Wales · Ruin
Llawhaden Castle
Llawhaden Castle is a ruined medieval fortification in Llawhaden, Pembrokeshire, historically owned and expanded by the bishops of St David. The present stone remains date mainly from the 13th–14th centuries with major work commissioned in the late 14th century; the site was abandoned in the 16th century and later partly quarried for building stone. The ruins stand on a hill above the River Cleddau and are managed by Cadw.
First raised
1200
Its prime
1520
Today
Ruin
As it stood in 1520
What Llawhaden Castle looked like in its prime.
A substantial stone gatehouse formed of two tall cylindrical (drum) towers linked by a high arched gateway dominates the southern side; roughly coursed grey-brown masonry with narrow vertical window slits and larger rectangular openings. The castle is pentagonal in plan though two sides are missing; surviving curtain walls rise from a surrounding ditch intended for a drawbridge. The site sits on a hillside above the River Cleddau; at its prime the towers and curtain walls would have been continuous and roofed, enclosing a paved inner ward with first-floor residential ranges.
Its story
The story of Llawhaden Castle.
Llawhaden and its hinterland belonged to the bishopric of St Davids from at least the later years of the realm of Deheubarth, and it was the bishops who built the present stone castle in the 13th century, on a site thought to have held an earlier motte-and-bailey. Around 1192 the castle was taken by Lord Rhys, along with Swansea and Wiston castles.
The pentagonal castle stands on a hill overlooking the River Cleddau behind a ditch designed to be crossed only by drawbridge, its southern gatehouse formed of two drum towers flanking the gateway. Abandoned in the 16th century, it suffered when Barlow sold the lead from the roof — supposedly to pay for the dowry of one of his daughters — damage from which the building never recovered.
Some of the stone was afterwards removed for local building projects, and the north-western and western sides of the castle are gone, though the other three survive. The ruins are privately owned by the Lord of the Manor of Llawhaden, managed by Cadw and open to the public.
Step inside
7 places to explore in 1520.
The record describes 7 distinct spots at Llawhaden Castle — including 2 interiors: gateway passage through the arch into the inner ward, first-floor residential suites overlooking the courtyard. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.
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Recreate Llawhaden Castle with AI to explore it.
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