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The Great Britain Guide

Castles · North Wales

Caer Gybi

♿ Wheelchair: limited

Caer Gybi — remains of a Roman fortlet in Holyhead, Anglesey, Wales, UK.

Caer Gybi, castles in North Wales

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
1.5 h–3 h
Nearest railway station
Holyhead · 0.5 km
  • Family-friendly
  • Limited wheelchair access

About

Caer Gybi is a castle in the United Kingdom — fortified architecture from the medieval, Tudor, or Victorian-revival period. Heritage designation: scheduled monument. Wikidata describes it as: "remains of a Roman fortlet in Holyhead, Anglesey, Wales, UK". Coordinates: 53.3114°, -4.6328°.

Photo gallery

Heritage listing

Caer Gybi was a small fortlet and naval base in Roman Wales in the Roman province of Britannia Superior built sometime in the 3rd or 4th century. It stands at the centre of Holyhead in the Welsh county of Anglesey.

From Cadw under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

Caer Gybi was a small fortlet and naval base in Roman Wales in the Roman province of Britannia Superior built sometime in the 3rd or 4th century. It stands at the centre of Holyhead in the Welsh county of Anglesey.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

The exact date of the fort's construction is unknown, but it is believed to have been built between the late 3rd-century or early 4th-century. It is thought to have been a smaller outpost of the larger Segontium fort, which was used to defend the west coast against Irish sea-raiders. The Romans also built a watch tower, within Mynydd y Twr on the top of Holyhead Mountain, which was possibly used as the fort's look-out point. In the 6th century, King Maelgwn Gwynedd gave the old fort to Saint Cybi, who founded a monastery there. The Church of St Cybi still stands on the site today, with a small detached chapel (Eglwys y Bedd) that reputedly stands over Cybi's grave.

Architecture

The fort had three defensive walls and at the corner of each of the walls stood a circular watch tower, with the fourth side fronting the sea and was probably the site of a quay for the patrolling Roman warships. An excavation outside the northern walls uncovered an adjoining building to the fort's north-west tower, with a similar construction to the tower, and was likely to have also been Roman.

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
53.3114, -4.6328
Parish
Holyhead
Postcode
LL65 1HG
Parliamentary constituency
Ynys Môn
Nearest railway station
Holyhead0.5 km

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Caer Gybi?
Caer Gybi is in North Wales, United Kingdom (postcode LL65 1HG), in the parish of Holyhead.
Is Caer Gybi a listed building?
Caer Gybi is officially recognised as scheduled monument listed.
Does Caer Gybi charge admission?
Caer Gybi typically charges admission. Check the official site for current ticket prices and opening hours.
How do I get to Caer Gybi?
The nearest railway station is Holyhead, about 0.5 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode LL65 1HG.