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

Colwyn Castle

Radnorshire, Wales
Cadw SAM RD035
Period
Medieval
Site type
Motte and Bailey
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Colwyn Castle is a motte and bailey earthwork located in Radnorshire, Wales, dating to the Norman period following the invasion of 1066. The monument consists of a substantial mound with an associated bailey, representing a typical form of early medieval military fortification constructed to assert Norman control over the Welsh borderlands. The site demonstrates the strategic importance of the region during the twelfth century, when such castles served as administrative and defensive centres for the Norman lords establishing their authority in this part of Wales. The earthworks remain substantially preserved, providing valuable archaeological evidence of early medieval fortification practices in the Welsh Marches.

Colwyn Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference RD035. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Colwyn Castle?

Colwyn Castle is a motte and bailey earthwork located in Radnorshire, Wales, dating to the Norman period following the invasion of 1066. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference RD035.

What period does Colwyn Castle date from?

Colwyn 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 Colwyn Castle?

Colwyn 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 RD035.

What other scheduled monuments are near Colwyn Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Llanbedr Hill Platform House (6.8 km), Aberedw Castle (7.3 km), Aberedw Castle Mound (7.4 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Colwyn Castle

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

Llanbedr Hill Platform House
Post Medieval/Modern · Platform house6.8 km
Aberedw Castle
Medieval · Castle7.3 km
Aberedw Castle Mound
Medieval · Motte7.4 km
Blaenhenllan round cairn
Prehistoric · Round Cairn8.3 km
Hendy Long Hut
Post Medieval/Modern · Rectangular hut8.7 km
Castle Mound 400m N of Cefnige
Medieval · Motte9.2 km
Banc y Celyn Stone Circle
Prehistoric · Stone Circle9.4 km
Pain's Castle
Medieval · Motte and Bailey9.7 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Colwyn Castle

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

The wider landscape

Around Colwyn Castle

KenchesterRoman town · ~21.8 milesOffa's DykeArchaeological site · ~24.8 miles
All Scheduled Monuments