Castell Coch Castell Coch ( ) is a 19th - century Gothic Revival castle built on the remains of a genuine 13th - century fortification , cared for by Cadw , the Welsh Government ' s historic environment service . It is situated on a steep hillside high above the village of Tongwynlais , to the north of Cardiff in Wales , and is a Grade I listed building as from 28 January 1963 . Designed by William Burges , with an impressively medieval appearance , working portcullis and drawbridge , and sumptuous interiors which rival those of Cardiff Castle , it has been described as " the most spectacular example of [ that architect ' s ] translation from High Gothic into High Victorian . " Early history . Castell Coch was built on the site of a 13th - century castle . The earlier fortification was constructed by a Welsh chieftain referred to as Ifor Bach ( " Little Ivor " ) . In the late 13th century the castle site was claimed by the De Clare family because of its strategic importance , commanding both the plains area and the entrance to the Taff valley . The castle was rebuilt in stone and consisted of a keep , towers , an enclosed courtyard and a gatehouse . Although the early history of the castle is largely undocumented , it is generally accepted that it was severely damaged during a period of Welsh rebellion in the early 14th century . Thereafter , the castle fell into disuse and by Tudor times , the antiquary John Leland described it as " all in ruin no big thing but high " . Reconstruction and resurrection . In 1871 , John Crichton - Stuart , 3rd Marquess of Bute , ordered the site to be cleared of vegetation and debris while his architect , William Burges , drew up plans for a full reconstruction . Burges and the Marquess had been working for over three years on the rebuilding of Cardiff Castle ; the aim at Castell Coch was to achieve another " dazzling architectural tour de force of the High Victorian era , [ a ] dream - like castle which combine [ d ] sumptuous Gothic fantasy with timeless fairy tale . " A set of drawings for the planned rebuilding exists , together with a full architectural justification by Burges . The castle reconstruction features three conical roofs to the towers that are historically questionable . Burges sought to defend their use with references to a body of doubtful historical evidence but : " the truth is that he wanted them for their architectural effect . " He did admit that they were " utterly conjectural " although " more picturesque and ( . . . ) affording much more accommodation " , contending that : " It is true that some antiquaries deny the existence of high roofs in English Mediaeval Military Architecture , and ask objectors to point out examples . As nearly every Castle in the country has been ruined for more than two centuries . . . it is not surprising that no examples are to be found . But we may form a very fair idea of the case if we consult contemporary ( manuscripts ) and if we do we find nearly an equal number of towers with flat roofs as those with pointed roofs . The case appears to me to be thus : if a tower presented a good situation for military engines , it had a flat top ; if the contrary , it had a high roof to guarantee the defenders from the rain and the lighter sorts of missiles . Thus an arrow could not pierce the roof , but if the latter were absent and the arrow was fired upright , in its downward flight it might occasion the same accident to the defenders as happened to Harold at Hastings . " Burges ' s report on the proposed reconstruction was delivered in 1872 but construction was delayed until 1875 , in part because of the pressure of work at Cardiff Castle , and in part because of an unfounded concern on behalf of the Marquess ' s trustees that he was facing bankruptcy . But in August 1875 work began in earnest . The exterior comprises three towers , " almost equal to each other in diameter , ( but ) arrestingly dissimilar in height . " They form an awesome display of architectural power and ability . In a lecture , Burges called on architectural students to " study the great broad masses , the strong unchamfered lines " . The Keep tower , the Well Tower and the Kitchen Tower incorporate a series of apartments , of which the main sequence , the Castellan ' s Rooms , lie within the Keep . The Hall , the Drawing Room , Lord Bute ' s Bedroom and Lady Bute ' s bedroom comprise a suite of rooms that exemplify the High Victorian Gothic style in 19th century Britain . They begin weakly : the Banqueting Hall , completed well after Burges ' s death , is " dilute ( . . . ) unfocussed " and " anaemic . " The Drawing Room is " more exciting " , a double - height room with decoration illustrating the " intertwined themes ( of ) the fecundity of nature and the fragility of life . " A superb fireplace by Thomas Nicholls features the Three Fates , spinning , measuring and cutting the thread of life . The octagonal chamber with its great rib - vault , modelled on one designed by Viollet - Le - Duc at Councy , is " spangled with butterflies and birds of sunny plume in gilded trellis work . " Off the hall , lies the Windlass Room , in which Burges delighted in assembling the fully functioning apparatus for the drawbridge , together with " murder holes " for expelling boiling oil . The Marquess ' s bedroom provide some " spartan " respite before the culmination of the castle , Lady Bute ' s Bedroom . The room is " pure Burges : an arcaded circle , punched through by window embrasures , and topped by a trefoil - sectioned dome . " The decorative theme is ' love ' , symbolised by " monkeys , pomegranates , nesting birds " . The decoration was completed long after Burges ' s death but his was the guiding spirit ; " Would Mr Burges have done it ? " William Frame wrote to Thomas Nicholls in 1887 . Following Burges ' death in 1881 , work on the interior continued for another ten years . The castle was not used much : the Marquess never came after its completion , and the family appeared to use it as a sort of sanatorium , although the Marchioness and her daughter , Lady Margaret Crichton - Stuart , did occupy it for a period following the death of the Marquess in 1900 . But the castle remained " one of the greatest Victorian triumphs of architectural composition , " summing up " to perfection the learned dream world of a great patron and his favourite architect , recreating from a heap of rubble a fairy - tale castle which seems almost to have materialised from the margins of a medieval manuscript . " In 1950 , the 5th Marquess of Bute placed the castle in the care of the Ministry of Works . It is now administered by Cadw , an agency of the Welsh Government . Ths castle is Grade I listed , of exceptional architectural and historical interest . Site of Special Scientific Interest . The area surrounding the castle is notable both for the ancient beech woods and for the rock outcrops , which show the point where Devonian Old Red Sandstone and Carboniferous Limestone beds meet . The area is designated the Castell Coch Woodlands and Road Section Site of Special Scientific Interest . Media appearances . The castle has been much used for filming , including :