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Dinefwr Castle

Dinefwr Castle (sometimes anglicized as Dynevor) is a Welsh castle overlooking the River Tywi near the town of Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, West Wales. It lies on a ridge on the northern bank of the Tywi, with a steep drop of several hundred feet to the river. Dinefwr was the chief seat of the kingdom of Deheubarth.

Dinefwr Castle was the capital seat of the kingship of Deheubarth. Although legends provide it with a much longer history, there is no evidence that the castle existed before the reign of Rhys ap Gruffudd in the late 12th century. Lord Rhys had managed to create a strong Welsh kingdom which was even recognised by the King of England. On his death in 1197, Rhys's sons contested the succession to the kingdom of Deheubarth. For the next two decades the land and castles were constantly fought over, and it was not until the intervention of Llywelyn the Great in 1216 that a settlement was reached by which the kingdom was divided into three parts. Rhys Gryg gained possession of Ystrad Tywi which included the castle of Dinefwr, and he was probably responsible for the earliest stone structures that remain at the castle, including the circular keep.

Dinefwr Castle is owned by the Wildlife Trust West Wales and is maintained by CADW. However it is still situated in the park created around Newton House, which is owned by the National Trust. Visitors to the castle must therefore pay for entrance to Dinefwr Park in order to see the castle.

Dinefwr Park, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, SA19 6RT.

Tel: 01690 750366 
cadw@wales.gsi.gov.uk 

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