The Welsh D-Tower

Above: the interior of the ruined D-Tower at Ewlow Castle

he hallmark of the native Welsh castle is the apsidal or D-shaped tower. Oftentimes, the Welsh castle contained one tower (the keep) and a small enclosure, or two towers, one of which would be D-shaped. While the English built both rectangular and round towers, the Welsh took the benefits of both designs and created the D-shaped great tower. The exterior face was curved and offered a wide field of fire, while the flatter interior face allowed for more spacious interior rooms, and thus were more livable. The curved face could also withstand undermining and bombardment much better than a flat surface. Castell y Bere, Ewloe (pictured above), Carndochan, and Dinas Bran in the north are all marked by apsidal towers, while in the south, the castles at Dinefwr and Dryslwyn also had D-shaped towers.

An avid traveler, Lise Hull is a freelance historian and writer, with a Masters Degree in Historic Preservation. She previously obtained a BA in anthropology, minoring in archaeology, and spent almost three years studying archaeology at Indiana University prior to switching into the preservation program. Lise has lived in Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion Wales for several years, traveled over 50,000 miles throughout Britain, and has studied castles and medieval Britain for sixteen years. She often returns to Great Britain for research, and has just completed her master's dissertation in Heritage Studies in the Department of History and Welsh History at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.

Visit the Ewloe Castle page
Learn more about native Welsh castles

Home | Main Menu | Castle Index | Historical Essays | Recommended Castles | What's New | Links

Copyright © 2009 by Lise Hull and the Castles of Wales Website