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Caerphilly Castle
This is the largest castle in Wales, equalled in Britain only by the castles at Windsor and Dover. The scale of its water defences is scarcely rivalled anywhere in Europe.
Although now surrounded by offices and shops the fortress sprawls over 30 acres and dominates the town of Caerphilly.
Built by the Anglo-Norman lord Gilbert St Clare in the late 13th century to consolidate his grip on lands he had captured, it is a supreme example of the 'walls within walls' system of defence. Water played a large part in its design and it goes far beyond the enclosing moat. The creation of lakes with three artificial islands made the castle virtually impregnable to capture by siege.
The castle, although threatened may times was never captured and its only weakness appears to be its leaning tower (it even out-leans the tower at Pisa) which is thought to be due to subsidence.
Noteworthy features are the Gatehouse, Banqueting Hall and working models of medieval siege engines.
A stained glass window depicting Gilbert St Clare can be seen at Twekesbury Abbey.
Location:
A468 from Newport. A470, A469 from Cardiff
Further Information
Telephone: 029 20 883143
Admission charge
No dogs
In the care of Cadw: Telephone 029 20 500200
An excellent site with detailed information about the castle can be found at www.caerphillycastle.org
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