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History

It was one of a line of castles built along the coastal road during the Norman advance throughout Henry's reign.   It was begun in the early 12th century but apart from the semi-circular moat and the rampart under the curtain wall little is known about the early castle's structure.  

After Henry I's death the Welsh began to unite against the invaders.  In 1231 Llywelyn the Great attacked the castle causing considerable damage.  The castle was rebuilt by Patrick de Chaworth and repelled another attack in the 1250's.

However, most of the castle seen today dates from the 1270's.  On the accession Henry IV in 1299 Kidwelly became Crown property. 

The castle passed finally to the Earls of Cawdor to whom its still belongs.  The castle forms a rectangle with massive round towers at each corner.  A semi-circular wall protects one side and the site is defended by earthworks.  The castle is unusual in that the great gatehouse forms part of the outer wall and not the inner wall as in other castles.  This may be because the ground below the inner wall was not strong enough to support such a large structure. 

Over the years many repairs and careful strengthening have made Kidwelly the best preserved castle in Carmartenshire and it is an impressive sight above the plains of the Gwendraeth Fach. The interior of the castle with many small rooms in the walls and towers gives a clear view of the medieval domestic arrangements and the chapel is unusually well preserved.