Scheduled Monuments›Wales›Tenby Castle
Medieval · Castle

Tenby Castle

Pembrokeshire, Wales
Cadw SAM PE163
Period
Medieval
Site type
Castle
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Tenby Castle is a medieval fortification occupying a prominent headland position within the walled town of Tenby in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The castle was established in the late 13th century as a stone-built stronghold, with surviving remains including substantial sections of curtain walling and towers that demonstrate its original defensive design. The site commands views over Tenby's harbour and the coastal approaches, reflecting its strategic importance in controlling both maritime trade and military access during the medieval period. The castle's position within the later town defences shows how the settlement's fortifications evolved, with the castle forming an integral component of Tenby's wider medieval defensive system.

Tenby Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference PE163. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Tenby Castle?

Tenby Castle is a medieval fortification occupying a prominent headland position within the walled town of Tenby in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference PE163.

What period does Tenby Castle date from?

Tenby 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 Tenby Castle?

Tenby 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 PE163.

What other scheduled monuments are near Tenby Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Black Rock Quarry Lime Kilns (1.6 km), The Watchtower (1.6 km), Sculptured Stone Cross in Church (2.4 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Tenby Castle

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

Black Rock Quarry Lime Kilns
Post Medieval/Modern · Kiln1.6 km
The Watchtower
Medieval · Beacon1.6 km
Sculptured Stone Cross in Church
Medieval · Cross2.4 km
Little Hoyle Cave and Longbury Bank Dark Age Site
Prehistoric · Cave2.7 km
First World War Practice Trenches, Penally Range
Post Medieval/Modern · Practice Trench3.2 km
Potter`s Cave
Prehistoric · Cave3.5 km
Nanna's Cave
Prehistoric · Cave3.6 km
Daylight Rock Mesolithic Site
Prehistoric · Cave4.1 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Tenby Castle

Tenby Castle stands on Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, bedrock that formed in the Silurian. The rock here is sedimentary rocks.

All Scheduled Monuments