Some carved medieval corbels in the shape of male and female heads still exist in the hall today, presumably showing the royal court of the 1320s, which included Edward II, Isabella of France, Hugh Despenser, and Eleanor of Clare. The castle chapel was located to the east of the Great Hall, over the buttery and pantry. It contains a monument to Edward II's queen consort, Elizabeth of England.
The castle also houses part of the national collection of British art, including paintings by Gainsborough, Reynolds, and Turner. There are also some interesting medieval armor items kept here.
Caerphilly Castle has been used as a residence for royalty, government officials, and prisoners since its construction in 1283. Today, it is a protected museum open to the public.
You can visit the castle but not enter any of the rooms or halls. However, there are many things to see and do from outside the castle walls including visiting the battlefield where Edward II was killed.
Caerphilly is about 45 minutes drive south-west of Cardiff on the A40 road. You can get to the castle from this route via bus tours that leave from near the main car park entrance. These cost £10 for adults, £5 for children under 16 years old. There are two tours per hour between 10:00 and 17:00 during summer months and one tour an hour between 11:00 and 17:00 in winter.
The Great Hall was the most significant chamber of a castle. This is where the entire household sat to dine at tables set up for each meal. It was where feasts were held on important occasions or when visitors arrived. In such a hall, King Arthur's Pentecost Feast is held. The Great Hall had windows on two sides. Light came into this space from above and below, allowing it to be used throughout the year. There were also doors that led out to balconies or staircases.
The Great Hall was the largest room in the castle. Here families gathered to eat, talk, celebrate events like births, marriages, and deaths. The size of the room depended on the type of castle being built. A king needed a large audience chamber for guests to come to him or her. A lord might have chosen to build his castle more privately, with less attention paid to size. However, even in small castles, the Great Hall usually had more space than other rooms in the building. This is because it served as the family's main living area, where meals were eaten, stories told, celebrations held.
Great Halls were built with an open timber frame covered in plaster or stone. The roof was often made of wood, but sometimes it was also made of metal (usually iron) or tiles. The walls would often be painted red or white to make them look nicer when no war was going on outside the castle!
On the location of the current inner bailey, their castle at Conisbrough was most likely an earthwork enclosure or ringwork capped with a timber fence and with timber dwellings within it. There was most likely an outside bailey as well. The castle would have been surrounded by a water-filled ditch which could have been filled with water to make it more defensible.
Conisbrough is a magnificent medieval fortress built around 1088 by Earl Morcar. It is one of the largest castles in North Yorkshire and has been listed as being of international importance by Historic England. The castle sits on a hill above the River Derwent with views over much of northern Yorkshire.
It was built as a replacement for another castle near here which had been destroyed by Edward III in 1327 during his campaign against the Scots. The new castle was designed by Thomas de Burgh, who also did work on Caernarfon Castle further up the coast. It was probably built using materials taken from the old Scottish castle. Work started in 1088 but wasn't finished until 1225 when it functioned as both a garrison and a court of justice. By this time, Earl Morcar was dead, having been defeated and killed by Simon de Montfort at the Battle of Evesham in 1265. His son and successor, Robert, only lived for about three years after which time the throne passed to their cousin Edward I.
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