The town of Caerphilly lies about seven miles north of the capital of Cardiff, in the southern region of the small nation of Wales, or Cyrmu in the native tongue. In Caerphilly’s city center, a bustling hub of traffic and busy shops, stands a rather startling and incongruous sight: A massive stone castle on a large verdant patch of open land, surrounded by a huge defensive moat. This is Caerphilly Castle (or Castell Caerffili in Welsh), the largest castle in Wales and the second largest in the United Kingdom, after Windsor Castle. Spreading over thirty acres, the castle has weathered a great deal of damage over the centuries, but is still an awesome and imposing spectacle.
The Building of Caerphilly Castle
Construction on the castle began in April 1268, under the auspices of Gilbert de Clare, Anglo-Norman lord of Glamorgan and a baron of Henry III. His intention on building the enormous fortress was to prevent South Wales from coming under the control of Llewelyn ein Llyw olaf, otherwise known as Llewelyn the Last, who ruled much of mid and north Wales at that time. Llewelyn, wise to the strategy, attacked with an army in 1270 and razed the incipient structure to the ground. Gilbert began the castle again in 1271, and this time, under the protective eye of Henry III, construction proceeded without further interference.
The castle took about ten years to complete, and aside from some subsequent remodeling and restoration work undertaken in the 14th, 15th, and 18th centuries, it remains largely as it was originally built, aside from some grievous damage to the south-east tower, which tilts about three meters from the perpendicular; this damage may have been caused by the Parliamentary army in 1648, during the English Civil War.
History and Denizens of Caerphilly Castle
Despite its great size and intimidating silhouette, Caerphilly Castle has had a relatively peaceful history as far as fortresses go. Its initial purpose of discouraging Llewelyn the Last was successful, for after the castle was finished he retreated northward and never repeated his attempted takeover of Senghenydd, the area in which Caerphilly now resides. Builder Gilbert de Clare used the castle as a base, and later it passed to his family and that of Hugh le Dispenser, who remodeled the great hall in the 1320s.
The castle was attacked twice, once in 1294 during the revolt of Madog ap Llewelyn, and once by the army of Welsh noble Llewelyn Bren, in 1316. The first attack was evidently thwarted, but the second succeeded in penetrating the castle’s outer walls. The castle itself was taken by the forces of Owain Glyndwr in 1403, though the occupation lasted a mere 100 days; in 1405 they returned and managed to hold the fortress for an entire year.
Caerphilly Castle To the Present Day
After that, the castle remained largely unused, other than a few brief spells as a prison. Over the succeeding centuries, ownership of the castle passed from hand to hand — Richard Beauchamp, Richard Neville, Jasper Tudor, and the first Marquess of Bute. Holders of the Marquess title were responsible for much of the restoration seen today, and in 1950 the 5th Marquess of Bute relinquished ownership of the castle to the British government, who maintain it as a heritage site, complete with parklike grounds, a gift shop, and beautiful wedding facilities.
Additional Source:
Clark, George T. (2009). A Description and History of Caerphilly Castle. Phillips Press. ISBN: 1443789356.
 |
