Carreg Cennen Castle Castell Carreg Cennen is a castle near the River Cennen ( Carreg being Welsh for " stone " ) , in the village of Trapp , four miles south of Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire , Wales . The castle is within the Brecon Beacons National Park , and its location has been described as spectacular , due to its position above a limestone precipice . It has been in a ruinous state since 1462 and is now in the care of Cadw , the Welsh Assembly historic environment service , and is open daily from 9 . 30am to 6 . 30pm between April and October . Description . Carreg Cennen Castle consists of a strongly - walled and towered square court . There are six towers , all of different shapes , including a great twin - towered gatehouse on the north side . A range of apartments on the east side of the inner court , or ward , includes a hall , kitchens , chapel , and the so - called ' King ' s Chamber ' . This chamber has a well - carved stone fireplace , and traceried windows , one facing into the courtyard , the other outwards commanding impressive views to the south . These date from the late 13th or early 14th century . The castle is protected by limestone cliff s to the south and rock - cut ditches to the west . To the north and east there is an outer ward , and within that a barbican , gatehouse , and three drawbridge s over deep pits protected the access to the inner ward . In the south - east corner of the inner ward steps lead to a vaulted passage and a natural cave beneath the castle , which leads deep into the hillside . A fresh water spring rises in the cave , which would have been a useful supplement during dry weather when the castle would have had difficulty harvesting rainwater to fill the rainwater cisterns . The castle is under the care of Cadw , who have stabilised and to a limited extent restored some of the remains . The castle is accessed via a steep climb up the hill from Castell Farm , which is near the car park . A large threshing barn has been converted to tearooms and a shop , whilst the majority of the farm buildings , around a traditional farmyard , retain their agricultural purposes . Since 1982 these have been part of a farm park with rare and unusual breeds of cows and sheep . Prehistoric evidence . Human remains found at the original site of Castell Carreg Cennen date human activity at the location back to prehistoric times . The site may well have also been an Iron Age hillfort . Roman coins from the 1st and 2nd century have also been found , although it is unlikely the Romans occupied this site on a permanent basis . Early castle . The first masonry castle was probably built by the Lord Rhys , who died in 1197 , and it remained a possession of the Deheubarth dynasty for the next 50 years . In 1248 Rhys Fychan ap Rhys Mechyll ' s mother Matilda de Braose , to spite her son , granted the castle to the Norman English , but before the English took possession of it Rhys captured the castle . For the next 30 years it changed hands frequently between Rhys and his uncle Maredudd who were fighting for control of the Kingdom of Deheubarth . In 1277 it was captured by the English , recaptured by the Welsh in 1282 and in English hands again the following year . In 1283 Edward I granted the castle to John Giffard , the commander of the English troops at Cilmeri where Llywelyn ap Gruffudd ( The Last ) was killed . Giffard was probably responsible for the remodelled castle we see today . Owain Glyndwr Rebellion . In early July 1403 Owain Glyndŵr , together with 800 men , attacked Carreg Cennen , but , although inflicting severe damage to the walls , failed to take the castle . It was defended against Glyndwr ' s forces , who laid siege to it for several months , with Owain himself present , by a man who was to marry one of Glyndwr ' s daughters just a few years later , Sir John Scudamore of Herefordshire . Wars of the Roses . The damage was repaired in 1409 . However , in 1461 , during the Wars of the Roses , Carreg Cennen became a Lancastrian stronghold . A Yorkist force subsequently captured the castle and set about demolishing it with a team of 500 men . Recent history . Ownership of the castle passed to the Vaughan and Cawdor families , and from the 18th century it started to attract artists ( Turner sketched the castle in 1798 ) . The second Earl Cawdor began an extensive renovation in the 19th century , and in 1932 Carreg Cennen was given to the guardianship of the Office of Works . In the 1960s Carreg Cennen Castle was acquired by the Morris family of Castell Farm , when Lord Cawdor ' s legal team inadvertently made a mistake in the wording of the deeds and included the castle as part of the farm . Today , the castle remains privately owned by Margaret and Bernard Llewellyn , daughter and son in law of the late Mr . Gwilim Morris . The castle is now maintained by Cadw .