castle coch
The Victorian fantasy castle we see today hides the complex history of Castell Coch fortresses at the head of the Taff gorge, the earliest of which was probably Norman - and wooden. This was followed by the stone edifice of the Clare family which is believed to have fallen into disuse after the damage it suffered during the early 14th century Welsh rebellion.Not until 1875 were the old ruins transformed by the architect William Burges and John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, the third marquess of Bute (a man made fantastically wealthy by the industrial growth in South Wales in the period). The pair had already collaborated on Cardiff Castle and these two buildings represent some of the finest examples of Victorian medievalism in the UK. Lord Bute, an obsessive antiquarian, was reputed to be the richest man in the world, whilst Burges used his knowledge of the great castles of Europe as well as of medieval manuscripts to influence their designs. Sadly, Burges died in 1881, ten years before Castell Coch's completion and with Lord Bute's death in 1900, the castle spent most of the subsequent years as an occasional summer residence until being handed over to the Ministry of Works in 1950 for its conservation. It is now cared for by CADW which has managed to return many of its original pieces of furniture and replicate period fabric to maintain Castell Coch's 1891 appearance
castle coch
The Victorian fantasy castle we see today hides the complex history of Castell Coch fortresses at the head of the Taff gorge, the earliest of which was probably Norman - and wooden. This was followed by the stone edifice of the Clare family which is believed to have fallen into disuse after the damage it suffered during the early 14th century Welsh rebellion.Not until 1875 were the old ruins transformed by the architect William Burges and John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, the third marquess of Bute (a man made fantastically wealthy by the industrial growth in South Wales in the period). The pair had already collaborated on Cardiff Castle and these two buildings represent some of the finest examples of Victorian medievalism in the UK. Lord Bute, an obsessive antiquarian, was reputed to be the richest man in the world, whilst Burges used his knowledge of the great castles of Europe as well as of medieval manuscripts to influence their designs. Sadly, Burges died in 1881, ten years before Castell Coch's completion and with Lord Bute's death in 1900, the castle spent most of the subsequent years as an occasional summer residence until being handed over to the Ministry of Works in 1950 for its conservation. It is now cared for by CADW which has managed to return many of its original pieces of furniture and replicate period fabric to maintain Castell Coch's 1891 appearance