It was a great pleasure for me and my friends to have an opportunity to visit Caerphilly and to have a quick look at the castle on the 18th October, 2008. Thanks to Rob and Diane for their invitation and the hospitality they have shown to us.
Caerphilly castle is in the town of Caerphilly, 7 miles (about 10 km.) north of Cardiff. It came into existence in 1268 when Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester and Hertford, began its construction on the site of an ancient Roman fort.
This massive engineering work was achieved within two decades, most of the work being done between 1268 and 1271. Gilbert de Clare erected this mighty fortress to defend his threatened territories against Llywelyn the Last, Prince of Wales.
Caerphilly Castle is the largest castle in Wales (1.2h) and the second largest in Britain after Windsor castle. It is also one of the largest fortresses in Europe.
The castle represent a high point of medieval architecture and is surrounded by shallow lakes to slow attackers and prevent tunnelling. We are really fortunate to see such a historic engineering feat of the medieval western world.
