Caerphilly Castle

Proudly standing on a 30-acre site, Caerphilly Castle is one of the largest fortresses in Europe. Boasting a tower which 'out leans' that of Pisa, the castle also receives visits from the infamous ghost of the Green Lady.

Throughout the late thirteenth and early fourteenth century, the Castle continued to be the focus of Welsh attacks. In 1316 Llywelyn Bren a noble of Senghenydd, raised an army of ten thousand men and attacked the Castle. The attackers failed to breach its defences, although much of the town of Caerphilly was destroyed. By the mid-fourteenth century relative calm had fallen upon Caerphilly and parts of the Castle were probably abandoned. However, its upkeep continued throughout the fifteenth century, when the Beauchamp family spent a considerable sum of money improving its domestic accommodation. At the end of the century the Castle was leased to the Lewis family. They 'robbed' its stone to improve their own home at Van Mansion.

In the late eighteenth century the Marquees of Bute acquired Caerphilly Castle, His descendants would oversee its 'great rebuilding'. Restoration of the Castle began in the late nineteenth century, under the direction of the immensely wealthy third Marquees of Bute. This work continued throughout the last century under the fourth Marquees and later the State. The result of this extensive and painstaking work is the Castle you see today.