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Cymraeg

Introduction

Wales is a small country packed full of history. This website tells you a little about 81 of the most important places in the history of Wales. It has proved challenging to decide which places to include and which to leave out. In drawing up our list, we considered a number of questions; for example:

We wanted to make sure that there were places from different parts of Wales and from different periods in history. We also included different kinds of places, such as castles, houses and places of worship. We also asked experts and a panel of teachers for their views.

Perhaps you can think of places that should be on the list but are not. This is what makes history so interesting.

Finding your way around the website

Click on the icon in the top menu to view and search through a list of the places that have been plotted on the map.You can click on each place's description card to have the map center itself over it. You can also to see an area-based list of all the sites contained in this resource.

Hover over a place number on the map to see its name. Click on the number to see the following:

Why is this site important? This explains why the place is historically important Did you know? This reveals an unusual fact about the place or time Things to do Click here to carry out activities linked to the place Explore further This suggests websites and ideas to follow up

As a rough guide, the places shown on this website are colour coded according to when they were important in history, which can be viewed in the table below:

Period Timeframe Colour
Multiple Periods - - -
Prehistoric Pre 4500-750 BC
Iron Age 750-55 BC
Roman 43-410
Medieval 410-1485
Tudor/Stuart 1485-1714
Georgian/Victorian 1714-1901
Modern 1901-today

You can also filter the places according to time periods. So, for example, suppose you want to find out about the Romans. Click on the 'Roman' filter and you will see that two places are highlighted:

9 Caerleon museum and Roman Fortress 57 Segontium, Caernarfon

It is not easy to put places in time categories. to find out why!

Some buildings cut across periods, such as historic houses. For example, although Erddig House was built in 1684 during the Stuart period, we look at some of the people who worked there in the 1790s and 1800s.

Other places have a very long history dating back to the Romans. Cardiff Castle, for example, can be seen in the multiple periods category.

We have put some sites in a period in which they became famous, although they were actually occupied before the period began. For example, Parys Mountain and Cyfarthfa Castle are to be found in the Victorian period which was from 1837 to 1901. However, mining copper at Parys Mountain began in 1768 and Cyfarthfa Castle was built in 1825.

We have also included some modern buildings but focus on what they tell us about earlier times. For example, the Memorial Gardens in Whitland opened in 2006 but we look at what it tells us about life in medieval Wales.

There are a number of museums linked to the National Museum of Wales that you could visit to discover more about the history of Wales. Some of these are in the multiple periods category. Click here to find out more about the National Museum of Wales: https://museum.wales/

Filter by County

NumberNamePeriodCountyLink to Info
1 Bryn Celli Ddu Iron Age Gwynedd
2 Cardiff Castle Multiple Periods South Glamorgan
3 The Welsh Assembly Building, Cardiff Modern South Glamorgan
4 The M4 and the Severn Bridges Modern South Glamorgan
5 Llyn Cerrig Bach Iron Age Gwynedd
6 National Mining Memorial Modern Dyfed
7 Erddig, Wrexham Modern Clwyd
8 Tiger Bay, Cardiff Modern South Glamorgan
9 Caerleon Museum and Roman Fortress Roman South Glamorgan
10 Big Pit, Blaenavon Georgian/Victorian Mid Glamorgan
11 Snowdon Mountain Railway Georgian/Victorian Gwynedd
12 Cyfarthfa Castle, Merthyr Georgian/Victorian Mid Glamorgan
13 National Library of Wales Multiple Periods Dyfed
14 Principality Stadium, Cardiff Modern South Glamorgan
15 Cardiff Bay Coal Exchange Georgian/Victorian South Glamorgan
16 National Museum of Cardiff Multiple Periods South Glamorgan
17 Llandaff Cathedral Medieval South Glamorgan
18 St Fagans National History Museum Multiple Periods South Glamorgan
19 Cardiff United Synagogue Georgian/Victorian South Glamorgan
20 Barry Island Modern South Glamorgan
21 Caerphilly castle Medieval South Glamorgan
22 Rhondda Heritage Park Georgian/Victorian Mid Glamorgan
23 Aberfan Memorial Garden Modern Mid Glamorgan
24 Liberty Stadium & Copperopolis, Swansea Modern Mid Glamorgan
25 National Waterfront Museum, Swansea Multiple Periods West Glamorgan
26 Carreg Cennen Castle Medieval Dyfed
27 Aberglasney House and Gardens Medieval Dyfed
28 Dinefwr Park, Newton House Georgian/Victorian Dyfed
29 Llanelly Town House Georgian/Victorian Dyfed
30 Kidwelly Castle Medieval Dyfed
31 Lampeter, St David's College Georgian/Victorian Dyfed
32 Fishguard Harbour Georgian/Victorian Dyfed
33 Tenby Tudor Merchant's House Tudor/Stuart Dyfed
34 Pembroke Castle Medieval Dyfed
35 Pentre Ifan Burial Chamber Prehistoric Dyfed
36 Ruthin Gaol Georgian/Victorian Clwyd
37 Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Wrexham Georgian/Victorian Clwyd
38 Plas Mawr, Conwy Tudor/Stuart Clwyd
39 Holyhead Mountain Hut group Prehistoric Gwynedd
40 Tre'r Ceiri Hillfort, Nefyn Iron Age Gwynedd
41 Penrhyn Slate Quarry Georgian/Victorian Gwynedd
42 Llanberis, Dinorwic Slate Quarry Georgian/Victorian Gwynedd
43 Conwy Castle and Town Walls Medieval Clwyd
44 Llandudno Pier Georgian/Victorian Clwyd
45 St Asaph Cathedral Medieval Clwyd
46 Beaumaris Castle Medieval Clwyd
47 St Winefride's Chapel/Well Medieval Clwyd
48 Dre-fach Felindre National Wool Museum Georgian/Victorian Dyfed
49 Strata Florida Abbey Medieval Dyfed
50 Castell Henllys Iron Age Dyfed
51 Talley Abbey Medieval Dyfed
52 Cenarth - National Coracle Centre Georgian/Victorian Dyfed
53 Memorial Gardens, Whitland Medieval Dyfed
54 Dylan Thomas Boat House Modern Dyfed
55 St David's Cathedral Medieval Dyfed
56 Menai Suspension Bridge, Anglesey Georgian/Victorian Gwynedd
57 Segontium, Caernarfon Roman Gwynedd
58 Caernarfon Castle Medieval Gwynedd
59 Bangor Cathedral Medieval Gwynedd
60 Parys Mountain, Amlwch Georgian/Victorian Gwynedd
61 Blaenau Ffestiniog Railway and slate quarry Georgian/Victorian Gwynedd
62 Penrhyn Castle, Bangor Georgian/Victorian Gwynedd
63 Great Orme Copper Mine Georgian/Victorian Clwyd
64 Castell y Bere, Llanfihangel-y-pennant Medieval Gwynedd
65 Tryweryn, Bala Modern Gwynedd
66 T? Mawr Wybrnant Farmhouse, Betws y Coed Tudor/Stuart Gwynedd
67 Ewenny Pottery, Bridgend Georgian/Victorian Mid Glamorgan
68 Island Farm, Prisoner of War Camp, Bridgend Modern Mid Glamorgan
69 Nash Point Lighthouse Georgian/Victorian Mid Glamorgan
70 Llancaiach Fawr Tudor/Stuart Mid Glamorgan
71 Llangorse Lake, Brecon Prehistoric Powys
72 Powis Castle Tudor/Stuart Powys
73 Offa's Dyke (Knighton) Medieval Powys
74 Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal Georgian/Victorian Powys
75 Owain Glynd?r Centre, Machynlleth Medieval Powys
76 Cosmeston Medieval Village Medieval South Glamorgan
77 Chepstow Castle Medieval Mid Glamorgan
78 Sirhowy Ironworks Georgian/Victorian Mid Glamorgan
79 Gower Heritage Coast including Paviland Cave Mumbles Prehistoric West Glamorgan
80 Margam Country Park Georgian/Victorian West Glamorgan
81 Aberdulais Falls, Neath Georgian/Victorian West Glamorgan

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