Scheduled Monuments›Wales›Builth Castle
Medieval · Motte and Bailey

Builth Castle

Breconshire, Wales
Cadw SAM BR031
Period
Medieval
Site type
Motte and Bailey
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

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Overview

History & significance

Builth Castle is a motte and bailey castle constructed in the late twelfth century in Breconshire, Wales, likely established during the Anglo-Norman penetration of the region. The site comprises a substantial earthen mound with surrounding defensive ditches, typical of the motte and bailey form which dominated castle construction in Wales during the early Norman period. The castle served as a strategic fortification controlling the Wye valley and the approach to mid-Wales, and was associated with the Norman lords who held territories in the area. Though no substantial stone structures survive, the earthwork remains an important testament to the military architecture employed during the Norman conquest and consolidation of Welsh territories.

Builth Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR031. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Builth Castle?

Builth Castle is a motte and bailey castle constructed in the late twelfth century in Breconshire, Wales, likely established during the Anglo-Norman penetration of the region. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference BR031.

What period does Builth Castle date from?

Builth 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.

Who is responsible for protecting Builth Castle?

Builth 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 BR031.

What other scheduled monuments are near Builth Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cwmhindda Deserted Rural Settlement (3.7 km), Hendy Long Hut (4.5 km), Banc y Celyn Stone Circle (4.8 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Builth Castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Builth Castle's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Cwmhindda Deserted Rural Settlement
Medieval · Platform house3.7 km
Hendy Long Hut
Post Medieval/Modern · Rectangular hut4.5 km
Banc y Celyn Stone Circle
Prehistoric · Stone Circle4.8 km
Aberedw Castle
Medieval · Castle4.9 km
Aberedw Castle Mound
Medieval · Motte5.2 km
Cefn Corast Deserted Rural Settlement
Post Medieval/Modern · Rectangular hut6.7 km
Gwenddwr Deserted Village
Medieval · Deserted Rural Settlement7.9 km
Blaenhenllan round cairn
Prehistoric · Round Cairn8 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Builth Castle

Builth Castle stands on Wenlock Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

All Scheduled Monuments