Coch Castle is essentially the fulfillment of the romantic dreams of wealthy Cardiff businessman John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute.

In the 19th century, the British Isles saw a surge in the popularity of medieval-style architecture. Anyone who could afford it would buy or build themselves a castle. Wales has no shortage of castles, but not all of them are fit for living in. After all, who would want to bring their family into the cold, austere interiors of a medieval fortress?

And so, a wealthy man named John—whose family had made its fortune in the coal trade during the Industrial Revolution and, for a time, was among the richest in the world—decided he wanted a castle of his own. At first, he planned to purchase a gloomy stronghold located right in the heart of Cardiff, but he was refused this honour. Cardiff Castle, after all, is a symbol of Wales and its greatest attraction. In the article below, I will tell you the story of Coch Castle and its residents.

Coch Castle in a new romantic form

John was not particularly troubled by the refusal and contented himself with the small yet charmingly located Castell Coch, which had come into the Stuart family’s possession several decades earlier along with the estate of John’s grandfather’s wife — Lady Charlotte Windsor… yes, indeed, from those Windsors, the very same family that still reigns over the United Kingdom today. At that time, Castell Coch was far from being in good condition — in fact, all that remained of the old structure were ruins, foundations, and dungeons. Of course, this mattered little; with the Stuarts’ fortune, they could have built many such castles and connected them all with an underground railway.

Once the decision to rebuild was made, work began in earnest. The hired architects, together with the best builders available at the time, set to the task. Using his influence, John Stuart — the third marquess in the family line — secured the services of engineer John McConnochie, who had been working on Cardiff Castle. It was McConnochie who planned the entire reconstruction of Cach Castle, while the family’s friend, the architect William Burges, took care of the construction details and design.

Since the castle was in complete ruin, all plans and works were based on medieval accounts. The publications of the well-known Welsh antiquarian and passionate medieval scholar George Clark also proved useful. He described the presumed appearance of the original castle as an exceptionally beautiful structure adorned with soaring towers. Although historians believe this vision to be inaccurate, it appealed greatly to Stuart — and so the project moved forward in that very direction.

Cach Castle — is it still a castle or a family villa?

Castell Coch in Wales.

From the moment construction began in 1860, a dilemma arose: should the final result still be a medieval castle, or should it be the family home John had envisioned? Finally, it was decided to preserve both ideas and combine them in a clever yet practical way. Apart from the interior decorations, the entire structure was completed in 1879. The work would have been finished much sooner, but a few years earlier one of the Stuarts’ business rivals had spread a rumour about the family’s bankruptcy, causing construction to be halted for some time.

The completed building consisted of a kitchen tower, a large great hall, a defensive tower, a gatehouse with a portcullis and a drawbridge, as well as a tower with bedrooms. In my opinion, the vision of a medieval castle that could also serve as a summer family residence was successfully realised. The kitchen tower, as one might guess, housed the kitchen and a charming sitting room. This section of the castle, together with another tower called the Keep Tower, provided structural support for the main part of the residence. The Hall Block contained utility rooms on the ground floor and a spacious main hall on the upper floor.

Attached to the Keep Tower was the gatehouse, which formed the entrance to the castle. In front of the gate, a moat was dug — now completely dry — spanned by a drawbridge. On the upper floor of the gatehouse was the mechanism for raising the bridge and lowering the portcullis. The entire mechanism is still in working order, and occasionally, if you are lucky, you can see it in action. We, unfortunately, were not so lucky and had to take our guide’s word for it.

Cach Castle Tour

Castell Coch in Wales.

Visiting Castell Coch is a pleasant and enjoyable experience. First, you purchase your ticket at the counter and pick up an electronic guide, which, once you enter the castle’s rooms, begins to narrate its history in the warm voice of an experienced storyteller. Thanks to the information provided, you’ll learn which parts of the castle date back to the Norman invasion, which were built in the medieval period, and which were restored in the 19th century. Moving around the building is easy, thanks to arrows placed at every turn. These signs lead you to the most important parts of the castle — its rooms, towers, and underground chambers. In more interesting spots, you’ll also find additional information displayed on the stone walls.

On the upper floor, a gallery runs around the castle’s courtyard, allowing you to move between the towers and buildings without having to go down to the ground level. This was quite convenient for those who once lived here, especially since the castle is not huge, and the walk from a bedroom to the dining room or kitchen was just a short stroll. Cach Castle is exceptionally well maintained and spotlessly clean. Everything gleams with fresh paint and smells faintly of cleaning products. During our visit, there was almost always someone nearby sweeping or washing something.

The rooms are also well furnished, without the empty, echoing spaces so often found in other castles. The decorations are colourful and full of symbolism, as you’ll learn from the guide. One example is the carved wooden panelling in one of the halls, featuring floral motifs based on plants favoured by the wife of John Crichton-Stuart. Elsewhere, brightly painted butterflies on the wall were meant to delight the children who came to the castle for the summer. Many stories and legends, set in and around the fortress, were created especially for these young visitors.

In addition, the castle houses a chapel, an old wine cellar, and a viewing terrace offering panoramic views of the surrounding forest. Unfortunately, the busy A470 road that brought you here is also clearly visible. However, if you manage to ignore the noise of the cars rushing below and focus instead on the surrounding woodland and the nearby River Taff, you will feel the true magic of this unusual, yet beautiful and fascinating stronghold.

The history and origins of Cach Castle

Castell Coch in Wales.

Now it’s time to say a few words about the real Cach Castle — not the fairy-tale castle posing for photos like some Instagram diva. Long before John Stuart decided to spend a bit of the family fortune, another castle stood here — cold, grim, and built for one purpose: to defend the route leading from Cardiff deep into the hostile, warrior-filled heart of Wales.

When the Normans conquered England, they marched northwest into mysterious Wales. There they encountered warriors so fierce and relentless that they called them Mad Demons. Eventually, the Normans managed to cross the River Severn and establish a few footholds on Welsh soil. Even so, they were constantly being thrashed by sudden hordes of wild fighters appearing out of nowhere. To counter this, they began building castles — such as the one in Chepstow, and later Harlech in the north.

After securing the coastline of what is now the Bristol Channel, they needed fortifications to protect the routes leading inland. Castell Coch was one such border castle. Unfortunately, no detailed historical records about this small fortress have survived. In the Middle Ages, after numerous reconstructions, burnings, and failed sieges, Castell Coch became the stuff of local legend — and, in the absence of documents, a legend it remains.

It is assumed the castle was built around 1081, at the very start of the Norman invasion of Wales. It was roughly circular, 35 metres in diameter, reinforced with towers and a several-metre-high curtain wall. Its main defensive advantage, however, came from the steep cliffs surrounding it. The Welsh have a different take on the castle’s origins: they claim their ancestors built the first stronghold here, and that the Norman forces captured it while drowning in their blood. But, as history is written by the victors, we’ll accept the Norman version.

According to surviving documents, in the Middle Ages Castell Coch changed hands several times — and not always peacefully. Over time, as Norman control solidified and the Welsh were decimated and driven into the remotest mountains of the north, the fortress’s strategic role diminished, and eventually, it lost its importance altogether.

The Legend of Cach Castle in Wales

Warriors and knights AI.

Like every castle in the world, Cach Castle has its share of legends. Here, there are quite a few — most of them meant for children. But there are also stories and tales dating back so far into the past that nothing remains of them except the legends themselves. In old Norman chronicles, I came across the story of one Welsh prince who fought against the English invaders almost exactly a thousand years ago.

In the waning years of the eleventh century, the land of Cymru lay steeped in blood and sorrow, for the war between the steel-clad knights from across the sea and the free sons of Wales raged fierce and unending. And as all wars breed cruelty, so it was that the harder the Welsh stood their ground, the more savage grew the hearts of the invaders, who took their vengeance not upon warriors, but upon the humble folk of the valleys.

It is told that after a grievous defeat upon the field, the surviving Norman host marched deeper into Wales, burning and pillaging as they went. In one fair village, they came upon a noble company bound for Cardiff, seeking parley and peace with the strangers. Yet the knights, their hearts hardened as iron, heeded not the envoys’ words, but struck them down with sword and spear, leaving none alive.

When tidings of this treachery reached a young prince of Wales, fierce in spirit and unyielding in honour, wrath took him as fire takes the dry grass. He swore before the gods and his ancestors that he would visit ruin upon the butchers, though it cost him his very life.

And so it came to pass that one day, the gatekeepers of Castell Coch beheld a lone figure before their gate, claiming to be a local lord seeking refuge. But the garrison, peering close, knew his face well — for this was the prince who had long plagued them with cunning and daring, a thorn in their side and a shadow in their dreams. Without word or mercy, they bound him in chains and cast him into the blackness of the dungeon.

There the knights came oft to torment him, each man eager for the pride of striking the prince with his own hand. Yet he wept not, nor begged, nor bent his head in shame. Instead, he laughed, loud and long, until the stones rang with the sound, so that the men of the castle thought him struck with madness.

But the truth was darker still. Before he had come to Castell Coch, the prince had journeyed to a small isle off the western shore, where a dread sickness — unseen before by mortal eyes — had struck down nearly all who dwelt there. The dead lay thick upon the ground, and the air was heavy with the stench of plague. There, the prince tarried, and to be certain of his doom, he smeared his raiment with the blood of the fallen.

Thus did he come before the gates of Castell Coch, bearing death in his very breath. And it is written in the old chronicles that within a month of his capture, not a single soul of the garrison remained alive. The pestilence took them in torment beyond telling, and the land round about was set under a year’s watch, so great was the fear of the curse. Men say their suffering was so great that their cries carried on the wind to Cardiff itself, and that the foulness of their passing filled the moat to the brim with filth.

So it was that the young prince won his vengeance, though he paid for it with his life. And even now, when the moon rides high and the wind sweeps cold through the trees, folk say the screams of the dying can yet be heard upon the air — and some, though few dare speak it, tell of a bitter stench drifting through the night, as though the curse still lingers upon the stones of Castell Coch.

Cach Castle in Wales information and interesting facts

Castell Coch in Wales.
  • Cach Castle lies near Tongynlais and Taffs Well, west of Cardiff. As you take junction 32 off the M4 motorway and turn onto the A470, you’ll see the castle in the distance, beautifully nestled into a wooded hillside.
  • Opening hours: from 9:30 to 10:00 or 9:30 to 18:00 in the summer.
  • Ticket prices: around £9. *Please note that prices may change at any time, so please take the above as a guide and not a guarantee.
  • The first castle, on whose foundations Cach Castle was rebuilt, was likely built in 1081. Unfortunately, no documents or records of this event survive. The castle was first mentioned in chronicles over 200 years later.
  • The castle was rebuilt in the Gothic style.
  • The original castle and its garrison were tasked with defending the routes leading from Cardiff into Wales, as well as the entire Taff Valley.
  • Rebuilding the castle began in 1860 and continued until 1879.
  • The stronghold was rebuilt according to the idea of what a medieval castle should look like. Historians point out many flaws that, while embellishing the building and making it more attractive, are inconsistent with the original design.
  • The castle was built as a summer residence for the Stuart family.
  • John Stuart, who began the renovation, died the same year the project was completed. Doctors claimed the cause was a severe cold he had contracted while living within the castle’s underheated walls.
  • The castle was not only meticulously rebuilt but also furnished with replicas of the furniture and ornaments that might have adorned the original structure.
  • Despite earlier plans, the castle was rarely inhabited, and after John’s death and the family took over the building, visitors were only sporadic.
  • In 1920, another Stuart established a winery in the castle, fermenting grapes from the Welsh mountains. The wine was not of the highest quality, but it found its admirers.
  • In 1950, the castle and all its furnishings were transferred to the state. The owners took with them only family portraits.
  • After the castle was taken over by state institutions, most of the paintings and furniture were donated to Cardiff Castle and several museums across Wales.
  • In 1984, the Welsh organization dedicated to the preservation of national monuments, Cadw, took over ownership of the castle. Cach Castle opened to the public shortly thereafter.
  • Today, Cach Castle is one of the most frequently visited monuments in Wales.