Bannau Brycheiniog National Park

Historic sites in Bannau Brycheiniog National Park

Historic Sites of Wales

This collection spans millennia of Welsh history within the Brecon Beacons National Park. It features Iron Age hillforts like Castell Dinas, the highest castle site in Wales, and significant Roman military remains at Cicucium. Medieval power is represented by the dramatic ruins of Carreg Cennen and Tretower Court. The list also highlights the region's industrial evolution, including the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal and the historic Brecon Mountain Railway, alongside ancient megaliths like the Maen Llia standing stone.

Historic Sites of Wales — Map

Immanuel Giel / Public domain

A

Maen Llia

Maen Llia is a standing stone which sits on moorland at grid reference SN924192 in the Brecon Beacons National Park in Powys, Wales.

Jones, H. Longueville (Harry… / Public domain

B

Carreg Cennen Castle

Carreg Cennen Castle is a castle sited on a high rocky outcrop overlooking the River Cennen, close to the village of Trap, four miles south…

C

Pontsarn Viaduct

A seven-span limestone viaduct built in 1866 to carry the Brecon and Merthyr Railway over the River Morlais.

D

Brecon Mountain Railway

A narrow-gauge steam railway running along the original trackbed of the 19th-century Brecon & Merthyr Railway.

E

Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal

An 18th-century waterway originally built to transport coal and iron, now featuring well-preserved locks and towpaths.

Vouliagmeni / PD

F

Craig-y-Nôs Castle

Craig-y-nos Castle, is a Scots baronial-style country house near Glyntawe in Powys, Wales.

G

Llandovery Castle

Llandovery Castle is a late thirteenth-century, Grade II*-listed, castle ruin in the town of Llandovery in Carmarthenshire, Wales.

ViennaUK / CC BY-SA 4.0

H

Cicucium Brecon Gaer Roman Fort

Y Gaer is a Roman fort situated near modern-day Brecon in Mid Wales, United Kingdom.

I

Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal

A historic section of the 35-mile canal, showcasing 19th-century industrial engineering and transport infrastructure.

J

Llangattock Park House

A 19th-century country house designed in Tudor-Gothic style, formerly a summer residence for the Dukes of Beaufort.

K

Merthyr Road

Historic stone bridge structure.

L

Vaynor Road

19th-century masonry bridge.

M

Afon Crawnon

Site featuring a historic tunnel and river crossing related to the region's industrial transport network.

N

Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil Junction Railway

Remains of the 19th-century railway line that connected the industrial valleys with the rural market town of Brecon.

O

Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil Junction Railway

Historic railway infrastructure from the former Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil Junction Railway.

P

Talybont Aqueduct

A masonry structure carrying the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal over the Caerfanell River.

Q

Cefn Brynich Canal Bridge Aqueduct

An impressive four-arched stone aqueduct built in 1812 to carry the canal over the River Usk.

R

Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal

Canal section featuring historic wharf and bridge structures near the village of Govilon.

S

Maesygwartha Road

Historic bridge structure located within the industrial landscape.

T

Twyn Allwys Road

Historic roadway and path.

U

Cwm-Shenkin Brook

Features a historic tunnel or culvert related to the local industrial heritage.

V

Cefn Coed Viaduct

A Grade II listed railway viaduct completed in 1866, featuring 15 arches built with limestone and brick.

Jasper Fforde / CC BY-SA 3.0

W

Castell Dinas

Castell Dinas is a hillfort and castle in southern Powys, Wales. At 450 m it has the highest castle in England and Wales.

X

Tretower Castle

A medieval fortification featuring a unique 13th-century round tower built inside the ruins of an earlier square keep.

Dominic Nelson / CC BY-SA 4.0

Y

Hay Castle

Hay Castle is a medieval fortification and 17th-century mansion house in the small town of Hay-on-Wye in Powys, Wales.

Z

Tretower Keep

The central defensive round tower of Tretower Castle, notable for its well-preserved medieval masonry.

Bronllys Castle

A 12th-century motte-and-bailey castle featuring a well-preserved three-story stone keep.

Bronllys Castle

Significant medieval stone keep and motte structure.

Morlais Castle

Morlais Castle is a 13th-century castle located above the Taff Gorge near the town of Merthyr Tydfil in Wales.

Roman Fort - Alabum

The rectangular enclosure that defined this Roman fort was built in the 70s AD as part of the campaign to integrate southern Wales into the…

Crickhowell Castle

Also known as Alisby's Castle, these 13th-century ruins include a prominent motte and the remains of two stone towers.

Twyn y Gaer

An Iron Age hillfort situated on a strategic ridge, featuring visible earthwork ramparts and ditches.

The Small Fort - Garn Goch

A smaller Iron Age enclosure located on the same ridge as the larger Y Gaer Fawr.

Pen-y-gaer Roman Camp

Remains of a Roman auxiliary fort or marching camp strategically positioned to monitor the Usk Valley.

Cwar Mawr Quarry

Historic limestone quarry site showing evidence of traditional extraction methods.

The Large Fort - Garn Goch

One of the largest Iron Age hillforts in Wales, featuring massive drystone ramparts and multiple entrances.

Old Ironworks

Remains of 18th or 19th-century industrial furnaces and processing sites.

Shell Grotto

The Shell Grotto - - is a Grade II* listed late-18th-century stone built, cylindrical, slate roofed shell grotto decorated with shells and…

Maen Mawr

A significant prehistoric standing stone, part of the Glyn Tarrell megalithic complex.

Cicucium South Gate

The excavated remains of the southern entrance to the Roman fort of Y Gaer, showing original stone footings.

Mill (Melin Fach)

Ruins of a traditional water-powered corn mill.

Pen-y-Beacon Stone Circle

A prehistoric ceremonial site consisting of a circle of small stones on the Black Mountains.

Anvil Stone

A distinctive prehistoric monolith or glacial erratic with historical significance in local folklore.

Cicucium East Gate

The stone remains of the eastern gateway of the Roman auxiliary fort near Brecon.

The Hermitage

Ruins of a 19th-century gothic-style ornamental building.

St. Elined's Chapel

The site of a medieval chapel dedicated to a 5th-century saint, located on a hill overlooking Brecon.

Hen Castell

The site of an early medieval motte or small fortification overlooking the Usk Valley.

Other Lists

Brecon Beacons National Park: The Absolute Essentials Welsh Mountains and Peaks Waterfalls and Caves of Wales Historic Churches and Chapels Campsites and Caravan Parks