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”, …
Castell Coch is famous for its spectacular interiors. I’ve decided to illustrate the stencils, murals and patterns that decorate Cardiff’s iconic Gothic Revival landmark. This tile can be found in the fireplace of the drawing room. This pattern is from the Castell Coch exhibit, which was designed by Glyn Parry-Jones. The exhibit was created in …
Cyfrinach Castell Coch is a children’s book written by Catrin Dafydd and illustrated by James Field.
“There is an old secret behind the walls of Castell Coch, and Chloe and Sam are under great pressure to ensure that the castle is not destroyed.”
Castell Coch was featured in Country Life magazine 60 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 earlier this month. Girouard went on to become an …
There are lots of postcards with aerial photos of the castle in my collection and this is one of my favourites. The company who produced the image have a huge collection of photos available to view on Amgueddfa Cymru’s website. Scaffolding has been erected on the curtain wall and it looks like roof tiles were …
This image of Castell Coch is from Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales. The photograph is mounted on card along with shots of a T.V.R. Converted Bristol Class locomotive and Barmouth Bridge under Cader Idris. The photographs aren’t dated unfortunately. After some quick research of Barmouth Bridge though, it turns out the drawbridge in the …
I was sorting through my collection recently and noticed quite a few pieces from the 1980s. Hopefully these items will bring back memories of school trips and visits during this decade.
