Ceri Castle

Ceri Castle stands on a grassy mound beside a raised platform in the village of Ceri, Powys. The mound and platform were raised in the Middle Ages, between 1000 and 1153, as a motte-and-bailey fort. The name comes from the old Welsh commote of Ceri that once covered the area. Cadw has listed the site and assigned it the SAM number MG050. The castle is part of the largest cluster of motte-and-bailey remains in Britain. This cluster stretches across the historic borderlands known today as Shropshire, Cheshire, Herefordshire, Powys and Flintshire. The earthworks survive because the region was fought over for centuries. Visitors walk around the grassy mound and raised platform that once supported wooden towers and halls. The site is quiet, with wide views over rolling fields and distant hills. The earthworks show how the Normans quickly built strongholds across Wales. The castle’s remains are small but give a clear picture of early medieval fortification.