You would be hard pressed to find a more romantic, fairytale Castle than Castell Coch. Set high on a hill, peeking out from the trees, with its tall red turrets, it conjures up images of knights rescuing princesses and them living happily ever after. When I was younger I used to call it the Sleeping Beauty Castle and still do today if I’m honest. Castell Coch which means Red Castle, is on the outskirts of Cardiff and makes for a fantastic day out with the kids.
About Castell Coch
Despite being built on ancient foundations, apparently on the ruins of Gilbert de Clare’s 13th Century castle, Castell Coch is not your typical medieval castle. Instead it is the work of the flamboyant William Burgess and was created in the 19th Century.
Whilst the exterior has tried to replicate some of the characteristics of medieval castles, the interior is anything but. It is lavishly designed in Victorian Gothic style with it’s opulent ceilings, plush furnishings and flamboyant wall designs.
If Grand Designs had been around then, Kevin McCloud would no doubt have been salivating over its design. The contrast between medieval and victorian styles, all come together to create this flamboyant fairytale castle worthy of a princess. It even has a dungeon, working draw bridge and a moat.
The Castle was designed by William Burgess for the 3rd Marquess of Bute. It was essentially Butes holiday home, a rural getaway from his main residence of Cardiff Castle. What a holiday home! William Burgess was also responsible for a major renovation project at the main Cardiff Castle. If you have been to Cardiff Castle you will notice the similarly victorian and extravagant design.
Visiting Castell Coch
We visited Castell Coch with the little ones and they loved exploring the fully decorated rooms and climbing the spiral stairs of the towers.
Included in the entry price is an audio guide which was very informative and provided lots of information on the background of the build and design along with a detailed account of the stories behind each room. This was both a hit with my boys (ages 9 and 7) and with ourselves.
There was a mix of rooms, from the flamboyant drawing room and opulent Mrs Butes bedroom to the more practical kitchen and Lord Butes more humble bedroom.
The drawing room, with its vaulted ceiling decorated with butterflies and birds flying up to a starry sky is truly impressive. The walls are beautifully decorated with animals from Aesop’s fables, which were written by a slave from ancient Greece.
Lady Bute’s circular bedroom is equally as flamboyant, with a double dome ceiling and the whole design centred on ‘love’, with carved monkeys and nesting birds and the scarlet and gold bed taking centre stage. Reportedly Lord Bute found it all a bit much and thought the monkeys inappropriately “lascivious”.
In addition to the very informative audio guides there was also an exhibition room which provided lots of information on the background of the castle.
The Fairy Tale Trail
My 2 year old found the free Fairy App much more interesting and engaging than the audio guides. In every room, via your phone you were able to ‘catch’ a fairy. If you caught them all at the end you could collect your fairy stickers from the gift shop.
Our Verdict of Castell Coch
We spent a very enjoyable couple of hours venturing round the castle and the time seemed to wiz by. The kids enjoyed the whole experience too even if they didn’t quite listen or take in all of the historical information. At the end of our visit we stopped by the cosy little cafe. Here we had a decent cup of coffee, some welsh cakes and a slice of yummy Bara brith.
Castell Coch makes for a great afternoon or morning out. You could combine your visit with the nearby Fforest Fawr sculpture trail to make a full day of it.
Additional Information:
Glad you enjoyed your visit! We’ve got loads of photos, stories and information about the castle at http://castellcoch.com.
This is a lovely write up. I loved visiting Castell Coch as a child and must get around to taking the children.
We love Castell Coch and have CADW membership so we visit often. We haven’t done the fairy hunt yet (keep forgetting to download the app so doing it now!). The tea room looks lovely too, another delight we need to try .
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Yes it’s lovely isn’t it. It was our little ones first visit and they loved it 🙂
This is so informative, interesting and gorgeously photographed. I love the history behind the castle, and the castle itself is so magical. We are going to have to go back again soon and check out the cafe and the fairy trail!