Caerphilly Castle - The Largest in Wales, 2nd in Britain

I head to the largest castle in Wales, the second largest in Britain ...Caerphilly Castle! 🏰 I explore the massive 30 acre site, the medieval rooms and passageways, and fly around and over the drawbridge, moats, trebuchet and breathtaking fortification 😍
The castle was built from 1268 to 1271 by red-haired Gilbert de Clare. He was the Norman Lord of Glamorgan and was worried by the strength of support in this area for Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Wales’ last indigenous prince. The castle became the de Clare family’s administrative centre for Glamorgan. Gilbert’s son-in-law, Hugh le Despenser, enlarged the castle’s Great Hall in the 1320s for entertainment on a grand scale.
The market town outside the castle controlled the area’s trade but wasn’t surrounded by the defensive walls common in other Welsh castle towns. The town was attacked and damaged more than once, and largely destroyed in 1316 by rebel leader Llywelyn Bren.
King Edward II took refuge in the castle in 1326, hiding from persecution by Queen Isabella, his wife! Edward and Hugh le Despenser, his advisor, fled from Caerphilly Castle but were eventually caught and Edward was deposed.
In the 14th century, court sessions were moved from the castle to a purpose-built court house, now a pub.
The castle was disused by the Tudor era. It provided a handy source of dressed stone for local buildings, including the Van Mansion (east of town). The moats vanished after their dams became derelict. Nant y Gledyr, which had supplied the water, flowed past on the south side, where it powered a woollen mill.
Restoration was started by the Bute family of Cardiff Castle. In Victorian times the Great Hall was roofed again. Major works in the 1930s preserved or rebuilt the walls and towers but left untouched the iconic leaning tower, which gives us an insight into the castle’s original structure. The tower may have been built on unstable foundations or been deliberately damaged during the Civil War of the 17th century to prevent future defensive use of the castle. It leans at a more acute angle than the Tower of Pisa in Italy!
The Marquess of Bute also cleared shops and other buildings close to the castle. This paved the way for the moats to be re-flooded after the Second World War.
Caerphilly Castle website: cadw.gov.wales...
My 360 Images: kuula.co/profi...
My Instagram: / lambourne_photography
SOFTWARE:
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Premiere Pro
- Adobe Lightroom
- Adobe Photoshop Elements
- Adobe Bridge
- DJI Media Maker
- MS Image Composite Editor
- Autopano Giga
- Backyard EOS
- Deep Sky Stacker
- Stellarium
- Sequator
- PIPP
- AutoStakkert!3
- PHD2 Guiding
- ASI Studio
HARDWARE:
Land:
- Canon 250D SL3
- Canon EF 50 mm F/1.8 EF STM
- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
- Sigma 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 DG APO Macro
- DJI Pocket 2 Camera
- DJI Wireless Mic Transmitter
- PolarPro Cinema Series Filter Vivid Collection
Air:
- DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone
- DJI Mini 2 drone
- PolarPro Vivid Filter Collection
- Freewell Long Exposure Series Filters
Space:
- William Optics Zenithstar 73 III APO
- William Optics 32mm Slide-base Uniguide Scope
- iOptron CEM26 GoTo Equatorial Mount
- iOptron iPolar Electronic Polarscope
- ZWO ASiair Plus Wireless Astrophotography Controller
- ZWO ASI 294MC-PRO USB 3.0 Cooled Colour Camera
- ZWO ASI 120MM Mini USB 2.0 Mono Camera
- ZWO Electronic Automatic Focuser (EAF)
- ZWO 2" Filter Drawer
- OVL Field Flattener
- Celestron Luminos 2.5 Barlow
- 2" Altair QuadBand OSC CCD Filter
- 2" Svbony UHC Filter

[@pamelawaite1646]

How on earth did they build let alone design such a fantastic castle imagine how they built it without the modern things we use it must heve been built by hand wonderful job

[@LamboPhoto]

It certainly makes you wonder, and being able to build it twice in under 3 years! 👍

[@jaycrandell147]

Caerphilly... Thank you. You really are very good at this! Evocative, poignant, educational, and down right fun. You, my young man, are a living legend. Thank you, again.

[@WanderingwithWatto]

Great video mate. Brilliant drone footage and a very good tour inside too. Keep up the good work. 👏🏻👏🏻. Take care. 👍🏻🚶🏻‍♂️🚶‍♀️

[@LamboPhoto]

Thanks Watto! Typical Welsh weather, but great fun all the same. Cheers mate, all the best 👍

[@clive.r1414]

What!! no mud... Enjoyable tour and another to put on the visit list. Love the fella holding the tower up. You are certainly making some brilliant videos Chris, Thank you.

[@LamboPhoto]

Trust me ... there's plenty more mud to come 🤣 Yes, I enjoyed that statue too, that's the Welsh humour for you. Many thanks for the lovely comment, I am trying to improve the quality, but it is taking longer to film and edit 😉 Cheers Clive 👍

[@clive.r1414]

@@LamboPhoto The end results are certainly worth the effort and time spent!

[@LanieLehman]

Wow Such a Stunningly Gorgeous the Castle… Honestly Really Gorgeous Filming …Love your work and appreciate… thank you so much for sharing…completely watched…Have a Beautiful Day even it’s Raining ❤️👍🔔

[@LamboPhoto]

Many thanks! So glad that you enjoyed it. Yes, this is an amazing castle, shame the weather wasn't better. Thanks again 👍

Great movie, nice to watch. Best wishes from the forest 😁

[@LamboPhoto]

Many thanks! Glad you liked it, best wishes from Wiltshire, England 👍

[@TheJansenJournal]

Awesome video! Got to love Ancient buildings!

[@LamboPhoto]

Thank you, yes, ancient buildings are soooo fascinating. Thanks for watching 😉👍

[@AdrianOates]

Another stunning video Chris and a great history lesson!

[@LamboPhoto]

Many thanks Adrian! Glad you enjoyed it - despite the grim weather 👍

[@PinnedonPlaces]

Loving this, clicked as soon as i saw it!! Such a gorgeous castle and as usual you've filmed/produced it perfectly. Love the moat surrounding here, its truly iconic! Great narration and such smooth drone flying, it's so impressive. Thank you for sharing the stories and information about the castle too, very interesting to listen too!

[@MainlightDrone]

Are you planning on doing this one too? Between the two, I might retain some of this information! I did remember the name Bute from your Castell Coch video, right?

[@PinnedonPlaces]

@@MainlightDrone we've already been to Caerphilly, we went around 6-7 months ago. Such a gorgeous place :) hope you're well!

[@PinnedonPlaces]

@@MainlightDrone and yes! Lord Bute indeed :)

[@LamboPhoto]

Thank you, that's very kind of you to say! Yes, a fantastic castle this one. It is a shame about the construction and the weather. But I can't wait until 2023 when it's complete. And had fun making it all the same. Plus it was Wales vs Scotland that day, so a bite to eat at the local pub was entertaining 😉 Thanks again, all the best 👍

[@MainlightDrone]

@@LamboPhoto It's so strange to think that you can drive to Wales or Scotland so easily but the UK is about the same size as the state of Michigan so that helps for scale!

[@acm01864]

Looks like they built it caerfully!😊

[@LamboPhoto]

Indeed they did 👍

[@TheHighDreamsYouTube]

Well met! I came across your amazing channel, really liked it! - I am here to give you my support! I hope your channel will grow very large! Please take care of yourself- Stay motivated at all times! 🙏🏻 +1 Subscriber! ❤️‍🔥

[@LamboPhoto]

Thanks you so much 🤩 All the best 👍

[@philldavies7940]

Gilbert de clare's men diverted a local river to create the moat. Just outside the castle to the North West are defences from the civil war (dating to the 1640's), when they were investigating those in the 1950's, they found a previously unknown roman fort underneath. At one stage it was lost that it was built in the 13th century, when later antiquarians visited it they were so overwhelmed by its size they thought it must be Roman.

[@LamboPhoto]

Thanks Phill, I was unaware of the Roman fort nearby. I feel some more research coming on! Thanks for watching and commenting - all the best.

[@droneandnatureRomania]

Nice video, thanks for sharing🏆 I found interesting clips and things on this channel, you have all my support my friend. All best

[@LamboPhoto]

Thank you very much! You are most welcome 👍

[@DavidLorenzoFlorida]

Amazing castle! 6:22 "They must have had small feet". Or, they built the stair so women could traverse the stairs too. 😁 Good mix of handheld camera and drone footage. The history lesson was very informative. Good to see there is a restoration project. In all, a very likeable and enjoyable video. Well done. 👍👏

[@LamboPhoto]

Thank you very much! They were tiny steps 😣 I ended up facing the outer wall so I could fit my size 12's on the steps and went up sideways 😂 Glad I got the ratio between handheld and drone footage about right, always trying to find the right balance. Thanks again for the great feedback. Take care mate 👍

[@explorenuevaecija]

Wow! Such a beautiful castle. Iteresting place. Thanks for sharing your informative and wonderful video. Have a grea day.😊 New subscriber here.

[@LamboPhoto]

Yes, it's an amazing castle. It was a shame about the weather. It has so much history though. Thank you so much for the sub! Take care 😉👍

[@dcastro8492]

Stumbled on this channel today. Subscribed. Brilliant videos. Can’t believe you don’t have many thousands of subscribers. Great work, Chris. Thank you.

[@LamboPhoto]

Thank you so much, a lovely comment! Glad you are enjoying videos!! 🙏👍

[@JJDrones]

You really need to do this kind of video for a productions company. I honestly thought I was watching something from the History channel! I truly love your work!

[@LamboPhoto]

Wow, thanks, Jason, that's very kind of you to say! 😁 I glad you liked it - it motivates me to do more 👍

[@paullews38]

I enjoyed that video so much that I decided to follow your channel. Thank you for the enjoyable viewing of such an amazing structure.

[@LamboPhoto]

Thank you for the lovely comment, and really glad you enjoyed the video. It is such a wonderful place to visit. And thanks for the sub to 👏👍

[@kod-ee-wom-pl]

Good morning. Nice and relaxing tour 😃 Thank you. Happy Friday! 😊

[@LamboPhoto]

Thank you! You too! 😉👍

[@lenstenner9429]

Excellent! Beautifully filmed and well presented. I visited here about three years ago. Very impressive.

[@LamboPhoto]

Thank you very much! Great feedback 👏 Yes, it is an amazing place, back then they wouldn't have had the scaffolding up - which would have been nicer. But still, it will be great when the work has completed! Thanks for stopping by 👍

[@DavidJones-xl1km]

Welcome to Caerphilly, please drive Caerphilly :)

[@LamboPhoto]

I did. It was a video of me doing 30 mph, then I speeded up the video 100 times on my computer. No need to worry 😃

[@SetForAdventures]

Hi Chris nice to meet you 👍 Thanks so much for this fabulous film great shoots but some great info very well researched🙏🏼😊 Haven’t been for many years😔 I’ll definitely take the family this year now 👍😊 Best wishes happy to support you 🤝Simon 🤝🔔🙏🏼😊

[@LamboPhoto]

Hi Simon, well met 🤝 Thanks for the lovely comment! And yes, this has to be one of my favourite castles, so much history and the scale of it is ... wow! I've just has a nosey of your channel, liked what I saw and subscribed 👍 Thanks for stopping by, all the best, Chris 😉

[@SetForAdventures]

@@LamboPhoto Cheers Chris 🙏🏼 that most appreciated 👍🤝 yes it’s a big castle you mentioned Bredon hill now that’s a super place for views too especially the Malverns ☀️ hope you had a good time 😊👍

[@MarlaBlair-ys2zu]

Nice to see these Welsh locations. Could the music be less intrusive?

[@LamboPhoto]

Many thanks for the comment, glad you liked the video 👍

[@johntrafford6731]

Watching your entire back catalogue. They are that good!

[@LamboPhoto]

Thanks, that's very kind of you to say so. I wouldn't bother with anything prior to Nov-21 though, things have improved since then 😉👍

[@mrmorgan4730]

That was an absolutely fantastic viewing of My local Castle.. I have Grown up with this monumental Stucture as My back drop in life,, and for Anyone to come and visit and research the actual history is a sure pleasure.. Thank You for doing This Castle Justice..

[@LamboPhoto]

Thank you so much for the lovely comment! You're very lucky to have grown up around such a beautiful castle, one of the best in Britain. It was a pleasure visiting and making this video, and so happy to hear it's done it justice 🤩I grew up within a stone's throw of Pembroke Castle, so absolutely love and appreciate these amazing structures!! Thank you for stopping by, all the best, Chris 😉👍

[@MainlightDrone]

Super interesting, Chris. Between Pinned on Places and your channel, I might achieve a history degree eventually.

[@LamboPhoto]

I think their channel is more informative to be fair 😉 Glad you found this one interesting. There's always a shed load of history with these castles, and finding the right balance is tricky ... especially in such a short amount of time. Hopefully I get some nicer weather in the next one 😉👍

[@MainlightDrone]

@@LamboPhoto Everybody has their own style. So don't worry, it doesn't get old and any repetition is good for my brain!

[@DroneShowLive]

Wow 😮 stunning footage and commentary is fantastic 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@LamboPhoto]

Cheers Tony! I had a lot of fun making this one. I love castles, and this one is epic! Shame about the weather - but that's Wales for you! 😉👍

[@DroneShowLive]

@@LamboPhoto ahh I went to Arundel Castle 🏰 a couple of weeks ago got some of my best footage and photos it was featured in the bbc south today 👍🏻 there’s something about this castles 🏰 that draw you in 💚🏰💚

[@LamboPhoto]

@@DroneShowLive Arundel is definitely on my list! It's like a fairy tale castle, simply stunning. Well done for having your photos used by BBC 👏That is quite an achievement 👍

[@gaz1tinsley]

6:00 the recent former prince of wales should stick his hand in his pocket and pay for the restoration of that tower ! Brilliant video !

[@LamboPhoto]

100% agree. Work is progressing on the tower as we speak. Thanks for watching 🙂

[@gaz1tinsley]

@@LamboPhoto Thats excellent news, thank you for making the video !

[@brianneale2006]

I Lived not very far from Caerphilly Castle in South Wales And also some other Welsh Castles which are near by. E.G. Cardiff Castle, Castell Coch , Coity Castle. Ogmore Castle. and others. Wales is the Land of Castles and Song and I am proud to be Welsh.

[@LamboPhoto]

There are over 600 castles in Wales, we are lucky to be Welsh 😉👍

[@brianneale2006]

@@LamboPhoto I entirely agree

[@xr6lad]

Going to these places in the rain is so much better. Just adds to the atmosphere wandering around.

[@RusticatedArt]

Watching this made me think of what it must of been like when the castle was under siege!! Once again great footage and very informative Chris!!😀👍💯

[@LamboPhoto]

Thanks mate. Well if there was any castle I had to be under siege, it would definitely be this one! All the best 😉👍

[@jasonrees8177]

my play ground as a child

[@LamboPhoto]

I am jealous. That is an amazing playground 👍

[@markkilley2683]

Fond memories of Wales.

[@philiprichards189]

It's the best place to live

[@veronicaroach3667]

It seems such a dirty looking place, the walls are grungy looking, and I do not consider it 'beautiful' at all. Obviously it would have looked quite different when first built. I just wonder why those walls are so black - a type of stone that does not stay looking good ? Not all all impressive imo !

[@LamboPhoto]

I think my house would look a little grungy after best part of a millenium. Since I made this video, it's been announced that £5m is being spent over 2 years to restore the castle.

[@philldavies7940]

I doubt they picked the stones on their aesthetic appeal to tourists 700 years later. It was a functional castle, designed to brutally suppress the locals. Its very likely it would have been painted white using limewash anyway which has mostly washed off hundreds of years ago (you can still see some remnants on the walls), whilst the interior living quarters would also be whitewashed and covered in tapestries.