'I went to a fairytale castle after years and couldn't believe the change' (original) (raw)
Sometimes the most special places are literally on your doorstep but because they are a regular feature in the background of your life they get overlooked for a long period of time, or maybe even forgotten. That includes one place that was an important building in my early life that was then largely ignored, until now, and my recent visit has left me shocked at how much it has changed over the decades.
When I was about seven my parents took me to an enchanting castle in the woods and, as its turreted towers rose up through the surrounding trees and foliage, I was mesmerised. As we walked around the base of it my mum said it was where some bloke called Alan Ladd was a knight.
At the time I had no idea what she was talking about but the word knight was heard and absorbed and as we drove home I announced that when I grew up I wanted to be a princess, that this amazing castle would be my home and it would have lots of knights to protect it.
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A unique Grade I listed Welsh gem (Image: Jo Ridout, WalesOnline)
My parents were kind souls and did not burst my dream and I soon forgot about the castle in the trees. But one day when I was a teenager and we were driving along the M4 I saw it peeping through the dense tree canopy and was transfixed yet again.
By now I did not want to be a princess but I was intrigued about this castle from my childhood and after chatting to my mum she enlightened me that the fairytale building was not owned by a prince but appeared in The Black Knight, a medieval adventure movie filmed at the site starring Alan Ladd - ah, that made much more sense.
Back to being a seven-year-old again at this fairy castle (Image: Jo Ridout, WalesOnline)
Since then the distinctive Grade I listed Castell Coch, clinging to a wooded hillside above the north Cardiff village of Tongwynlais, has been the visually engaging location for more movies and many popular TV programmes including Doctor Who and Merlin.
If you could take a time machine back to the early 1990s and it was a Saturday you would have encountered me sitting outside a small shed near the entrance asking visitors for 50p to park in the castle car park. I had never forgotten the castle since seeing it again and had badgered Cadw, who now own and maintain the castle, to let me apply for a summer job there. I had landed a role at my fairytale castle - four days in the shop and one day at the entrance in the car park shed.
The dining hall that was built for parties (Image: Jo Ridout, WalesOnline)
There's an amazing view of Cardiff from the window seats (Image: Jo Ridout, WalesOnline)
Even though I loved the programme Merlin and said every time I saw the castle on the show, 'I must go back there sometime', I had never quite made it - until now, over 30 years after working there, and what a difference a few decades make. The car park shed has been replaced by a bin and the small car park has been extended down the hillside and even includes electric charging points.
As I approached the open grass area in front of the castle I was taken aback to see a princess on the side of the castle - part of a huge mural covering the Well Tower as the castle is currently undergoing a plan of required maintenance. On closer inspection, it turns out it was a fairy, but seeing what I initially thought was a princess pulled me violently back to being seven and instantly made me smile.
Statue of St Lucia above the fireplace (Image: Jo Ridout, WalesOnline)
Stencils and wall paintings that soar up to the painted barrel ceiling (Image: Jo Ridout, WalesOnline)
The fact that part of the castle was covered for maintenance was not a disappointment to me - the mural covering it is pretty and it actually reminded me to be thankful that such an important building in Cardiff and Welsh history is being looked after and is available for the public to explore.
I didn't think a tour would take too long because when I worked there, if my memory is correct, there were only about five rooms open, offering some information plaques and a guide book to supplement a visit; but I actually ended up staying all afternoon and was absolutely enthralled.
The drawing room is visually stunning too (Image: Jo Ridout, WalesOnline)
The octagon shaped room is crowned by a painted dome (Image: Jo Ridout, WalesOnline)
The castle looked the same from the circular courtyard but the first change was the tour itself - I was given a handheld device that also had a neck strap so I didn't have to continually hold it. In each room there was an information pillar where I had to point the device then hold it up to my ear and brief information on the space was provided.
I then had the option of two further buttons to find out more on certain topics or just to choose to move on and directions were provided. I liked this idea a lot, you could do the tour quickly with the basics or with more time available, find out so much more.
Nature is a prominent theme (Image: Jo Ridout, WalesOnline)
Illustrations of Aesop's Tales on the walls (Image: Jo Ridout, WalesOnline)
With most rooms having somewhere I could sit that was not roped off and encouraged, I indulged in the full tour and recommend, if you visit and have time, you do too.
The basics on the castle were that the original site was home to a medieval castle built in phases by the de Clares dynasty, Lords of Glamorgan. The castle was given a Grade I listing in 1963 by Cadw and the information detailed in the listing states it was probably partly destroyed in Welsh rebellion in Glamorgan of 1316 and remained a ruin for centuries.
His Lordship's bedroom has an impressive fireplace (Image: Jo Ridout, WalesOnline)
Freestanding bath could be moved to in front of the fire (Image: Jo Ridout, WalesOnline)
The guided tour states that only part of the Well Tower, parts of the Kitchen Tower including the wine cellar and the dungeon show some remains of the former structure incorporated into its much later off-spring. That was news to me - for three summers I worked at the castle and had no idea it had a dungeon!
The majority of the Gothic revival, French-influenced castle you wander around today dates back to the Victorian era. At this time the very wealthy third Marquess of Bute, who had developed a passion for building, archaeology and antiquarian pursuits, had engaged celebrated architect William Burges to create a Victorian vision of the medieval world in the restoration of Cardiff Castle.
At the top of the Keep Tower is the Lady's bed chamber (Image: Jo Ridout, WalesOnline)
Then the medieval ruin on the hill above the capital gained the attention of the Marquess and, following an archaeological assessment by G T Clark and partial excavation by Burges in 1872, it became the focus of the design and building work.
The tour produced some fascinating facts that I did not know, and will be bombarding friends with down the pub sometime soon. For example, the castle was built mainly as a summer house for the family and for social parties but it is unlikely it was prolifically used, and one of the main reasons for this was the lack of guest accommodation.
The basin is brilliant - the hot and cold water systems are hidden in the castle towers (Image: Jo Ridout, WalesOnline)
Stunning domed ceiling in the lady's bedchamber (Image: Jo Ridout, WalesOnline)
Other fun facts include that the castle was also used as a quarantine centre for any members of the Bute family who were ill, that Burges died before the castle was completed, and that the former Cardiff City Football Club ground was named after Lord Ninian Edward Crichton-Stuart, the second son of the third Marquess of Bute and his wife Gwendoline, who sadly died in World War I - find our more about Ninian here.
Each room has a tale or two to tell, from the dining hall boasting a substantial fireplace with a statue of of St Lucius on its canopy, to the octagonal drawing room next door that will delight you with wall paintings of flora and fauna and depictions of Aesop's tales that rise up into a domed ceiling that represents the sky.
Most of the dungeon walls date back to medieval times (Image: Jo Ridout, WalesOnline)
The wine cellar in the Kitchen Tower is thought to be medieval too (Image: Jo Ridout, WalesOnline)
The Marquess' bed chamber is quite modest but Lady Bute's bedroom is a stunner, with another domed ceiling comprising multiple painted panels based on nature and lavished in gold paint rising into the dome that culminates in shiny metal panels.
The kitchen offers a glimpse into two pasts via the large Victorian range sitting within a medieval fireplace, of which there are three. In the Keep Tower you'll come across the winch room where Burges was keen to recreate the entrance of the medieval former castle, even adding a portcullis and murder hole into his design.
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There's so much more of the castle to see than I remembered, including the Well Tower which, even though it's being worked on, you can still go and explore from top to bottom, including around on the outside around the top, although the view is currently somewhat obscured.
The Kitchen Tower is more open than I remember too, but one aspect that hasn't changed and I was overjoyed to remember was the impressive panoramic views from the front windows over Cardiff to the Bristol Channel to the English coast on the horizon.
The portcullis in the winch room (Image: Jo Ridout, WalesOnline)
Replica of a medieval castle's murder hole (Image: Jo Ridout, WalesOnline)
The final surprise was the staff room, located at the base of the Keep Tower next to the drawbridge entrance. From a dark and usually lonely space it is now a tea room open to the public as well as castle visitors, you just need to sign up to get a free café pass so you can visit without paying to get into the castle.
When I sat in that staff room over 30 years ago I frequently imagined how good it would be as a café and now local company Lew's, who have a coffee shop in Llandaff North and Gabalfa Hub in Cardiff, has created an inviting space as the perfect place to finish your castle journey.
Not the poshest of ensuites but at least it's inside (Image: Jo Ridout, WalesOnline)
The kitchen includes hidden medieval fireplaces (Image: Jo Ridout, WalesOnline)
On offer is even more inviting locally-made paninis and a range of yummy cake and a proper Welsh brew served in a teapot accompanied by pretty china cups and saucers - a classy cup of tea that a castle's princess definitely deserves.
Castell Coch is open all year round apart from December 24, 25, 26 and January 1 with the opening times ranging from 9.30am to 6pm in the summer to 9.30am to 4pm in the winter and last admission half an hour before closing. Every year the castle has a deep clean too, so check the website or call before making a special journey.
The café used to be something completely different (Image: Jo Ridout, WalesOnline)
A proper Welsh brew and cake for a proper princess! (Image: Jo Ridout, WalesOnline)
Tickets cost £9.50 for adults with discounts for juniors, students, seniors and a family ticket available too, and there's free entry to under fives and Cadw members, which you can join on the day of you visit or via Cadw's website that gets you free entry into all of their sites. Blue Light Card holders and HM Armed Forces and Veterans receive 10% off admission, available onsite when you visit. Find out more about opening times and tickets here.
In my opinion this gorgeous fairytale castle is definitely worth a visit; even if you think you know the building it can surprise you with an enchanting ambience and a unique history linked to our capital that is well worth exploring.
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