Castles

A Welsh man's home.

Wales apparently has 427 castles. Not all are well preserved, of course, but many are. In fact, there are even 4 castles within the limits of the capital city. Most of the castles arose from conflicts between England and Wales, and could be built by either side depending on who owned what bit of land at what time, and which country or province they claimed allegiance to. We will visit two of the castles near Cardiff.

• We start at Caerphilly. This is the largest castle of its kind, though that is to a large extent because it used vast lakes instead of a moat, to prevent tunnelling under it.
• Ugly ducklings.
• Front lake.
• Facade.
• The characteristic leaning tower. Unlike the rest of the facade, this has not been restored.
• Front wall.
• Courtyard and well.
• Restored tower and ruined wall.
• Ivy on the wall.
• Remains of another tower.
• Framed.
• Hoist.
• Castle room.
• Corn mill.
• Working siege engines.
• Ballista.
• One of the three catapult designs on display.
• From ruin to restoration, we head over to Castell Coch, which was restored relatively recently by the Bute family to use as a holiday home. This was just one of many castles they owned, being the richest people in the world, at the time.
• Spire and wind vane.
• Covered balcony.
• Circular courtyard.
• Most of the castle restoration is authentic, designed to be as close to the original as possible. However, the sloping roofs and chimneys are not accurate.
• Elaborate window fitting.
• Cellar frame.
• Vaulted ceiling.
• Butterfly.
• Chandelier.
• Portcullis.
• Winding chain.
• Bedroom window.
• Fireplace.
• Carvings on the fireplace.
• Bedposts.
• Bedpost ball. Claudio's picture was better than mine.
• Mirrored ceiling above the damer's bed. Of course.
• Ceiling art.
• Coat of arms.
• Bird's nest.
• Arches.
• Tower, showing the supports for the overhanging chapel which is now inside the tower.
• Range.
• Walkway.
• Central view.
• Window in natural light, my favourite picture in this set.
• Upper window.
• Tower from the parapet top.
• Circular reflection.

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