Scheduled MonumentsWalesCastell Dolwyddelan
Medieval · Castle

Castell Dolwyddelan

Conwy, Wales
Cadw SAM CN040
Period
Medieval
Site type
Castle
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Castell Dolwyddelan is a thirteenth-century Welsh castle situated in the Conwy valley, Gwynedd, North Wales. Built during the reign of Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (Llywelyn the Great), the castle served as a stronghold controlling the upper Conwy valley and represents an important example of native Welsh medieval military architecture. The castle comprises two round towers connected by a curtain wall, positioned on a rocky outcrop that afforded strategic defensive advantages. The site retains substantial medieval masonry and has been subject to archaeological investigation and conservation by Cadw, the Welsh heritage monuments authority.

Castell Dolwyddelan is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CN040. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Castell Dolwyddelan?

Castell Dolwyddelan is a thirteenth-century Welsh castle situated in the Conwy valley, Gwynedd, North Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CN040.

What period does Castell Dolwyddelan date from?

Castell Dolwyddelan dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a castle. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Castell Dolwyddelan?

Castell Dolwyddelan 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 CN040.

What other scheduled monuments are near Castell Dolwyddelan?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rhiwbach Quarry, Tramway and Incline System (5.7 km), Diffwys Quarry (6.4 km), Oakeley Quarry Tips (6.5 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Castell Dolwyddelan

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Castell Dolwyddelan'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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Castell Dolwyddelan

Castell Dolwyddelan stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Ordovician, bedrock that formed in the Ordovician. The rock here is felsic tuff.

The wider landscape

Around Castell Dolwyddelan

Bryn Celli DduArchaeological site · ~17.2 miles