Castell Coch

Castell Coch is the roofless ruin of a substantial first-floor hall, dating to the medieval period. The building runs east to west, measuring approximately 23 meters long by 11 meters wide. The exterior walls remain largely complete, although carved stone has been lost from some doors and windows. The walls are constructed of informally coursed hammer-dressed limestone, approximately 1.5 meters thick. A main entrance was originally located in the south wall. The building is divided by a later cross-wall near the east end. The site is heavily overgrown.

The south elevation features a corner tower on the left. The main hall storey has a sequence of a lancet window, a tall window, a later first-floor entrance added after the insertion of the cross-wall, and another lancet window. Below, in the undercroft storey, there is a slit window, the main undercroft doorway, and another slit window.

The north elevation, hall storey, has a pair of low pointed-headed windows, a tall window, and a doorway at the right, likely accessed by a lost external staircase once against the north wall. On the undercroft level are a narrow low window at left, an irregular breach which may have been a doorway, another narrow low window, and a small doorway near the corner.

Only part of the east gable remains damaged, while the west gable has a tall window in the hall storey. The hall was lit by three tall windows – one on the north side, one on the south side, and one on the west side.

Both the undercroft and the hall are of considerable height. A staircase is located in the southwest corner turret, leading to a high lookout point. It is uncertain if this staircase connected to the undercroft. Beam-holes for the hall floor are spaced approximately 1.4 meters apart in the north and south walls. The reveal of the main south doorway to the undercroft shows rebates for a door and bar holes.

The later cross-wall obstructs some window openings and is not bonded into the side walls. Notably, there is no visible way to move between the two halves of the building. On the west side of the cross-wall are two fireplaces serving the hall storey and a central fireplace in the undercroft; there are no fireplaces on the east side, suggesting this area was excluded from domestic use. Four high-level beam-holes indicate the later presence of a gallery at the east end of the larger hall portion. This cross-wall stands to full height and establishes a roof pitch of 45 degrees.

The site is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, designated as no. Pe 53.