Caerphilly Castle - Glamorgan

The colossus that is Caerphilly Castle may be in ruins but, according to this promotional film, no-one can damage its magic - all that is required is a bit of imagination in order to share its past adventures, as demonstrated by the film-makers who use abrupt camera movements and quick zooms to convey the slings and arrows that would have rained down upon it centuries ago. A basic map indicates this visitor attraction’s location and nearby towns.

This castle, built over a period of three years (1268-71), is a concentric building, a revolutionary design incorporating a castle within a castle. Gilbert de Clare or Red Gilbert, Lord of Glamorgan, had it built to stop Llywelyn ap Gruffydd from making inroads into south Wales. Ironically enough, by the time this impregnable building was finished so too was the threat it was designed to withstand. Over the following years there were a few Welsh rebellions – and the castle was beseiged by a Queen - but its immense defensiveness was never called for and it survived mainly undamaged. Disuse and the ruin of time were its lot until the Bute family took possession and undertook major renovations in the 1920s/30s.