Caerphilly Castle

Caerphilly Castle is built on the principle of concentric fortifications, with an inner ward and middle ward surrounded by a moat, dams, two great lakes and outer defences. The inner and middle wards are rectangular in plan with round angle towers and large twin-towered gatehouses to the east and west. An outer gatehouse to the east forms the main entrance and is flanked by fortifications along the north and south dams. The massive battlemented walls are mainly constructed of local pennant sandstone, with some red sandstone and blue lias limestone. The doorways have shallow pointed arches, and the original structures have trefoil-headed lancet windows and arrow slits with small circles at the base. Dressings are of Sutton stone and the style of mouldings can be related to the chronological development of the castle. The only exception is Despenser's great hall where the dressings are of Jurassic limestone from Bristol.

The Inner Ward

The inner ward is an open courtyard with a well in the centre. The great hall and chambers are to the south, gatehouses to the east and west, and a wall-walk to the north. The great hall is the most highly embellished of all the structures in the castle. The exterior wall, facing into the courtyard, has been refaced in ashlar. It contains two pairs of tall two-light windows with pointed ogee heads and a doorway to the left. Inside the hall, the arched brace roof is late 19th century. The trusses are supported on the early 14th-century corbels which consist of three long filleted shafts, with bell capitals and stops depicting three heads (the King and his courtiers). The corbels and recesses of an earlier roof structure also survive: the corbels are short with roll mouldings. The window reveals are decorated with 14th-century ball flower ornament. Between the two pairs of windows is a large fireplace but the dressings are missing. The east, south, and north walls contain blocked openings showing that the hall was altered in the 13th to 14th centuries. To the south of the hall at a high level is a covered vaulted passage (known as the Braose passage) which was originally open. A large infilled archway in the east wall now contains a doorway into a late 20th-century kitchen. A doorway to its left is original and leads to a room with two large fireplaces. To the west, a doorway with broach stops to the jambs leads into two large ruined chambers, also much altered: the chambers are irregular in shape, over two storeys high, roofless and contain the remains of domestic fireplaces. Tall windows face into the courtyard, mainly ruined, one with the remains of a traceried head in a grey stone dressing.

The east gatehouse forms the main entrance to the inner ward and is the most strongly defended structure in the castle. It is a three-storey block flanked by projecting round towers (the outer face rebuilt in early 20th century). Central pointed-arched entrance with chamfered dressed jambs. The towers have arrow slits at five levels. Small projections to north and south housing doorways leading to wall-walks. Above and flanking the inner doorway, and also to the exterior, are small trefoil-headed lancets. Two large windows to interior second floor, each with two trefoiled lights and a quatrefoil. The upper floors of the gatehouse are thought to have been the private apartments of Gilbert de Clare's constable. The second floor is continuous across the gatehouse and has a large fireplace with raked hood on corbels against the west wall. The floor does not survive. Side chamber with quadripartite vault and heavy chamfered ribs.

The inner west gatehouse is smaller than the inner east gatehouse but in similar style. It is two-storey with projecting round towers to the exterior and a flat wall to the interior (east) side. The entrance is flanked by two low doorways to the interior side, most of the dressings 20th century, which provide access to the towers. Two large ruined windows under relieving arches to upper storey. The towers have arrow slits at four levels. The lower chambers are vaulted, with heavy ribs supported on bell-shaped capitals. The first floor of the gatehouse is open, and has concrete beams on concrete corbels in place of the ceiling. Remains of stairs in north tower.

Of the angle-towers of the inner ward, the northwest and southwest towers stand full-height but were reconstructed in the early 20th century. They have lancets and arrow slits as in the gatehouses. The upper two floors of each tower contained accommodation, whilst the lower floor was for defence purposes and storage. The northwest tower has mural stairs to the right of the entrance and a garderobe to the left. The window openings have wide internal splays, shallow pointed heads and occasional window seats. The second floor has a large ornate fireplace with square head and raked hood, partly reconstructed. The first floor fireplace is plainer with a flat lintel. The southwest tower has lost its floors but an opening leads to the Braose gallery which runs behind the great hall and on to the southeast tower. The southeast tower is ruined (though part stands full height), and leans outwards at an angle of about ten degrees. It was not restored by the Bute family so is important for retaining original detail. Very little survives of the northeast tower: part of a staircase, the bottom of a window opening, and the base of a door jamb with pyramid stop. A wall-walk runs along the north side of the inner ward and is battlemented with arrow loops. Timber hoarding was reconstructed in the 1990s. Small postern gate in outside of wall at low level.

The Middle Ward

The curtain wall of the middle ward is lower than that of the inner ward. It has bastions in place of angle towers, on which there is a wall-walk. There are gatehouses to the east and west, smaller but similar in style to those of the inner ward. The two-storey east gatehouse is ruined. The front elevation with projecting round towers survives, but the rear wall (added later) is ruined. Adjoining to the north is a square projection allowing access to the wall-walk; lancets appear to have replaced arrow slits. The west gatehouse has original projecting round towers with arrow slits. The entrance, containing double doors, is within a flat-headed surround, the cornice supported on corbels. Above is a high relieving arch over two windows with shallow pointed heads. The internal face of the gatehouse (also later) is ruined, but the towers retain parts of windows at ground floor level, and a fireplace in one of the upper chambers. (It is said that this area was remodelled in the 16th century by the Earl of Pembroke for his Manorial Court.) The wall-walk flanking the gatehouse has been incorporated within later buildings, particularly to the north. The south side of the middle ward was blocked, at the outbreak of war between Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and Edward I, by a large square kitchen annexe which butts against the great hall. To its west is a large ruined round tower with south window, beyond which is a postern, a narrow rectangular block with a low doorway entered from the lake and two further openings above. Against the east side of the kitchen block is a circular oven, possibly the remains of a brewhouse. South of the east gatehouse in the middle ward is the remains of a very large structure, probably a storeroom. The basement survives with the raked sills of two windows.

Outer Defences

A moat surrounds the middle ward to the east, north and west, wooden bridges on stone abutments spanning it to the east and west. There is a small postern gate at a low level in the north wall, providing access from the moat. To the south is the south lake. To the north of the moat is an earthwork dam, beyond which is the north lake. West of the moat is a hornwork of irregular shape, an earthwork surrounded by a low masonry wall. It is an island, being linked to the ground to the west and the earthwork dam by further wooden bridges. Both lakes are retained to the east by masonry dams known as the south and north dam platforms. In front of the dams is the outer east moat. Much of the south dam platform belongs to the original phase of the structure, whilst the outer main gatehouse and north dam platform are slightly later, but pre-date the death of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in 1282.

The two-storey outer main gatehouse, partially rebuilt in the early 20th century, has twin polygonal towers on square bases with pyramidal spurs. They flank the pointed arched entrance which is under a high blind arch. The rear wall is flat, and there is a higher block to the north which provides access to the north dam platform, resulting in an L-shaped plan. The form of the arrow loops is new: cross-shaped with the arms terminating in small circles. On the internal wall above the gateway is a window with two trefoil-headed lights and a large transom. The interior of the outer main gatehouse was used for accommodation: the north block contains a spiral staircase and possibly servants quarters; the first floor chamber has a fireplace with recess and what appears to be a squint. The second floor chamber no longer has floor boards but there is a door leading to the main chamber over the gatehouse. This has a large fireplace to the west and pointed arched doorways with pyramid stops.

The north dam is in the same style as the outer main gatehouse: three small polygonal towers on square bases and cross-shaped arrow loops to the front face, internally with wide splayed reveals. The dam has been raised and is terminated by the north gatehouse (the cavalry entrance). It is in the same style but has lost most of its arches and dressings.

The south dam is wider than the north dam and in a different style, being part of the original phase. Its substantial outer wall is retained by closely-spaced thin square buttresses with splayed bases; the recesses between are concave. Much fabric reconstructed in the early 20th century, but these areas differentiated by red tile in the infill. Internally, a small turret leads onto the wall-walk, which is terminated at the south end by a small square tower, Felton's tower. This overlies the former culvert which drained water from the south lake to the outer moat (now realigned to the north). The outer wall curves round to the southwest where there is a further small rounded tower, the internal wall of which is later, with moulded jambs and pyramid stops to the doorway, and a two-light window to the upper storey. Further round, and facing west is the south gatehouse which led into the town. It was rebuilt or repaired in the late 13th century, but is mainly 20th century, with cross-shaped arrow loops to the exterior round towers. High blind arch above entrance. Flat internal wall with lancets plus a larger window with transom above the gateway. On the south dam platform are the remains of the former corn mill: the head and tail races are still visible but the wheel pit (for an overshot wheel) has been infilled. A room to the north was used for preparing the corn and stands to less than one storey high, with the raked sill of a former window.