Scheduled MonumentsWalesLlanddew Castle
Medieval · Castle

Llanddew Castle

Breconshire, Wales
Cadw SAM BR057
Period
Medieval
Site type
Castle
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Llanddew Castle is a medieval castle situated in Wales and protected as a scheduled ancient monument under Cadw reference BR057. The site occupies ground underlain by Pridoli rocks of Silurian age, a bedrock formation comprising mudstone, siltstone and sandstone that has weathered to create the surrounding landscape. This geology would have influenced both the castle's construction methods and the natural drainage of its immediate setting.

The castle represents one of the medieval fortifications built across Wales during the period of Anglo-Norman expansion and subsequent Welsh resistance. Its stone structure would have been quarried from locally available materials, taking advantage of the Pridoli bedrock composition. The site's archaeological significance lies in its role within the military and administrative network of medieval Wales.

Today Llanddew Castle remains an important record of medieval Welsh and Norman settlement patterns. Its protected status recognises the value of the physical remains in understanding medieval defensive architecture and land use in the region. The castle contributes to the broader archaeological heritage of Cadw-protected sites across Wales.

Llanddew Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR057. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Llanddew Castle?

Llanddew Castle is a medieval castle situated in Wales and protected as a scheduled ancient monument under Cadw reference BR057.

What period does Llanddew Castle date from?

Llanddew Castle 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 Llanddew Castle?

Llanddew 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 BR057.

What other scheduled monuments are near Llanddew Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Early Medieval Cross in St Brynach’s Church, Llanfrynach (5.4 km), Cross-Slab in Church (5.5 km), Cilwhybert Castle Mound (5.7 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Llanddew Castle

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

The bedrock under Llanddew Castle

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

The wider landscape

Around Llanddew Castle

KenchesterRoman town · ~25 miles