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Old Radnor Castle is a medieval moated site located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference RD051. The monument consists of a fortified enclosure surrounded by a water-filled ditch, a characteristic defensive feature of the medieval period. Moated sites of this type were typically the strongholds of minor lords and gentry, combining practical defence with the assertion of territorial authority over the surrounding lands.
The site sits upon Neoproterozoic metasedimentary bedrock composed of mudstone, sandstone and conglomerate. This ancient foundation, formed hundreds of millions of years before the castle's construction, provided a naturally stable base for the medieval earthworks. The geology of the locality would have influenced both settlement patterns and the availability of building materials during the medieval period.
Old Radnor Castle represents an important category of medieval fortification distinct from the large stone castles of major lords. Moated sites like this were widespread across England and Wales during the 12th to 15th centuries, serving as residential and defensive centres for landholders of middling status. The monument survives as a valuable record of medieval settlement hierarchy and regional power structures in Wales.
Old Radnor Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference RD051. View the official record →
Old Radnor Castle is a medieval moated site located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference RD051.
Old Radnor Castle dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a moated site. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Old Radnor 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 RD051.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Castle Twts (4.4 km), Churchyard cross in St Mary the Virgin's churchyard (4.7 km), Huntington Castle (5.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Old Radnor Castle's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Old Radnor Castle stands on Unnamed Metasedimentary Rocks, Neoproterozoic, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is mudstone, sandstone and conglomerate.