Aberedw Castle

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

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. Aberedw Castle overlooks the floodplain of the river Wye and consists of a small rectangular masonry structure c.39m to c.41m square, which would originally have had round towers c.6m in diameter at each corner. It is surrounded by a ditch on the north, south and east sides and the eastern side is broken by a well-preserved entrance with a causeway across the ditch. Most of the western side has been destroyed by the construction of the railway but the inner face of the curtain wall is evident in parts. The eastern curtain wall is still standing to a height of about 1.9m in sections. The masonry is however in a generally crumbling condition. There are some slight traces of internal buildings. This castle is probably the successor to the nearby motte (Scheduled Ancient Monument RD117) and almost certainly dates from c.1284-5, as Walter Hakelutel received a licence to crenellate by 1285 in the wake of the defeat of the Welsh under Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. It is not recorded beyond the 14th century.

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.