Caerphilly Castle
 Castles |
Caerphilly Castle came into existence in 1268 when Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester and Hertford, began its construction on the site of an ancient Roman fort. Concentric in design the castle site comprised a rectangular enclosure with inner and outer wards. The outer defensive walls were fortified with towers and their own gatehouse and surrounded by a huge artificial lake. The latter was formed by a fortified dam spanning some 400 metres, which provided an additional layer of defence to the castle. On either side of the gatehouse run the north and south platforms. On the south platform was a mill worked by water that poured through an outlet under the platform from the lake to the south.
The inner ward contained the heart of the castle. In the quadrangle, with its four towers one at each corner, is the eastern gatehouse where a portcullis trapped intruders. The smaller western gatehouse stands on the other side of the greensward. The Great hall was the principal building within the inner walls and has recently undergone restoration, as has much else of the castle during the latter half of the 20 th century. Since 1971 arts festivals and concerts have been held in the Great hall. Caerphilly Castle, together with its artificial moat and outer defences, occupies a massive 30 acres overall and is the largest such site in Wales and, after Windsor Castle, the largest in all of Britain.
The castle, despite successfully repelling a fiercesome attack by Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffyd in 1270, did sustain severe damage and needed to be rebuilt in the following year. Although the prince was one of Edward I's main protagonists during this period, Caerphilly was not drawn into the king's Welsh wars at the end of the 13 th century. The castle played a more important role in the reign of his son and successor Edward II, whose favourite, Hugh le Despenser, inherited Caerphilly through marriage. However, the neighbouring barons were disgruntled over this and seized the stronghold until Edward came to Hugh's aid. This in turn brought down the wrath of his estranged wife Queen Isabella and her paramour, Roger Mortimer, who led the barons against Caerphilly. When Isabella's forces laid siege to the castle Edward was forced to flee leaving behind half his treasure together with his clothes, such was the urgency of his departure. The castle was forced to surrender after several months, Edward's remaining treasure was seized and Despenser beheaded.
Owain Glyndwr laid siege to and captured the castle in the early part of the 15 th century during the last great Welsh uprising, but Caerphilly played little further part in Welsh history after that. In 1646 it did momentarily become embroiled in the Civil War, 1642-9, when Royalists attempted to blow up the castle in order to prevent the attacking Parliamentarians from using it. Their efforts led to them badly damaging one of the round towers that now leans over at a precarious angle, about 12ft off the perpendicular. After the Civil War the victorious Cromwell ordered the castle to be slighted, and this together with stones being removed for local building only added to the ruinous state of the castle.
The castle is the reputed haunt of the sad Green Lady. Unable to marry the man of her choice, this visiting princess died broken hearted and tradition claims that she searches for her lover in the ruins.