Scheduled MonumentsWalesCastell Nadolig
Prehistoric · Hillfort

Castell Nadolig

Ceredigion, Wales
Cadw SAM CD053
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Hillfort
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Castell Nadolig is a prehistoric hillfort located in Ceredigion, Wales, designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument under the reference CD053. The site dates to the Iron Age and comprises a hilltop fortification defined by defensive earthworks typical of the period. Its physical character is marked by substantial banks and ditches that would have enclosed a settlement and provided defensive advantage over the surrounding landscape. The fort represents an important example of Iron Age settlement strategy in mid-Wales, demonstrating the prominence of hillforts as focal points for community organisation and territorial control during this period.

Castell Nadolig is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CD053. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Castell Nadolig?

Castell Nadolig is a prehistoric hillfort located in Ceredigion, Wales, designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument under the reference CD053.

What period does Castell Nadolig date from?

Castell Nadolig dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a hillfort. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Castell Nadolig?

Castell Nadolig 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 CD053.

What other scheduled monuments are near Castell Nadolig?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Gernos Mountain Round Barrow Cemetery (7.4 km), Troed y Rhiw Sion Defended Enclosure (7.7 km), St Mary's Church / Llandyfriog Castle Mound (7.7 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Castell Nadolig

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Castell Nadolig'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 Nadolig

Castell Nadolig stands on Ashgill Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ashgill. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.