Carmarthen Castle: Once Fit for a King… So Why Has It Been Forgotten?

Carmarthen Castle should be one of the great historic attractions of West Wales. Instead, most people walk straight past it without realising the incredible history hidden behind these walls. For more than 900 years, a castle has stood at the heart of Carmarthen. This was once an important medieval stronghold, fought over by Welsh princes and English forces and sitting at the centre of some huge moments in Welsh history. Llywelyn the Great captured Carmarthen Castle in 1215. Owain Glyndŵr and his forces took it in 1405 during his rebellion against English rule. Edmund Tudor, father of the future King Henry VII, was imprisoned here and died at Carmarthen in 1456. Yet today, remarkably little of the castle survives. Over the centuries the site was transformed, demolished and built over. A prison was constructed within the castle grounds, later developments followed, and eventually County Hall occupied much of the site. So I wanted to find out what happened. Why did Carmarthen lose so much of its castle? What actually survives today? And how did somewhere with such an incredible history become a place thousands of people pass every week without giving it a second thought? I explore what remains of Carmarthen Castle, dig into its past and discover that what initially looks like a few old walls in the middle of town has a much bigger story to tell. Sometimes you don’t have to travel halfway around the world to find forgotten history. Sometimes it’s been sitting on your doorstep the entire time. Carmarthen Castle | Castell Caerfyrddin | Welsh History | Owain Glyndŵr | Hidden Wales | Carmarthenshire #Carmarthen #CarmarthenCastle #CastellCaerfyrddin #WelshHistory #OwainGlyndwr #Carmarthenshire #Wales #WelshCastles #HiddenWales