|
|
Victorian Castles
Building Castell Coch
Castell Coch was originally a genuine medieval castle built in the thirteenth century by Gilbert the Red, Earl of Gloucester to guard the plain of Cardiff to the south and the narrow Taff gorge against the Welsh. In the fifteenth century, Castell Coch or the Red Castle was destroyed by mines and fire. Little is known of the origins of this castle but since its destruction it has stood as a ruin and would have been considered as nothing more than a picturesque spot for a stroll or a picnic. In 1871 the third Marquise of Bute, owner of the estate on which Castell Coch stood, had the undergrowth and rubbish cleared away so that his architect, William Burges, could survey them with the idea of a reconstruction in mind. William Burges produced the 'Castell Coch report' a seductive album of plans and drawings proposing the new castle to be built on the original thirteenth century plan and to be used as an occasional summer residence. The Marquise of Bute accepted these proposals and work went ahead. Unfortunately, William Burges died before the castle was completed and his colleagues had to finish the work according to how they thought Burges would have done it.
Castell Coch
 |
|
Castell Coch. A fully
defensible C19th Castle |
|
As a result the castle is a reasonably accurate reconstruction of a medieval castle but it is doubtful whether the original castle would have looked like this.
Castell Coch is what a scholarly Victorian architect considered a medieval castle ought to look like. The castle has more in common with European castles such as can be found in France or Italy than with anything that stands or has stood in the British Isles. The most dominating feature of the castle is the round towers and conical roofs that give it the European skyline. The join between the original thirteenth century foundation and the upper Victorian reconstruction is evident at the bases of the towers and walls by the difference between the red sandstone and the nineteenth century limestone. There is a single entrance into the castle which is as defensive as any castle gateway would have been in the middle ages.
|
|