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Caldicot Castle

Caldicot, Monmouthshire

Featured Location Guide

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.

 

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:-

  • A finely manicured courtyard with  a canon looking directly at you and a formal garden to your left.

  • 3 towers to explore, one of which you can climb and get some aerial views of the site

  • The building which contained some of the apartments, which also houses a small gift shop

  • You can also walk along some of the curtain wall.

  • 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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Further information Grid

 

Location:

Caldicot Castle, Monmouthshire

Ceremonial County: Monmouthshire

Grid Reference:

ST487885

Map Link:

Multimap

Aerial photo: Multimap Aerial       Google Aerial 

Route(s):

 

Best Times to Visit:

 

E-mail:

caldicotcastle@monmouthshire.gov.uk

Website:

www.caldicotcastle.co.uk

Other useful websites:

Castles of Wales

Wiki

ecastles.co.uk

Nearby Locations:  
Other Relevant pages:

Caldicot Castle

Castles of Wales

How to photograph a castle

 

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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:

 

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:

 

Other Restrictions:  
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:  
Dogs Allowed: Welcome, but must be kept on lead and supervised in the castle

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 wise to double check the current information, websites like magazines may be correct at the time the information is written, but things change and it is of course impossible to double check all entries on a regular basis. If you have any good photographs that you feel would improve the illustration of this page then please let us have copies. In referring to this page it is helpful if you quote both the Page Ref and Classification from the Grids above. To print the planning grid select it then right click and print the selected area.

Please submit information on locations you discover so that this system continues to grow.

 


By: Tracey Park Section: Castles Key:
Page Ref: caldicot Topic: Castles Last Updated: 03/2009

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