CASTLEHUNTING 20 - CASTELL CAS-GWENT

 

Cadw site:- Castell Cas-Gwent

Wiki site:- Castell Cas-Gwent

From Cadw:-

The stones of this magnificent clifftop fortress trace 900 years of history

Beautifully preserved Chepstow Castle stretches out along a limestone cliff above the River Wye like a history lesson in stone.

There’s no better place in Britain to see how castles gradually evolved to cope with ever more destructive weaponry – and the grandiose ambitions of their owners. For more than six centuries Chepstow was home to some of the wealthiest and most powerful men of the medieval and Tudor ages.

Building was started in 1067 by Earl William fitz Osbern, close friend of William the Conqueror, making it one of the first Norman strongholds in Wales. In turn William Marshal (Earl of Pembroke), Roger Bigod (Earl of Norfolk) and Charles Somerset (Earl of Worcester) all made their mark before the castle declined after the Civil War.

Stunning Castle, stunning location again. The size of the site is impressive, perched on a river cliff commanding the entrance to the River Wye. The Norman Keep in the centre of the castle is remeniscent of the Tower of London & Rochester castle.