Castell Coch was featured in Country Life magazine 61 years ago this month. Architectural writer Mark Girouard took readers on a tour of the famous Welsh landmark over two issues beginning on 10th May 1962. The magazine was founded in 1897 and celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2022. Girouard went on to become an authority …
Castell Coch has been used as a filming location since 1954’s “The Black Knight”. In this first instalment of “Castell Coch on Screen” I’m going to feature some recent television shows that you may have seen. Dr Who Nightmare in Silver Season 7 – Episode 12 Episode aired May 11, 2013 Castell Coch was used …
Paul Sharp created a beautiful sketch of Castell Coch for a 1960s motoring guide to castles in the UK. I picked up a copy and discovered a fantastic collection of artwork by the Yorkshire designer. National Benzole was a petrol brand in the UK from 1919 until the 1990s. Perhaps these books were produced to …
The Wales 1983 Festival of Castles (Gwyl Cestyll Cymru 1983) was a controversial marketing campaign created by the Wales Tourist Board. It was branded “Cestyll 83” and took place during the “Year of Castles”. The festival was launched on 28 February 1983 by the Prince and Princess of Wales at Caerphilly Castle. Euryn Rhys Roberts, …
Castell Coch is currently closed for its annual conservation housekeeping. The trees surrounding the castle are also undergoing some maintenance so I looked through some old postcards to see how the view has changed. This postcard was published by “The R. A. P. Co. Ltd. London. EC4.” It’s unposted but I believe it’s from between …
I purchased a guidebook for the Welsh Folk Museum at St Fagans from an online store as the description mentioned Castell Coch. There was no other information but I was intrigued and it wasn’t very expensive. It turned out to be this charming little pamphlet for Caerphilly Castle and Castell Coch. The guide was produced …
Castell Coch rises from the forest and overlooks the River Taff. The sky is reflected in the water, creating a glassy surface with gentle ripples. I pass this spot regularly and have formed a habit of capturing the view whenever I can. Sometimes it’s grey and foggy so I may not take a photo. Occasionally …
Cardiff illustrator Sue Shields produced a series of illustrations that were featured on Cadw gifts in the late 1980s and early 1990s. I purchased a beautiful plate recently and got in touch with Sue to find out how she got involved in this project. Tea Towel Sue sent me this image of a tea towel …
I shared some aerial photos of the Taff Valley by Terence Soames earlier in the year. One of the photos was this spectacular shot of the Walnut Tree Viaduct and Castell Coch, which was taken in 1957. Terence Soames was an aerial photographer and worked for H. Tempest (Cardiff) Ltd in the 1950s. The main …
I have several postcards that use the same image so I thought I would research an interesting series of cards posted between 1905 and 1910. All three postcards were produced by Blum & Degen, who produced millions of cards between 1895 and 1908. The first two postcards are later versions of the first “divided backs”, …
