Talyfan castle is a grand medieval castle now reduced to fragments. It was the centre for an eponymous lordship and may have been established in the twelfth century. The lordship was incorporated into that of Glamorgan in 1245. The castle was maintained into the fifteenth century, but was 'clearly in ruin' by the early sixteenth century. A park was recorded in 1349.

The castle consists of a single roughly oval court set on a north-facing spur and there are no traces of further enclosures. The court was enclosed by a high curtain wall which may have featured towers and a grand gateway, and had a broad ditch. Set within the court is a fragment of a great round tower, perhaps 15m in diameter. This would have dominated the castle's skyline and is thought to have been added to the castle by the lords of Glamorgan after 1245. There would also have been a lordly hall and apartments with associated offices.
The castle stonework was robbed in the earlier nineteenth century and the most prominent remains on the site are those of a farmhouse of about 1700.

Source: RCAHMW Glamorgan Inventory III.1b The Later Castles (2000), 374-9

John Wiles, RCAHMW, 13 February 2008