id: sig-20260722-report-rd132
site_id: gb-rhayader-rhayader
attribute: designation_report
value: 'Reference Number

  RD132

  Name

  Rhayader Castle

  Date of Designation

  Status

  Designated

  Unitary Authority

  Powys

  Community

  Rhayader

  Easting

  296823

  Northing

  268033

  Broad Class

  Defence

  Site Type

  Castle

  Period

  Medieval

  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. Rhayader Castle is set on a promontory above the River
  Wye, with large rock-cut vertical ditch to north-west and a scarp to the river plain on
  the west and south. The site is open ground covered with rough grass.

  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=2610
source_title: Scheduled Monument Full Report — Rhayader 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.