Caerphilly Castle
Caerphilly Castle is one of the great medieval castles of western Europe. Several factors give it this claim to fame - its immense size (30 acres / 12 hectares, making it the largest in Britain after Windsor), its large-scale use of water for defence and the fact that it is the first truly concentric castle in Britain.
Of the time of its building in the late 13th century, it was a revolutionary masterpiece of military planning
The castle saw extensive fighting soon after its completion. It was attacked during the Madog ap Llywelyn revolt of 1294, the Llywelyn Bren uprising in 1316 and during the overthrow of Edward II in 1326–27.
In the late 15th century, however, it fell into decline and by the 16th century the lakes had drained away and the walls were robbed of their stone. The Marquesses of Bute acquired the property in 1776 and under the third and fourth Marquesses extensive restoration took place.
In 1950 the castle and grounds were given to the state and the water defences were re-flooded. In the 21st century, the Welsh heritage agency Cadw manages the site as a tourist attraction. The long-running British television show Doctor Who chose Caerphilly Castle as a filming location for several episodes, including "The End of Time" in 2009, "The Vampires in Venice" in 2010, two parter "The Rebel Flesh" and "The Almost People" in 2011; "Robot of Sherwood" in 2014 and "Heaven Sent" in 2015
Caerphilly Castle
Caerphilly Castle is one of the great medieval castles of western Europe. Several factors give it this claim to fame - its immense size (30 acres / 12 hectares, making it the largest in Britain after Windsor), its large-scale use of water for defence and the fact that it is the first truly concentric castle in Britain.
Of the time of its building in the late 13th century, it was a revolutionary masterpiece of military planning
The castle saw extensive fighting soon after its completion. It was attacked during the Madog ap Llywelyn revolt of 1294, the Llywelyn Bren uprising in 1316 and during the overthrow of Edward II in 1326–27.
In the late 15th century, however, it fell into decline and by the 16th century the lakes had drained away and the walls were robbed of their stone. The Marquesses of Bute acquired the property in 1776 and under the third and fourth Marquesses extensive restoration took place.
In 1950 the castle and grounds were given to the state and the water defences were re-flooded. In the 21st century, the Welsh heritage agency Cadw manages the site as a tourist attraction. The long-running British television show Doctor Who chose Caerphilly Castle as a filming location for several episodes, including "The End of Time" in 2009, "The Vampires in Venice" in 2010, two parter "The Rebel Flesh" and "The Almost People" in 2011; "Robot of Sherwood" in 2014 and "Heaven Sent" in 2015