Caldicot Castle
Caldicot, Monmouthshire
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Featured Location Guide
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Caldicot is an extensive stone medieval castle.
It was at one time in the possession of Thomas of Woodstock, a son of King
Edward III of England. It is set in 55 acres of country park with gardens and a
wood. The river Neddern winds its way through areas of the woodland and pasture
and the wildlife pond has a pond-dipping station. The park itself is a good
setting for picnics and walks against the backdrop of the medieval castle walls,
with picnic tables and barbecue hearths on site.
A little bit of
history
It was built on a site
that had been long recognised for it's strategic value. The Romans made use of
the area and Caldicot stood on the Via Julia road to the roman town of Caerwent.
Caldicot's placement near the Bristol Channel allowed observation of the comings
and goings of ship traffic and eased transport of supplies to the site. Its
useful location was recognized by the Normans as early as 1086, and they built a
motte with two baileys and a deep surrounding ditch.
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In 1158 it was in the hands of the De Bohun
family, 3rd Earl of Hereford and they were responsible for building the stone
keep and curtain walls that remain today. Thomas of Woodstock took possession
when he married one of the de Bohun family in 1376. On King Edward III death it
passed to King Richard II when Thomas was kidnapped and murdered and his
property confiscated to the crown. Later it became part of the Duchy of
Lancaster and later granted into the stewardship of the Herbert family for much
of the 15th century, and then leased to the Somersets in the 16th century.
Eventually it was neglected and fell into ruin until in 1857 it was sold and
then sold again in 1885 to Joseph Cobb, who then began to restore the castle
into his family home. From the 1940's to 1960's the current owners opened up the
castle to young married couples and families who rented furnished apartments in
three of the towers and parts of the gatehouse. It remained in the Cobb family
until 1964 when it was sold to Chepstow Rural District Council for £12,000 and
in 1965 it was opened to the public.
What is there From the car park you can walk all around the
outside of the castle walls, for FREE this is part of the country park.
Over a wooden bridge and through the large
gatehouse, which can be hired for medieval banquets, behind the curtain walls
you will find:-
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A
finely manicured courtyard with a canon looking directly at you and a
formal garden to your left.
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3
towers to explore, one of which you can climb and get some aerial views of the
site
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The
building which contained some of the apartments, which also houses a small gift
shop
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You can
also walk along some of the curtain wall.
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Chequer
Boards for playing outdoor chess.
Events and Activities
There is always a wide programme of events and
activities taking place at Caldicot, some of which appear from time to time in
our photographers diary. Such events as St David's Day Open Day - a one day
opening with FREE admission, Opera, St George's Weekend Medieval Tournament,
activity trails; Carnival Spring Fair; workshops; concerts; medieval tournaments
and events; open air theatres; Easter, Halloween, firework and Christmas events
as well.
The great gatehouse is home to popular medieval
banquets, a lavish and appropriate setting for such whimsical entertainment,
within the castle walls there are chequer boards set out for play chess or
draughts with large playing pieces.
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Click on the small images
to see larger versions
Use this link to see the photo gallery showing more images for this
location.
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Planning Grid
Location: |
Caldicot Castle, Monmouthshire |
Grid Reference: |
ST487885 |
Getting there: |
J23a from M4 and then the B4245 to Caldicot.
Sign posted from here |
Access: |
They have various events and activities taking
place throughout the year. |
Parking: |
Free parking on site for cars and coaches |
Facilities: |
Gift shop; Tea room; Tourist Information
point; Toilets inside castle; seating in grounds and towers. |
Things To Do,
See and Photograph: |
Castle, River views and castle and country
park grounds |
What to take: |
wide angle lens for exterior shots. |
Nature highlights: |
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Address: |
Caldicot Castle,
Church Road,
Caldicot
Monmouthshire |
Postcode: |
NP26 4HU |
Telephone: |
01291 420241 |
Opening times: |
Castle: 1st April - 31st October 11am-5pm
Country Park: All year |
Charges: |
Country Park: Free to all
Castle: Free entry to local residents with Museum Pass, available from
castle or local libraries with proof of local address.
Castle: Adult £3.75; Child (5-17) and
concessions £2.50;
Family (2+3) £12; Season tickets also available |
Photo Restrictions: |
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Other Restrictions: |
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Special Needs Access: |
Castle lawns level access with areas of paving
and hard standing. Towers have spiral staircase and some doorways are
narrow. |
Special Needs Facilities: |
Toilets in car park uses RADAR key. If you
don't have one available from castle reception during opening hours. |
Children Facilities: |
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Dogs Allowed: |
Welcome, but must be kept on lead and
supervised in the castle |
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Please let us know any other information that we
can add to the Further information and Planning Grids or page and any errors that you discover. Before making a long trip to any location it is always
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