Full Report for Listed Buildings


The list description is not intended to be a complete inventory of what is listed: it is principally intended to aid identification. By law, the definition of a listed building includes the entire building (i) and any structure or object that is fixed to the said building and ancillary to it and (ii) any other structure or object that forms part of the land and has done so since before 1 July 1948, and was within the curtilage of the building, and ancillary to it, on the date on which said building was first included in the list, or on 1 January 1969, whichever was later.

Summary Description


Reference Number
21854
Building Number
 
Grade
I  
Status
Designated  
Date of Designation
28/05/1999  
Date of Amendment
28/05/1999  
Name of Property
Dolbadarn Castle  
Address
 

Location


Unitary Authority
Gwynedd  
Community
Llanberis  
Town
 
Locality
Pentre-castell  
Easting
258603  
Northing
359793  
Street Side
N  
Location
Situated on a natural rock outcrop in a strategic position at the north-west end of Llyn Peris, the castle forms a prominent feature in the landscape.  

Description


Broad Class
Defence  
Period
 

History
Probably built by Llywelyn ap Iorweth (1173-1240) towards the end of his life, the castle was partly dismantled after the English conquest, some of the timber being taken to Caernarfon for use in the royal castle there in 1284. The curtain wall and outbuildings, of which only fragmentary ruins survive, post-date the keep and may have been added by the English. The castle has been painted by many artists, including Turner.  

Exterior
Castle keep. Circular plan surviving to about 14.5m in height. Regularly coursed and tightly-packed slate-stone slabs, now roofless. Original entrance on north-western side with steeply pointed arch approached by wide flight of C20 external steps; another steeply pointed arch directly above. A well-preserved lean-to garderobe tower projects to the left of the entrance and a series of narrow rectangular windows to the right indicates the position of the internal spiral staircase.  

Interior
Interior is roofless; internal spiral staircase remains along with the remnants of 2 large fireplaces and empty sockets for joist and beam ends of the former floor structures.  

Reason for designation
Listed Grade I as a well-preserved example of a C13 native Welsh castle with circular shell keep.  

Cadw : Full Report for Listed Buildings [ Records 1 of 1 ]



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