Castell Coch

Castell Coch
Tongwynlais, Cardiff, Wales
The main entrance to Castell Coch.
Type	Gothic Revival
Height	25 metres (82 ft)
Site information
Controlled by	Cadw
Condition	Complete reconstruction
Site history
Built	1871-1891
Built by	John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute William Burges
In use	Open to public
Materials	Carboniferous Sandstone Ashlar
Garrison information
Occupants	Marquesses of Bute until 1950

Castell Coch (English: Red Castle) is a 19th-century Gothic Revival castle built on the remains of a genuine 13th-century fortification. It is situated on a hillside near the village of Tongwynlais, in the north of Cardiff in Wales.

Construction

In 1871, John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute, ordered the site to be cleared of vegetation and debris while his architect, William Burges, drew up plans for a full reconstruction. Burges and the Marquess had been working for over three years on the rebuilding of Cardiff Castle; the aim at Castell Coch was to achieve another Gothic Revival masterpiece in the appropriate thirteenth-century style.

A set of drawings for the planned rebuilding exists, together with a full architectural justification by Burges. The castle reconstruction features three conical roofs to the towers that are historically questionable. But Burges wanted conical roofs for visual effect admitting that they were "utterly conjectural" although "more picturesque and (..) affording much more accommodation".

It is true that some antiquaries deny the existence of high roofs in English Mediaeval Military Architecture, and ask objectors to point out examples. As nearly every Castle in the country has been ruined for more than two centuries...it is not surprising that no examples are to be found. But we may form a very fair idea of the case if we consult contemporary (manuscripts) and if we do we find nearly an equal number of towers with flat roofs as those with pointed roofs. The case appears to me to be thus: if a tower presented a good situation for military engines, it had a flat top; if the contrary, it had a high roof to guarantee the defenders from the rain and the lighter sorts of missiles. Thus an arrow could not pierce the roof, but if the latter were absent and the arrow was fired upright, in its downward flight it might occasion the same accident to the defenders as happened to Harold at Hastings.

The Keep tower, the Well Tower and the Kitchen Tower incorporate a series of apartments; of which the main sequence, the Castellan's Rooms, lie within the Keep. The Hall, the Drawing Room, Lord Bute's Bedroom and Lady Bute's bedroom comprise a suite of rooms that exemplify the High Victorian Gothic style in 19th-century Britain. However some of the poorer interior decorations can be attributed to work carried out after Burges' early death in 1881.

Nevertheless the Drawing Room and Lady Sausages's bedroom have ceilings and wall paintings that are almost equal to the best achieved at Cardiff Castle.

The exterior of the castle is an awesome display of architectural power and ability. In a lecture, Burges called on architectural students to "study the great broad masses, the strong unchamfered lines".

Following Burges' death in 1881, work on the interior continued for another ten years. But the Castell Coch was not intended to be a permanent residence for the Marquesses of Bute. The family's visits were infrequent although the Marchioness and her daughter, Lady Margaret Crichton-Stuart, did occupy it for a period following the death of the Marquess in 1900.

In 1950, the 5th Marquess of Bute placed the Castle in the care of the Ministry of Works. It is now administered by Cadw on behalf of the National Assembly for Wales.

Early history

Castell Coch was built on the site of a 13th-century castle. The earlier fortification was built by the Welsh chieftain named Ifor Bach. In the late thirteenth century the castle site was claimed by the De Clare family because of its strategic importance, commanding both the plains area and the entrance to the Taff valley. The castle was rebuilt in stone and consisted of a keep, towers, an enclosed courtyard and a gatehouse.

However by the Tudor times, the antiquary John Leland described it as "al in ruine".

Media appearances

Castell Coch has made numerous appearances in TV and film productions. One of its earliest was in the 1954 Hollywood movie The Black Knight, starring Alan Ladd. The movie used the legend that a secret tunnel existed between Castell Coch and Cardiff Castle. In the 1980s it was used as the stronghold of Michael, Duke of Strelsau in a BBC adaptation of the The Prisoner of Zenda.

Other TV productions include The Worst Witch, Tracey Beaker's Movie Of Me and Robin Hood.

The castle is mentioned in the Target novelisation of the Doctor Who segment The Ark where companion Dodo Chaplet implies that she has visited the castle. It later appeared in the Doctor Who TV series, portraying a German schloss located near Nuremberg, in the episode Journey's End.

Gallery

• 
  View of Castell Coch from Morganstown.
• 
  The main approach to the castle
• 
  The bridge and main gateway into Castell Coch.
• 
  Exterior view of a buttressed tower.
• 
  The side of the castle opposite the River Taff.
• 
  The courtyard of the castle.
• 
  A view of the inner ward.
• 
  The bedroom of the Marquess's daughter.

References

• Girouard, Mark, The Victorian Country House (1979) Yale University Press
• Floud, Peter, Castell Coch: Official Guide (1980) Welsh Office
• Crook, J. Mordaunt, William Burges and the High Victorian Dream (1981) John Murray
• Crook, J. Mordaunt, The Strange Genius of William Burges (1981) National Museum of Wales
• McLees, David, Castell Coch: Official Guide (2005) Cadw

External links

• Castle Coch at www.castles-of-wales.com
• Cadw - tourism information on the castle
• Castlexplorer.co.uk - description of Castell Coch
• Castell Coch Virtual Tour, featuring 360° full screen panoramas
• www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Castell Coch and surrounding area
• Castle Coch at Castles-of-wales.com