The impressive remains of Dolforwyn Castle in modern day Powys occupy a wooded ridge above the River Severn. From the top you get magnificent views along the valley, as the great river flows from the Cambrian mountains in the East, through Northern Powys towards the border with England.
Llewelyn the Last began building Dolforwyn in 1273 as a way of consolidating his power and advertising his lordship over this important borderland. It was built to counteract Montgomery Castle, five miles away to the west, and was in direct defiance of the English king, Edward I. Documents from the time tell us that, between 1273 and 1274 £173, 6s 8d was spent on its construction.
The castle buildings are surrounded by a large rectangular wall. This looms above the visitor, who approaches the castle from the south. At the eastern end, you can see the lower part of a circular defensive tower built into the wall. At the western end are the substantial remains of a large rectangular keep. Comparatively little remains of a third tower which was built into the wall on the long north side of the wall, but this seems to have been built in the D-shape so characteristic of 13th century Welsh castles and was originally connected to the circular tower by a two storey building. Llywelyn also founded a small town on top of the ridge, but no traces of this survive.
The English King could not long tolerate the challenge to his authority represented by Dolforwyn castle, and its days as a beacon of Welsh power ended before construction was even complete. In 1277 the castle was attacked by Roger Mortimer and, after a two week siege, the Welsh defenders were forced to surrender. Missiles from the catapults used in this siege were found during excavations in the 1980s. The borough that Llewelyn had established was uprooted and moved a few miles west to Newtown, and the castle itself was given over to the Mortimer family. By the end of the 14th century, it was in ruins.