Fairytale Castle has Fairytale Setting

With the half term holiday slowly creeping up on the horizon, it may be time to start thinking about where to take the kids for a day out. The weather can sometimes be disappointing, and so an internal venue is preferable, and it must be something to entertain them, but at the same time be cheap (well, Christmas is coming up!)

I know, what about a castle! Yes, I know, they are mostly ruins, certainly out of doors, and once they've seen one pile of stones, they will quickly get bored. But what if I could introduce you to a castle with a roof, a drawbridge, nice warm souvenir shop, a cosy cafe to have a quick nibble, and a number of rooms for them to explore.

Not very likely I hear you say. But, ladies and gentlemen, (pause for drum roll), I give you ….. Castell Coch, the only two bedroomed detached castle in Britain. You'll need to get to Tongwynlais, a little village that steadfastly refuses to be engulfed by the northern suburbs of Cardiff, but if you can get there, the word fairytale will not be far from your lips.

Castell Coch, or “Red Castle” if you prefer, is in fact something of a folly, taking the form of a nineteenth century Gothic Revival. There has, indeed, been a castle on the site for many years, probably dating back to the thirteenth century, but what you will see today is the result of a collaboration between John Crichton-Stuart, the Third Marquess of Bute and his architect, William Burges. Some more of their work is available to view, with the equally impressive and much larger Cardiff Castle.

The site was cleared in 1871, with work delayed until 1875 because of the heavy financial burden resulting from the work at Cardiff Castle. Despite the fact that it would never see battle (Victorian England had moved on slightly), a drawbridge was incorporated and “murder holes” to pour boiling oil.

The standard of the internal work is such that it continued for a further ten years after the death of William Burges in 1881. The castle is nowadays in the care of Cadw, and it holds a Grade I listing. Not surprisingly, it has appeared on film and television with regularity as a setting, most recently in Robin Hood, and two episodes of Doctor Who.