id: sig-20260722-report-de106
site_id: gb-holt-holt
attribute: designation_report
value: 'Reference Number

  DE106

  Name

  Holt Castle

  Date of Designation

  Status

  Designated

  Unitary Authority

  Wrexham

  Community

  Holt

  Easting

  341124

  Northing

  353769

  Broad Class

  Defence

  Site Type

  Castle

  Period

  Medieval

  The following provides a general description of the scheduled ancient monument.

  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.  Holt Castle was built between 1282-1311 and demolished
  between 1675-83. The surviving remains include an irregular pentagon of walls, about 20-24m
  across set upon and against a boss of natural rock. The castle is reached by a causeway
  from the north, and is raised about 10m proud the expansive floor of a quarry that has subsumed
  any traces of ditches, moats or out-works. Old prints and plans show that the present remains
  represent a courtyard around which were ranges of apartments within a towered curtain. There
  are associated fishponds about 600m to west.

  The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of medieval
  defensive practices. The monument is well-preserved and an important relic of the medieval
  landscape. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of
  the presence of both structural evidence and intact associated deposits.

  The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related
  evidence may be expected to survive.'
source_url: http://cadwpublic-api.azurewebsites.net/reports/sam/FullReport?lang=en&id=2940
source_title: Scheduled Monument Full Report — Holt Castle
publisher: Cadw
observed_date: '2026-07-22'
collected_by: scripts/build_assessment_batch.py
confidence: high
notes: The designation text. Assess the six bands against THIS evidence only; omit any band
  it does not speak to.