Scheduled MonumentsWalesHen Blas Castle Site
Medieval · Castle

Hen Blas Castle Site

Flintshire, Wales
Cadw SAM FL062
Period
Medieval
Site type
Castle
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Hen Blas Castle Site is a medieval castle situated on Millstone Grit Group bedrock in Wales. The underlying geology of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone formed during the Namurian period, providing a solid foundation for fortification. The site lies within terrain typical of medieval Welsh castle landscapes, where defensive positions were selected with regard to both natural topography and available building stone.

The castle remains are now protected as a scheduled ancient monument under Cadw, the Welsh government's historic monuments service, and are registered under reference FL062. This designation reflects the site's significance as a record of medieval Welsh settlement and military architecture. The Millstone Grit bedrock would have offered suitable material for construction, though the extent to which local stone was quarried for the castle's walls remains part of the site's archaeological character.

Today, the monument survives as earthwork remains or structural fragments indicative of its medieval period. Like many Welsh castles of the period, Hen Blas Castle Site represents the fortified landscape that developed across Wales during the medieval centuries, serving the defensive and administrative needs of its time. The protection afforded by Cadw ensures the site's preservation for future study and public heritage value.

Hen Blas Castle Site is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference FL062. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Hen Blas Castle Site?

Hen Blas Castle Site is a medieval castle situated on Millstone Grit Group bedrock in Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference FL062.

What period does Hen Blas Castle Site date from?

Hen Blas Castle Site 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 Hen Blas Castle Site?

Hen Blas Castle Site 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 FL062.

What other scheduled monuments are near Hen Blas Castle Site?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Wat's Dyke: Section from Chester-Holywell Road to Soughton Farm (6.1 km), Wat's Dyke: Section SE of Clawdd Offa (6.9 km), Round Barrow 450m E of Penbedw Hall (7.3 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Hen Blas Castle Site

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Hen Blas Castle Site'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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Hen Blas Castle Site

Hen Blas Castle Site stands on Millstone Grit Group [See Also Migr], bedrock that formed in the Namurian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

The wider landscape

Around Hen Blas Castle Site

Battle of Rowton Heath 1645Battle (1645) · ~16 miles