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Rhayader Castle is a medieval motte-and-bailey castle situated in Radnorshire, Wales, which dates to the Norman period. The castle was erected in the late twelfth century as part of the Norman expansion into the Welsh marches, overlooking the settlement of Rhayader and the River Wye. The earthwork survives as a substantial mound with associated bailey, though masonry structures have not been substantially preserved on the site. It represents an important example of early Norman defensive architecture in the region and remains a Scheduled Ancient Monument under the care of Cadw.
Rhayader Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference RD132. View the official record →
Rhayader Castle is a medieval motte-and-bailey castle situated in Radnorshire, Wales, which dates to the Norman period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference RD132.
Rhayader 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.
Rhayader 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 RD132.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cairns and Standing Stones on Carnau Cefn-y-Ffordd (7.6 km), Carn-y-Geifr (7.6 km), Saith-Maen Standing Stones (7.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Rhayader 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.
Rhayader Castle stands on Llandovery Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Llandovery. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.