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Brecon Castle is a motte and bailey fortification founded in the late eleventh century following the Norman conquest of South Wales. The castle occupies a prominent position within the town of Brecon and comprises an elevated motte with a substantial bailey, commanding views over the Usk valley and the surrounding settlement. The site was strategically important for Norman control of the region and remained in use throughout the medieval period, though later phases of occupation and modification are documented. Today the earthworks survive as significant archaeological remains, preserving the characteristic defensive morphology of early Norman fortification in Wales.
Brecon Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR022. View the official record →
Brecon Castle is a motte and bailey fortification founded in the late eleventh century following the Norman conquest of South Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference BR022.
Brecon Castle dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a motte and bailey. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Brecon Castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is BR022.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Plas-y-Gaer Camp (4.3 km), Coed y Brenin Enclosure (5.4 km), Coed y Caerau Camp (5.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Brecon Castle's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Brecon Castle stands on Lower Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.