Pictures of Caerphily Castle

Caerphilly is a Welsh town seven miles north of Cardiff, which is on the Southern coast of Wales. Stretching over an area of 30 acres in the centre of Caerphilly, Caerphilly Castle (Welsh: Castell Caerfili) is one of the largest fortresses in Europe. Caerphilly Castle is the largest castle in Wales, the second largest in Britain (second to Windsor castle). It is built in 1268-1271 by the Anglo-Norman lord, Gilbert de Clare(1243-1295), a powerful, redheaded nobleman of Norman descent.



Flooding a valley to create a third acre lake, Gilbert de Clare set his castle on three artificial islands, the easternmost becoming a great fortified dam while the westernmost became a walled redoubt. Both also defended the central island, the core of the stronghold. There stands a castle complete in itself, with a double "concentric" circuit of walls and four gatehouses, one, the East Inner Gatehouse, large and powerful enough to serve as an independent final refuge. Nearby is the elegant banqueting hall with its fine stone carving.

Often threatened but never taken, this astonishing multiple fortress has been restored after centuries of neglect by the fourth marquees of Bute from 1928 to 1939. When the castle was taken into State care in 1950 it only remained to complete the reflooding of the lakes and the restoration and glazing of the windows of the Great Hall, aided by private donors in 1960. The south dam platform, once a tournament field, now displays full sized working replica medieval siege engine, and the fascinating exhibitions that can be seen in the main outer gatehouse and in the "Lady's Tower" are others interesting features of the castle.

Caerphilly Castle is concentric (castle within a castle) in architecture, with a double moat, surrounded by large but fairly shallow artificial lakes to slow attackers and prevent the undermining of its walls. The castle's most distinguishing feature is the leaning tower.