ABERGAVENNY Castle will be out of bounds in the evening for the ‘forseeable future’ as workmen move in to scale the South West Tower complex.

The 14th century ruin has been encased in scaffolding to allow the ladder climbers to execute what custodians Monmouthshire County Council describe as a comprehensive conservation programme.

Normally there is public access to the castle grounds up until 8pm in the summer.

But, for safety reasons, the site is being closed down at 5pm to reduce the risks of people clambering over the building area.

A council spokesman said this week, “The scaffolding to carry out the work is now in place and will be up for the foreseeable future.

“The work will not affect the opening of the museum or visits to the castle during the day, although the immediate area will be restricted.”

Curator Rachael Rogers explained, “We try wherever possible to leave the site open during the evenings, particularly in the summer,

“However, we need to ensure the safety of all visitors to the site which has scaffolding which could be a danger.”

She added, “We are encouraging parents and carers to explain to their children the dangers of accessing building sites.

“Our ongoing programme of events will ensure that visitors can continue to enjoy the site in the evening on selected occasions.”

Regular updates will be released relating to the work’s progress.

Monmouthshire County Council officers in the property services department, together with Monmouthshire Museums, have been working closely with CADW to put together a comprehensive conservation programme for tower complex.