When was caerphilly castle made

The upper rooms could be used for living purposes, especially in the summer, as it was not shaded by the outer perimeter walls, but at some stage also functioned as a kitchen, equipped with two fireplaces and a waste drain. Later, when the tower was converted into a brewery and a kitchen, fireplace niches and a base for a cauldron or a vat were placed in its ground floor.

The tower was accessible through the aforementioned diagonal passage from the hall, which, through the wall, reached the vestibule in the ground floor on the eastern side, located right next to the spiral staircase connecting the floors. Behind the central island there was a western island, connected from the north-west by a gate and a drawbridge with the mainland, by a second drawbridge in the east with the main castle, and by a side postern with a causeway connecting with the eastern island.

All gates were to be connected by a circumference of a low defensive wall perhaps these fortifications as the only part of the castle were never completed , following an irregular bank in the south and south-west, and in the north-west formed into two semicircular bulges flanking the entrance gate.

To the northwest of the island there was a former Roman fort, covering about 1. Entrance to the east island was possible through the outer main gate from the east.

It consisted of two towers that protected the passage between them. The towers at the base were four-sided, but above they turned into spurs — buttresses that gave them the shape of half an octagon.

Each gate tower had three floors with arrowslits, the gate passage was protected by a portcullis, six upper narrow shooting holes so-called murder holes and a drawbridge located in front of the gate passage. On both sides of the gate passage, there were vaulted rooms of guards, accessible only from the passage through the side portals. The arrowslits placed in them covered the moat, the entrance, and the gate itself.

The entrance to the first floor of the gatehouse was possible through the west annex, which was also a link with the northern part of the island.

Communication to the north was through a drawbridge located over the transverse canal spillway connecting the outer moat and both lakes. The canal itself was also secured with a portcullis, but it operated in the opposite way — when raised it blocked the passage and opened the lower spillway. When lowered, it opened the passage and blocked the spillway. At the level of the first floor, the annex was connected with the wall-walk in the crown of the wall, and to get to it, you had to overcome an internal drawbridge, lowered over a 9-meter-high shaft descending towards the spillway, and then a portcullis, similarly to a drawbridge, raised from the upper floor.

A spiral staircase located next to it led to the upper, combat level of the gate, while the staircase itself passed into a guard turret, which was higher by one floor. In the outer central niche above the passage, two square holes housed ropes or a chain used to lift the outer drawbridge, leading to the extended foregate, surrounded on all sides by water.

Its octagonal structure was equipped with another drawbridge, connecting the castle with the mainland. On the north side of the eastern island there was a dam, protected by three massive towers facing east and a double-tower gate facing north, similar to the eastern gate but lower by one floor, also without side rooms of the guards flanking the gate passage, as the base of the gate towers was full.

The upper chambers in the towers did not have any openings and were accessible only through hatches in the ceilings of the highest possibly never completed storey. On the west side, the gate had a four-sided protrusion containing two latrines chutes directed towards the lake.

The narrow, pointedly vaulted gate passage was secured with a portcullis and a drawbridge over the moat, probably resting on the dike in front of the gate. The role of the dam was to maintain the waters of the northern lake and ensure its proper depth. The three towers protecting it were fully extended in front of the face of the wall and reinforced with spurs — buttresses. For this reason, their bases were quadrilateral, and the upper parts were in the shape of polygons.

Interestingly, behind each of the towers on their northern sides there were pits, from which wooden footbridges were removed in case of danger to cut off each of the towers from the wall-walk.

In addition, each curtain between the towers was pierced with two cross-oillet arrowslits, and both the wall and the towers were topped with a battlement. Inside, each tower had only one chamber, located above the full base filled with earth. In their walls, three oillet arrowslits were pierced: one directed at the foreground and two flanking curtains to the north and south. The north side of the lake was protected by a long curtain of the wall, bent several times, ending in the west with a small postern with two towers.

Probably, its fortifications watched over the mouth of the stream into the pond, which was crucial in maintaining the water barrier. The southern dam was a massive meter-long structure ended with a huge wall with buttresses. On its platform was a water mill for grinding corn, driven by large wheels moved by the water flowing between the lakes. Right next to it there was a small, two-story building in the form of a four-sided turret, with latrines on the ground floor with outlets directed to the moat.

This lower, vaulted room was accessible from the ground level, while the upper one was from the crown of the defensive wall through a door blocked with bars.

The upper room, apart from the latrine, was equipped with a fireplace. Buttresses up to 91 meters long ended at the so-called Felton Tower, a square fortification intended to protect the lock and regulate water levels.

Further, on the southern edge, a horseshoe tower known as the Giffard Tower was erected, to protect the most advanced part of the dam in the form of a barbican, separated from the rest of the dam by a 2-meter thick transverse wall.

In western part of the barbican there was a gate leading to the town. It was also a two-tower structure with a passage in the middle, portcullis and a drawbridge, as well as a long neck along the foregate. The drawbridge was placed between two pits, one inside the passage and one between the gate towers, acting as a counterweight. The water defense zone in Caerphilly was almost certainly inspired by security at Kenilworth, where a similar set of artificial lakes and dams was created.

Gilbert de Clare fought during the siege of Kenilworth in and saw them with his own eyes. The Caerphilly water protection was a special defense against the undermining, which was one of the most dangerous and effective ways to capture castles. It is famous, among other things, for the well-preserved system of medieval dams and locks, which together with the fortifications on the eastern island have been preserved practically in their entirety.

One of the towers of the southern gate required reconstruction, as well as the almost completely destroyed four-sided tower called the Felton Tower, which, due to the lack of knowledge about its original appearance, was only partially rebuilt. The main castle also survived in quite good condition. For example, the 13th-century masons who repaired the shattered 12th-century keep ofRochester Castle clearly weren't in the least bit interested in making it look pretty again - they simply wanted it to be stronger, and so they replaced the collapsed square tower with a round one.

Another very important development in the 13th century was the gatehouse, which grew in size until it started to resemble a keep. From the start of the century, the gatehouse was formed by building two round towers either side of the entrance.

A larger gatehouse meant there was room for accommodation above the entrance, which was often used by the constable of the castle. Caerphilly Castle also exemplifies the idea of 'concentricity', or having several lines of defence around the castle.

The centre of the castle is protected by two complete loops of walls, one inside the other. The most striking element of Caerphilly's defences, however, are the great artificial lakes which surround it. The deep water of the moat made undermining impossible, and the wide expanses of water either side of the castle denied would-be attackers a place to put their trebuchets catapults. As well as being a fascinating castle in its own right, Caerphilly was one of the main flashpoints for the war which led to the conquest of Wales.

Its building from was seen as a provocation against Welsh leader Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, and a challenge to his newly acquired title as prince of Wales. Llywelyn twice attacked the castle while it was being built, but failed to gain possession in Instead, he tried complaining to Edward I, and miscalculated badly by trying to force the king into action.

As Red Gilbert only had daughters and no son, the castle floundered in limbo for some years, with no obvious heir. Eventually, the husband of his oldest daughter Eleanor grabbed a hold of the castle. Hugh Despenser, by all accounts, was a greedy and despicable character — cruel and also irrepressibly acquisitive.

Despenser got his grubby mitts on increasingly large swathes of Welsh land, and was hated by the people of Wales. Happily though, this grim character got his come-uppance. In late , he sided with the detested King Edward II, who was facing rebellion against his hapless rule of England. The pair holed themselves up in Caerphilly, and subsequently tried to hide elsewhere in Wales from the approaching popular uprising against them, lead by Isabella of France.

Both were captured — Despenser hung, drawn and quartered; and Edward forced to abdicate — and face a grisly death. Visiting will only take half a day or so, so you could comfortably squeeze in a trip to adjacent Raglan Castle , or even Cardiff Castle, if you were so inclined.

The castle is managed by the Welsh heritage body, Cadw. They lavish care on the place, and have installed some atmospheric audiovisual exhibits — for example, a cracking projection of a fire in the Great Hall — which help to bring the castle alive. Most of Caerphilly is burned, but the castle survives relatively unscathed.

The two hole themselves up in Caerphilly but were captured elsewhere in Wales — and brutally executed. An interest in the picturesque means visitors start coming to the castle. My book, Exploring English Castles , is filled with stories and more than spectacular photos. Its opposite number on the west right is slightly better preserved. There, the stone piers supporting the drawbridge leading to the hornwork can be seen, as can chimneys and fireplaces on two floors, indicating comfortable living quarters.

The false machicolation, poorer masonry and chimneys may indicate that the gatehouse was rebuilt at a later date. In the south-east corner is the base of a large rectangular building, possibly a granary. Below is a water-gate to the lake. Below 2 : view of the outer west gatehouse from the hornwork and view of the restored north-west tower at Caerphilly.

The imposing east gatehouse of the inner ward is the climax of any visit to the castle. It consists of twin D-shaped towers, a central passage with portcullises at both ends, and circular stair turrets on the inner corners.

Like much of the inner ward it was ruinous by the 19th century, but was meticulously restored by the 4th marquis of Bute. The handsome and comfortable apartment on the second floor was probably that of the keeper, or constable of the castle.

On the opposite side Below: the inner east gatehouse at Caerphilly.