The history of Castell Coch in World War II was, and still is, a bit of a mystery. I spoke to a volunteer in the castle recently and she mentioned that they knew very little about this period of its history.
I asked some local residents who know lots about the village and they didn’t know much either. Some people weren’t even sure it had been used, as so little is known about it or recorded in the usual places.
In a recent issue of “Period Living” magazine, which features Castell Coch, the story was confirmed by a member of Cadw. Jonathan Berry, Senior Inspector of Ancient Monuments and Archaeology, said the castle, “was requisitioned by the War Office, and a military headquarters [was] set up there.”
These facts have come from correspondence between Lord Bute and a senior officer, which are held in Cadw’s archives.
I visited Castell Coch to view Cadw’s “Remembrance Weekend” event on Saturday. The exhibition contained some more details about how the castle was used.
Castell Coch served as a military headquarters during the Second World War. Requisitioned by the War Office in December 1940, it housed the Western Command’s Severn Sub Area Headquarters until June 1941. This command was responsible for the defence of the Glamorgan and Gwent areas in the event of a German invasion.
To safeguard the castle’s valuable contents, the furniture, paintings, and precious items were securely stored in the basements. The various rooms of the castle would have been adapted for military use, though the specific functions of each room remain unknown. It is likely that the castle housed a secure registered file room, a repository for top-secret maps, a radio room, a telephone exchange, and a meeting room. Direct telephone lines connected Castell Coch to other command headquarters and military installations. The officers and staff stationed at the castle may have resided within its walls or in lodgings in Tongwynlais.
As a military headquarters containing highly classified documents, Castell Coch was designated a vulnerable point (VP) and implemented a comprehensive defence scheme. This likely included a barbed wire perimeter, a guarded entrance, and fortified positions such as sandbagged emplacements or slit trenches. The officers would have had access to staff cars, necessitating a petrol store and motor transport depot on-site.
© National Portrait Gallery, London
In the summer of 1941, the Western Command’s Severn Sub Area Headquarters relocated from Castell Coch to Llantrisant. This move was reportedly prompted by the dissatisfaction of the 4th Marquess of Bute with the army’s treatment of the castle. Letters held at Mount Stuart House reveal the Marquess’s complaints to the commanding officer regarding damage and theft of items within the castle.
Sources
- Cadw Remembrance Weekend exhibition
- National Portrait Gallery
