Caerphilly Castle

History

Gilbert de Clare, Lord of Glamorgan, began building the castle in 1268 to secure the region against Welsh resistance under Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. Its scale and concentric design, with layered walls and flooded moats, marked a significant advance in medieval military architecture and influenced later castles including Edward I's in north Wales. The castle fell into ruin after the Civil War, when parts were deliberately damaged, before restoration work began in the 19th and 20th centuries under the Marquesses of Bute.

Architecture

The castle is a pioneering example of concentric fortification, with two rings of walls and towers separated by a wide moat rather than relying on a single keep. Its great hall, gatehouses and water defences were built in phases from 1268 under Gilbert de Clare, with substantial 20th-century restoration reconstructing sections lost to decay and demolition.

Worth knowing

The castle's leaning south-east tower, tilted further than the Tower of Pisa, has made it a recognisable landmark and a subject of long-standing local fascination.