Castell Coch, the "red castle", stands on a wooded hill north of Cardiff, in south Wales. With its three round towers topped by conical roofs, its drawbridge and portcullis, it looks as if it has stepped out of a fairy tale or an illuminated medieval manuscript. In fact it is a 19th-century creation: a Gothic dream built by the architect William Burges for the immensely wealthy Marquess of Bute on the ruins of a real 13th-century castle. Its fantastically decorated interiors are among the most extraordinary of the Victorian age.
History
The first castle was probably built around 1267 by the powerful Anglo-Norman earl Gilbert de Clare, known as the Red Earl, to control the Taff valley and the road to Cardiff. The red sandstone of its walls gave the castle its Welsh name. Abandoned as early as the 14th century, it fell into ruin.
In 1871 the 3rd Marquess of Bute, one of the richest men in the world, asked William Burges, who was already transforming Cardiff Castle for him, to rebuild Castell Coch. Burges studied the ruins and medieval castles across Europe, drawing in particular on Viollet-le-Duc's restorations in France, and imagined the castle as it might have been in the Middle Ages, with a great deal of fantasy. Work began in 1875; Burges died in 1881 and the castle was completed by his collaborators in 1891. Below the walls the Marquess even planted a vineyard, which produced wine until the First World War. In 1950 the castle was placed in state care.
- c. 1267Gilbert de Clare builds the first castle
- 1875William Burges begins the rebuilding
- 1881William Burges dies
- 1891The rebuilding is completed
- 1950The castle passes to the state, today cared for by Cadw
What to see
The courtyard and defences
You enter by crossing the still-working drawbridge and passing under the portcullis. The small circular courtyard is surrounded by timber galleries and the three towers: the Well Tower, the Kitchen Tower and the Keep Tower.
The Drawing Room
The Drawing Room is the most spectacular room: two storeys high, with a vaulted ceiling painted with stars and birds, walls decorated with animals and scenes from Aesop's fables, butterflies and plants. Above the fireplace, statues of the three Fates spin, measure and cut the thread of life.
Lady Bute's Bedroom
Lady Bute's Bedroom, in one of the towers, is a circular room with a gilded and painted dome, mirrors and a red bed with crystal balls: a unique space, part medieval, part oriental and part fairy tale. The Marquess's simpler bedroom and the Banqueting Hall complete the visit.
The woods
The castle is surrounded by the beech woods of Fforest Fawr, crossed by paths and a sculpture trail, ideal for a walk after your visit.
Getting there
- By bus: from Cardiff to Tongwynlais, then about 15 minutes' walk uphill.
- By train: to Taffs Well, then about 20 minutes on foot.
- By car: from the M4, junction 32; parking below the castle.
- By air: Cardiff Airport is about 35 minutes away.
Nearby
- Cardiff Castle and the city centre.
- The open-air museum of St Fagans.
- The Big Pit mine and Caerphilly Castle, one of the largest in Britain.
Tips
- How long: an hour and a half with the woodland walk.
- When to go: all year round; in autumn the beeches around the castle are splendid.
- A tip: visit Cardiff Castle first and then Castell Coch: you will see how Burges interpreted the same medieval dream in a town residence and in a fairy-tale castle.