Cefnllys Castle

Cefnllys Castle stands on Castle Bank, a ridge above the River Ithon in Powys, Wales. Two stone castles were built here in the 13th century, replacing an earlier wooden fort. The ridge commands views over several valleys and once controlled routes into central Wales. The site was long contested between Welsh princes and English lords, especially the Mortimers. A nearby town once thrived but vanished after plague and changing borders. Only ruins remain, though traces of the castles and earthworks can still be seen. The castles played a key part in medieval Welsh–English conflicts. Ralph Mortimer built the first stone castle around 1242, but Llywelyn ap Gruffudd captured it in 1262. Roger Mortimer later built a second castle on the ridge, which helped spark war with Edward I. The site appears in Welsh chronicles and later poetry by Lewys Glyn Cothi. Historians debate whether an Iron Age hillfort once stood here, though evidence is inconclusive. Aerial surveys in 1985 and 2006 mapped the earthworks in detail. Visitors walk an open ridge where two castles once stood. The northern castle had a triangular bailey with a keep, while the southern one featured a circular tower and deep ditch. A stone wall once ran along the hilltop. St Michael’s Church lies at the foot of the hill, with earthworks that may mark the lost town. The ridge is 304 metres above sea level, offering wide views over the Ithon valley. The landscape shows layers of medieval power and later abandonment.