe a series of recesses in a wall identified as bee boles, where beehives were kept. The whole site lies in woodland, so the ruins are partly overgrown and the ground can be uneven.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Sisters House? Near Martletwy in Pembrokeshire, Wales, at roughly 51.786 N, 4.854 W.

Was it a nunnery? A nunnery or pilgrim hospice is the popular tale, but it is unproven. The buildings are the remains of a 16th-century gentry residence.

Can you go into the ruins? It is a protected monument, and the ruins are unstable and set in woodland. Take care, do not climb on the walls, and check that your route follows legitimate paths.

Why visit? It suits anyone who enjoys ruins, local history and quiet places off the beaten track. Nearby Landshipping is known for the well-preserved earthworks of a 17th-century formal garden.