I went for a walk up to the castle this morning and just happened to witness the removal of the fairy-tale banner. The top corners had been unfastened and I waited for a while until the centre section was carefully lowered. Staff used ropes to pull the covering onto the grass in front of the …
Castell Coch contains ten stained glass windows that were originally housed in a wooden chapel. This part of the castle was demolished but the glass panels are now on display in the Well Tower. One of the stained glass windows depicts the patron saint of Wales, St David. He’s shown standing on a hill with …
George William Manby was an English inventor who toured south Wales in the early 1800s and documented his travels. He’s credited with inventing the “Manby Mortar” and an early type of fire extinguisher. George William Manby George William Manby (28 November 1765 – 18 November 1854) is most famous for his invention that was used …
I purchased the article, “Great Houses – A Welsh Fantasy” by Ursula Robertshaw a few years. It was just a cutting from the magazine and it sat in my collection waiting to be published. I stumbled across an image of the front cover a few years later and hoped I’d find the full issue on …
If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know I love Lego! A few months ago I was inspired to illustrate a Lego Minifigure. I quickly got carried away and decided to see if I could design a Minifig based around Castell Coch. I started with Lady Bute. After finishing this first illustration, I knew I was …
I have a few postcards that feature a view of Castell Coch by photographer Martin John Ridley (1861-1936). This example was written in 1917 but not posted. The original photo is thought to be from 1905. I have another postcard using this image that was sent in 1908. The postcard is titled, “Castle Coch, Taffs …
This is my first blog post looking back at the history of CastellCoch.com. I’m proud to have reached this milestone and want to share some of my favourite posts. I’ve been writing about Castell Coch for over 13 years. It’s such a unique and beloved Welsh landmark, but I was always concerned people wouldn’t find …
John Crichton-Stuart, the 3rd Marquess of Bute (1847 – 1900), was simply known as Lord Bute. The Bute family played an important part in Cardiff’s modern history and Lord Bute was the driving force behind the reconstruction of Castell Coch. The young Bute inherited a vast fortune as was, perhaps, the richest man in the …
I published a blog post in 2021 about the Castell Coch guidebooks from 1957 to 1975. I didn’t have the original version from 1954 at the time. The original guide was written by Peter Floud, C.B.E. (1911 – 1960), who was the Keeper of Circulation at the Victoria and Albert Museum. State Guardianship After Lord …
After digging through my collection for 1980s memorabilia back in 2022, I’ve gone back to see what I have from the 1990s. I’m fascinated by the very early history of the castle but I also love more recent history (yes, I know the 90s were 30 years ago!) I have a selection of guidebooks, leaflets, …
