The castle of Llansteffan stands in a wonderfully picturesque location, crowning the top of a well-defined headland looking out over the broad sand-flats of the Tywi estuary. This strong hilltop position was first fortified in the prehistoric Iron Age and by the sixth century BC a double bank and ditch had been thrown across the neck of the headland to create a defensive promontory fort. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that the Norman invaders also recognised the defensive potential of the site.

The castle is thought to have been raised by Norman invaders soon after 1100. The castle created at this time, within the prehistoric defences, was of a form known as a 'ringwork'. It is not until 1146 that we have the first definite reference to Llansteffan...more