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The Great Britain Guide

Castles · South Wales

Kidwelly Castle

Norman & medievalCadwPaid admission♿ Wheelchair: limited

Kidwelly Castle — Grade I listed building in Kidwelly. Castle in Wales.

Kidwelly Castle, castles in South 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
Kidwelly · 1.0 km
  • Paid entry
  • Family-friendly
  • Limited wheelchair access
Visit on cadw.gov.wales

About

Kidwelly Castle is a castle in the United Kingdom — fortified architecture from the medieval, Tudor, or Victorian-revival period. Records date its origin to 1106. Heritage designation: scheduled monument. Owned by Cadw. Managed by Cadw. Wikidata describes it as: "Grade I listed building in Kidwelly. Castle in Wales". Coordinates: 51.7394°, -4.3057°.

Photo gallery

Heritage listing

Kidwelly Castle (Welsh: Castell Cydweli) is a Norman castle overlooking the River Gwendraeth and the town of Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, Wales.

From Cadw under OGL v3.

From Cadw

Norman stronghold is a match for the greatest castles of WalesSee Kidwelly Castle rising above the river Gwendraeth on a misty morning and prepare to be amazed. This is the medieval fortress of everyone’s dreams.That’s probably why it appears in the very first scene of ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’. But it would have been no laughing matter to attack this military stronghold.

Read more on the official property page.

From the Wikipedia article

Kidwelly Castle (Welsh: Castell Cydweli) is a Norman castle overlooking the River Gwendraeth and the town of Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, Wales.

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

Background

History

The present remains of the castle date from the early 12th century. Created as a defence against the Welsh, the castle fell to the Welsh several times in the twelfth century. The Prince of Wales named Lord Rhys, as he was later known, captured Kidwelly Castle in 1159 and was recognised by King Henry II of England as the ruler of the region. Upon his death, it was passed to the Anglo-Normans. The castle was captured and razed by Llywelyn the Great in 1231. Later in its history, it was unsuccessfully besieged by forces of Owain Glyndŵr in August 1403 with assistance from soldiers from France and Brittany who captured Kidwelly town. The castle was relieved by a Norman army in September 1403.…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
51.7394, -4.3057
Parish
Kidwelly
Postcode
SA17 5BQ
Parliamentary constituency
Llanelli
Established
1106
Nearest railway station
Kidwelly1 km
Official site
cadw.gov.wales

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Kidwelly Castle?
Kidwelly Castle is in South Wales, United Kingdom (postcode SA17 5BQ), in the parish of Kidwelly.
When was Kidwelly Castle built?
Built or established in 1106.
Who runs Kidwelly Castle?
Kidwelly Castle is operated by Cadw.
Is Kidwelly Castle a listed building?
Kidwelly Castle is officially recognised as scheduled monument listed.
Does Kidwelly Castle charge admission?
Kidwelly Castle typically charges admission. Check the official site for current ticket prices and opening hours.
How do I get to Kidwelly Castle?
The nearest railway station is Kidwelly, about 1.0 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode SA17 5BQ.