Caerphilly Castle

Caerphilly Castle is one of the greatest and oldest of the medievial castles in England. It is a fort in South Wales that was originally constructed in the thirteenth century as part of an endeavor to conquer Glamorgan.  The building is encircled by a number of extensive artificial lakes.  The grounds of the castle occupy thirty acres.

This stone palace, surrounded by a series of moats and watery islands was the creation of Gilbert ‘the Red’ de Clare. He was called that because he was a redheaded nobleman of Norman descent. He also built the original Castell Coch, ‘Red Castle’, located the other side of Caerphilly mountain. He is responsible for the “walls within walls” defensive construction.

The castle was built in 1268 and was very expensive at the time.  It suffered from many fires set by locals who objected to the considerable cost. The core of the complex is the Castle, which is built on a central Island. Lakes that are further fortified by dams surround it.

This old stone castle and its walls have many battle scars. It was attacked during the Madog ap Llywelyn revolt of 1294 and also during the Llywelyn Bren uprising in 1316. It was attacked again in 1316 during the overthrow of Edward II.

The castle endured a period of extreme neglect during the fifteenth and sixteenth century. The walls were robbed of stone and the lakes were drained. However in 17776 the Marquesses of Bute acquired the property and managed to restore it partially. In the 1950s the third and fourth Marquesses reflooded the lakes and helped rebuild it. Missing stones were recreated and inserted into the walls.  It is now managed by the Welsh heritage agency CAD2 that manages it a tourist attraction. It is protected as a scheduled monument.

The Outer East Moat, a North Lake and a South Lake protect this architectural treasure. It is constructed on a natural gravel bank in the local river basin. The original castle walls were built from Penant sandstone.  It is a huge castle the originally had two drawbridges.  It also had its own mill which was powered by it’s own dam and wheel.  Despite the fact it is considered a ruin many of its original majestic features are still in evidence. It is often used as a backdrop for television and film. Most recently it is featured in the movie Merlin.