Castles / GB / Wales
Castell Dinas Bran
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 | A stone castle built in the 1260s by the lords of Powys Fadog occupies the hillfort's north-west corner; a rock-cut ditch, a keep well preserved on its south and west, an intermittent curtain wall and a typically Welsh apsidal tower give active defence, and the great hall or chapel with surviving arched windows housed the lord. |
| Enclosure fortification | yes | A later prehistoric (probably Iron Age) univallate hillfort crowns the steep isolated summit, its rampart enclosing an undulating interior with visible possible hut sites and a probable south-west entrance — a defended enclosure with no identified lordly residence. |
| 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 | unassessed | No source consulted so far speaks to this definition. Unassessed is not the same as no. |
| Popularly a castle | unassessed | No source consulted so far speaks to this definition. Unassessed is not the same as no. |
Facts
| Tradition | european medieval |
|---|---|
| Location | Llangollen, Denbighshire, 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 —
DE021· Scheduled Monument — SiteType: Castle · entry
Location
Approximate. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Notes
Bands assessed against Cadw's full scheduled-monument report (DE021), which describes two phases. enclosure_fortification: yes for the Iron Age univallate hillfort on the summit; fortified_residence: yes for the 1260s stone castle of the lords of Powys Fadog built into the hillfort's north-west corner. Both hold at once — this is not an inconsistency but the two-phase site the report documents. Other bands omitted; the report does not speak to popular usage, palatial conversion, or folly. One official report, so confidence is medium.
Sources
- Cof Cymru - National Historic Assets of Wales — Cadw, 2026-07-21
Cadw full scheduled-monument report (DE021); sole source, used for band assessment.
Signals
Raw per-source observations behind this record (2):
sig-20260721-cadw-de021,
sig-20260722-report-de021
Record file · dataset licensed CC BY 4.0 — see provenance.