Caerphilly Castle
Caerphilly Castle is one of the largest castles in the UK. Today it is in the eponymous town of South Wales - county of Caerphilly. The castle and the town itself are located about 10 km north of the center of the capital - Cardiff. Unlike other similar forts in the territory of Wales, Caerphilly Castle was not built by Edward I, but by the Norman lord Gilbert 'the Red' de Clare.
Caerphilly is considered to be the largest castle in Wales and the second largest in Britain after the Windsor Castle and was built mainly between 1268 and 1271. Caerphilly is an excellent example of an early medieval castle. The fortress was built over 4 years and in the following centuries suffered little change. Situated on an area of 30 acres, Castle Caerphilly is one of the largest palace complexes in Europe.
The architectural plan of the castle with its water defenses is something of a revolutionary masterpiece of military planning at the time. Caerphilly Castle is double secured with a stable water protection afforded by the artificially made lake near the palace. Actually two lakes located in the south and north, are considered an achievement of medieval engineering.
The appearance of the medieval fortress creates a feeling of impregnability. There are no windows and no interior decoration, which is indicative that it was used solely for military purposes over the centuries. Inside the building after the main entrance of Caerphilly is now a small exhibition that tells the story of the castle. There are the stairs leading to the roof of the castle, boasting magnificent views of the city and its surroundings.
The beautiful gate of the inner part of the east side of the castle is the culmination of the walk through walls of Caerphilly. This part of the palace consists of the merged double towers, main entrance and mobile vertical grid of the city gate.
In 1950, the legitimate heir and owner of the Caerphilly Castle gave the rights to the possession of the castle to the British government. Today it is a major tourist attraction and has a small souvenir shop that is situated between the two main bridges. Caerphilly Castle is a wonderful place for weddings. The Great Hall is furnished with beautiful furniture and is capable of holding more than 100 people. Both lakes around Caerphilly have pretty good conditions for fishing.
