"Chepstow Castle - walking tour" Topic

The latest in my series about British castles, Chepstow contains the construction work of William Marshall, Roger Bigod and others. It is now in the care of CADW.

My film here:
YouTube link

The inner Great Tower may be one of the earliest stone keeps in the UK, being started in 1067 by William Fitzosbern. It has a large decorated Norman tympanium in the Great Tower and includes recycled Roman brick and tile. The preserved wooden gate is said to be the oldest surviving mortice and tenon joints in Britain (mid 14th century).

Chepstow was twice besieged in the English Civil War and was breached and badly damaged. The breach was rebuilt in the 1660s and sealed with a double wall and earth infill.

Part of the Terry Gilliam movie Jabberwocky was filmed here in 1977 and it has appeared in the TV series Robin of Sherwood.

Full history here:
link

Very nice tour, as always. Another interesting castle we missed on our "Grand Tour." I'm particularly interested in the ECW aspects after seeing so many beautiful castles "slighted"
by the Parliamentarians and not rebuilt. Thank you.

@Shagnasty:
Thank you!
This one was re-occupied in the 1660s. The breach in the medieval wall was rebuilt and buttressed on the outside and – as you can see at 15:30 – an inner wall was added to the breach and the gap infilled with rubble. A gunport/embrasure was also added for return fire.
When we eventually get to Raglan Castle you will see a 1450s castle built for handguns and light artillery which was seriously slighted by Parliamentary forces after they captured it. I finished the trip with Goodrich Castle in Gloucestershire which suffered the same fate.

I should be posting the still photographs from Chepstow later.

Barry

I grew up in Bristol and someone's mum or dad piling a bunch of us into a car for a day at Chepstow Castle was a regular feature of summer holidays when I was a boy. Definitely one of my favourite castles.

@Frothers:
Thank you!

B

As promised above there are now 18 still photos here:

link

These include parts of the upper barbican and the English Civil War damage which did not make the cut in the film. The lady in the ticket office also let me photograph the huge brass key with which she locks up each night.

Barry

Chepstow is the 2nd closest castle to me the first being Caldicot Castle which is really worth a visit too

@Riothamus:
Chepstow is good, Caerphilly is better but I found Raglan Castle to be the best. It was built in the gunpowder era and made extensive use of gunpowder weapons, both handgonne and ultra-light artillery.

My Raglan film will come soon.

Barry