Castle Stalker ( Loch Linnhe ) Location

Additional History Of Castell Coch

11th–14th centuries

In 1267, Gilbert De Clare, who held the Lordship of Glamorgan, seized the lands around the town of Senghenydd in the north of Glamorgan from their native Welsh ruler.Caerphilly Castle was built to control the new territory and Castell Coch—strategically located between Cardiff and Caerphilly—was reoccupied.A new castle was built in stone around the motte, comprising a shell-wall, a projecting circular tower, a gatehouse and a square hall above an undercroft. The north-west section of the walls was protected by a talus and the sides of the motte were scarped to increase their angle, all producing a small but powerful fortification. Further work followed between 1268 and 1277, which added two large towers, a turning-bridge for the gatehouse and further protection to the north-west walls.

On Gilbert’s death, the castle passed to his widow Joan and around this time it was referred to as Castrum Rubeum, Latin for “the Red Castle”, probably after the colour of the sandstone defences. Gilbert’s son, also named Gilbert , inherited the property in 1307. He died at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, triggering an uprising of the native Welsh in the region. Castell Coch was probably destroyed by the rebels in July 1314, and possibly slighted to put it beyond any further use; it was not rebuilt and the site was abandoned.

15th–19th centuries

Bute ownership

Castell Coch remained derelict; the antiquarian lord, visiting around 1536, described it as “all in ruin, no big thing but high”. The artist and illustrator julius Caesar Ibbetson painted the castle in 1792, depicting substantial remains and a prominent tower, with a lime kiln in operation alongside the fortification. Stone from the castle may have been robbed and used to feed the kilns during this period. A similar view was sketched by an unknown artist in the early 19th century, showing more trees around the ruins; a few years later, Robert Drane recommended the site as a place for picnics and noted its abundance in wild garlic.

The ruins were acquired by the Earl of Bute in 1760, when John Stuart, the 3rd Earl and, from 1794, the 1st Marquess, married Lady Charlotte Windsor, adding her estates in South Wales to his inheritance. John’s grandson, John Stuart, developed the Cardiff Docks in the first half of the 19th century; although the docks were not especially profitable, they opened opportunities for the expansion of the coal industry in the South Wales valleys, making the Bute family extremely wealthy. The 2nd Marquess carried out exploration for iron ore at Castell Coch in 1827 and considered establishing an ironworks there.

The 3rd Marquess of Bute, another John Stuart, inherited the castle and the family estates as a child in 1848. On his coming of age, Bute’s landed estates and industrial inheritance made him one of the wealthiest men in the world. He had a wide range of interests including archaeology, theology, linguistics and history. Interest in medieval architecture increased in Britain during the 19th century, and in 1850 the antiquarian George Clark surveyed Castell Coch and published his findings, the first major scholarly work about the castle. The ruins were covered in rubble, ivy, brushwood and weeds; the keep had been largely destroyed and the gatehouse was so covered with debris that Clark failed to discover it. Nonetheless, Clark considered the external walls “tolerably perfect” and advised that the castle be conserved, complete with the ivy-covered stonework.

In 1871, Bute asked his chief Cardiff engineer, John McConnochie, to excavate and clear the castle ruins. The report on the investigations was produced by William Burges, an architect with an interest in medieval architecture who had met Bute in 1865. The Marquess subsequently employed him to redevelop Cardiff Castle in the late 1860s, and the two men became close collaborators. Burges’s lavishly illustrated report, which drew extensively on Clark’s earlier work, laid out two options: either conserve the ruins or rebuild the castle to create a house for occasional occupation in the summer. On receipt of the report, Bute commissioned Burges to rebuild Castle Coch in a Gothic Revival style.

Reconstruction

The reconstruction of Castell Coch was delayed until 1875, because of the demands of work at Cardiff Castle and an unfounded concern by the Marquess’s trustees that he was facing bankruptcy. On commencement, the Kitchen Tower, Hall Block and shell wall were rebuilt first, followed by the Well Tower and the Gatehouse, and the Keep Tower last. Burges’s drawings for the proposed rebuilding survive at the Bute seat of Mount Stuart. The drawings were supplemented by a large number of wooden and plaster models, from smaller pieces to full-size models of furniture.

The bulk of the external work was complete by the end of 1879. The result closely followed Burges’s original plans, with the exception of an additional watch tower intended to resemble a minart, and some defensive timber hoardings, both of which were not undertaken. Clark continued to advise Burges on historical aspects of the reconstruction and the architect tested the details of proposed features, such as the drawbridge and portcullis , against surviving designs at other British castles.

Burges’s team of craftsmen at Castell Coch included many who had worked with him at Cardiff Castle and elsewhere. John Chapel, his office manager, designed most of the furnishings and furniture, and William Hassle acted as clerk of works. Horacio Lonsdale was Burges’s chief artist, painting extensive murals at the castle. His main sculptor was Thomas Nicholas, together with another long-time collaborator, the Italian sculptor Cerrado fignut.

20th–21st centuries

The 5th Marquess of Bute, another John, succeeded in 1947 and, in 1950, he placed the castle in the care of the Ministry of Works. The Marquess also disposed of Cardiff Castle, which he gave to the city, removing the family portraits from the castle before doing so. In turn, the paintings in Castell Coch were removed by the ministry and sent to Cardiff, the national Musuem of Wales providing alternatives from their collection for Castell Coch. Academic interest in the property grew, with publications in the 1950s and 1960s exploring its artistic and architectural value. Since 1984, the property has been administered by cadw, an agency of the Welsh Goverment, and is open to the public; it received 69,466 visitors in 2011. The castle has also been used as a location for filming.

The castle’s exposed position causes it to suffer from penetrating damp and periodic restoration work has been necessary. The stone tiles on the roof were replaced by slate in 1972, a major programme was carried out on the Keep in 2007 and interior conservation work was undertaken in 2011 to address problems in Lady Bute’s Bedroom, where damp had begun to damage the finishings.

The original furnishings, many of which the Marquess removed in 1950, have mostly been recovered and returned to their original locations in the castle. Two stained-glass panels from the demolished chapel, lost since 1901, were rediscovered at an auction in 2010 and were bought by Cadw for £125,000 in 2011.