Europe · United Kingdom · Caerphilly County Borough
Ruperra Castle
The story
History of Ruperra Castle
Ruperra Castle or Rhiwperra Castle () is a Grade II* Listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument, situated in Lower Machen in the county borough of Caerphilly, Wales. Built in 1626, the castle is in a ruinous condition as at 2023.
United Kingdom · Caerphilly County Borough
- Built
- 1626
- Era
- Renaissance
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- Caerphilly County Borough
- UNESCO
- —
- Coordinates
- 51.571, -3.127
In depth
The fuller history
Built in 1626 by Sir Thomas Morgan, Steward to the Earl of Pembroke, it was one of the first of the mock castles to be built in Wales. King Charles I spent two nights at Ruperra Castle in 1645 shortly after the Battle of Naseby. Resultantly the royal coat of arms was added to the decoration on the South Porch, and the present public footpath from Rudry to the Castle is still known as "King's Drive".
It was bought as his home by wealthy John Morgan "the merchant" for 12,400 pounds. He was unmarried and it was consolidated on his death in 1715 into the Tredegar estates of the Morgan family.
It was destroyed by fire in 1785, and rebuilt, resultantly becoming home, especially in the 19th century, to the heir of the estate. Godfrey Morgan, who was the second son of the 1st Baron Tredegar, was born at Ruperra, and went on to survive the Charge of the Light Brigade. It was during his tenure of Ruperra that he undertook significant development, adding three new lodges as well as in 1826 a now listed iron bridge, allowing a carriage way through Coed Craig Ruperra and across the Rhymney River to Lower Machen Church, where the family and their servants attended Sunday services.
Key dates
- 1626Built in 1626, the castle is in a ruinous condition as at 2023.
- 1785It was destroyed by fire in 1785, and rebuilt, resultantly becoming home, especially in the 19th century, to the heir of the estate.
- 1895Minor adjustments were made to the main house, but his major improvement was the building of a new stable block to replace the one destroyed by fire in 1895, a new reservoir and pump house in the deer park, and a new…
- 1941Unstaffed and effectively abandoned, at the start of World War II, like many other large estate houses, it was taken over by the British Army, under whose control in 1941 it was destroyed by another fire.
- 1956In 1956, John Morgan, the sixth and final Baron Tredegar, sold the Castle along with its surrounding agricultural land to Eagle Star Insurance Company for around £800,000 (accounting for inflation) during his…
- 2023In November 2023, inspectors found the building was structurally unsound and in imminent danger of collapse.
Historical summary drawn from Wikipedia. Read the full article.
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