Castles / GB / Wales
Castell Dinefwr
Which definitions does it satisfy?
This dataset does not record whether something “is a castle”. It records a verdict against each named definition, with the reasoning that produced it.
| Definition | Verdict | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Fortified residence | yes | The seat of the Welsh rulers of Deheubarth (built by Rhys Gryg, d. 1233) and by Edward I's wars 'a formidable fortress' — a great round keep, a high angular curtain wall, a gatehouse, an entrance passage protected by a high wall, and a defensive bank with a deep rock-cut ditch; a fortified lordly residence. |
| Enclosure fortification | unassessed | No source consulted so far speaks to this definition. Unassessed is not the same as no. |
| State fortification | unassessed | No source consulted so far speaks to this definition. Unassessed is not the same as no. |
| Palatial seat | unassessed | No source consulted so far speaks to this definition. Unassessed is not the same as no. |
| Revival and folly | no | A genuine medieval fortress later romanticised — the keep top was converted to an 18th-century summer-house for Picturesque views — not a structure built as a sham; original defensive intent governs. |
| Popularly a castle | yes | The keep-top summer-house 'became a famous landmark' and the castle drew 'artists, poets and tourist' in search of the Picturesque and Romantic — evidenced public standing as a visited monument. |
Facts
| Tradition | european medieval |
|---|---|
| Location | Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, Wales, GB |
| Built | Medieval |
| Confidence | medium |
| First recorded | 2026-07-21 |
| Last updated | 2026-07-22 |
In the registers
Where this structure appears in official inventories. This is what turns an individual record into evidence about a count.
- Cof Cymru — National Historic Assets of Wales —
CM029· Scheduled Monument — SiteType: Castle · entry
Location
Approximate. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Notes
Bands assessed from Cadw's full scheduled-monument report (CM029). fortified_residence yes (Deheubarth seat, a formidable fortress); revival_folly no (a genuine castle romanticised with summer-houses, not built as a sham); popular_castle yes (famous landmark drawing tourists). palatial_seat omitted — the castle became a picturesque ruin with summer-houses, not a residential palace. enclosure and state bands omitted as unassessed.
Sources
- Scheduled Monument Full Report — Castell Dinefwr — Cadw, 2026-07-22
Cadw scheduled-monument full report (CM029); consulted in full for the band assessment.
Signals
Raw per-source observations behind this record (2):
sig-20260721-cadw-cm029,
sig-20260722-report-cm029
Record file · dataset licensed CC BY 4.0 — see provenance.