Castell Coch in Cardiff

After I arrived at UK, I wrote e-mail to all my friends here. Last week, I got an e-mail from one of my friends, Mr. Ian Hume, he inviated me to visit him. Yesterday, I left for Cardiff from Bedford. It is not a easy way to there. Ian adviced me to go to Nottingham first, and then change to another train to Cardiff.

Originally, I thought it would be easy for me. Actually, it was not. I caught a train to Nottingham, But I could not find Nottingham Stop form the Notice system in the train. I asked for one of my neighbours, He told me you have to change another train from Leicester. I got off and took the train to Nottingham at Leicester. After I arrived at Nottingham, I found that the train was a little bit late than its’ plan. I worried about my friend who will kick me up at Cardiff Station.

When I arrived at Cardiff Central Station, Mr. Ian, My friend was waiting for me there. He picked me up and when we arrived at his home, it was about 20 o’clock.His wife, Ros was expecting for us. She cooked for me and it was great British food absolutely. Ian and I drinked a lot of beer.

This morning, Mr. Hume and Mrs. Hume take me to visit Castell Coch, it is situated  in South Glamorgan, not too far northwest of Cardiff near the town of Tongwynlais, the Marquis used his fortune and his association with William Burges, one of the most creative and skilled architects of his time, to create what is indeed a fairy-tale come true.

      

The castle was probably founded by a Welsh lord in c1240-65 and had a round tower keep at the SW corner of a tiny D-shaped courtyard with a hall on the south side, all built of rough rubble sandstone from which the building took the name Castell Coch, or "Red Castle." It stands upon a platform commanding the gorge of the Taff and was protected towards the higher ground by a deep dry moat from the bottom of which the walls rise with a very broadly battered base. The keep contained vaulted rooms, and probably had a fourth storey and a conical roof like it has now. The walls are over 3.3m thick above the square battered base from which it rises with pyramidal spurs.

The two eastern towers, the square gatehouse between them, and the upper hall on the south side were superior ashlar faced buildings added slightly later, perhaps by Gilbert de Clare, who is likely to have taken over the castle in the 1270s or 1280s. These works were more damaged than the older part and not much survived of the towers above the rooms at courtyard level. The curtain wall also thickened at the second building period and now has two fighting galleries, a series of embrasures at courtyard level, and a roofed over wall walk open to the court on the inner side.

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