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The comprehensive gazetteer and bibliography of the medieval castles, fortifications and palaces of England, Wales, the Islands.
 
 
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Aberystwyth Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Llanbadarn Fawr; Lampadervaur

In the community of Aberystwyth.
In the historic county of Cardiganshire.
Modern authority of Ceredigion.
Preserved county of Dyfed.

OS Map Grid Reference: SN57988153
Latitude 52.41325° Longitude -4.08946°

Aberystwyth Castle has been described as a certain Masonry Castle.

There are major building remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*.
Description

Begun by Edmund of Lancaster in 1277 as part of Edward I’s Welsh Castle building programme. The labour force was mainly recruited from the west of England by Master Williams of March. Destroyed by Gruffydd ap Meredydd and Rhys ap Maelgwm in the Welsh revolt of 1282 and cost a total of £4,300. Taken by Glyndwr in 1403, recaptured by Henry of Monmouth in 1409, slighted in 1645/6.
Concentric walled lozenge plan castle with dry moat to W, round corner towers to inner and outer wards; ruined coursed rubble masonry. Remains of Porth Mawr to E with footings of the hall to SW. To W lies the more complete inner gate tower with outer gate beyond; twin apsidal tower gateway with pointed entrance, portcullis chase, crenellated parapet and splayed stair turret to N. SW end has dungeon, mural tower to S side of inner ward. Now converted to recreational use with Druid Circle from 1916 Eisteddfod. Grounds laid out by John Probart architect of Shrewsbury ca 1800. Retaining wall to N has a terrace below, with Victorian crescent shaped 8-bay shelter with ornamented cast-iron columns. (Listed Building Report)

The monument consists of the remains of a castle, dating to the medieval period. A castle is a defended residence or stronghold, built mainly of stone, in which the principal or sole defence comprises the walls and towers bounding the site. Some form of keep may have stood within the enclosure but these were not significant in defensive terms and served mainly to provide accommodation. Aberystwyth Castle is a concentric-walled lozenge-plan castle measuring c.80m north-south by c.45m wide, built of coursed rubble masonry. It has a dry moat to the west and round towers to the inner and outer wards. There is an inner gate tower to the west with an outer gate beyond. The twin apsidal tower gateway has a pointed entrance, portcullis chase, crenellated parapet and splayed stair turret. There is a dungeon to the southwest and a mural tower on the south side of the inner ward. Work on Aberystwyth Castle commenced in 1277 under Edward I; it was taken by the Welsh in 1282 while still unfinished, and was completed (by the English again) in 1289. By 1636 the castle was largely ruinous and in 1637 a Royal Mint was established by Thomas Bushell in the castle hall. Around 1790 the ground in front of the castle was laid out in a series of walks by John Probert; this area is now partly covered by St. Michael’s Church. The castle remains have been much restored and now form part of a public park. (Scheduling Report)
Links to archaeological and architectural databases, mapping and other online resources

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Sources of information, references and further reading
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The information on this web page may be derived from information compiled by and/or copyright of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Wales, the four welsh archaeological trusts and other individuals and organisations. It may also contain Designated Historic Asset Descriptive Information from The Welsh Historic Environment Service (Cadw), licensed under the Open Government Licence. All the sources given should be consulted to identify the original copyright holder and permission obtained from them before use of the information on this site for commercial purposes.
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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.
Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.
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Locations derived from OS grid references and from latitude longitiude may differ by a small distance.
Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.
Lidar coverage in the UK is not complete. The button above will give an idea of the area of coverage. Higher resolution lidar images in both DSM and DTM form may be available from Lle A geo-Portal for Wales (click the preview tag to bring up a map and then select format byclicking on the small blue diamond in the top right corner of the map.)
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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of the described site.

This record last updated 28/06/2017 18:13:03
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