Wales · 12th century
Cilgerran Castle (Welsh: Castell Cilgerran) is a 13th-century ruined castle located in Cilgerran, Pembrokeshire, Wales, near Cardigan. The first castle on the site was thought to have been built by Gerald of Windsor around 1110–1115, and it changed hands several times over the following century between English and Welsh forces. In the hands of William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, the construction of the stone castle began after 1223.
After passing through successive families, it was left to ruin and eventually abandoned by 1400. The castle backs onto a cliff face, with the remaining ruins dating from the 13th century. It was most heavily fortified where it faces inland, and includes a pair of drum towers, rather than a central keep, which remain standing. It passed into the hands of the National Trust in 1938, while Cadw holds the guardianship. It is open to the public and entry is free. Opening times vary.
Text adapted from “Cilgerran Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Cilgerran Castle ranks #3,046 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #56 of the 107 mapped in Wales. Founded c. 1110, it is older than 85% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 756 atlas entries founded in the 12th century. 3 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Swansea, 68 km away. See how Wales compares in the castle statistics.
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