Raglan Castle

Raglan Castle stands in Monmouthshire, south-east Wales, just north of Raglan village. Built between the 15th and early 17th centuries by the Herbert and Somerset families, it was a grand fortified residence with a hexagonal keep called the Great Tower. The castle sits in parkland with water gardens and terraces, once considered the equal of any in England or Wales. During the First English Civil War it was held by Royalists for Charles I but captured in 1646 and its walls slighted. After the Restoration it fell into ruin and became a source of building stone. The castle began as a manor held by the Bloet family from the late 12th century, with deer parks nearby. Sir William ap Thomas bought the manor in 1432 and started building work, later continued by his son William Herbert, who became the first Welsh earl. The architecture may echo Caernarfon Castle, and the surrounding parks and gardens were praised by contemporaries. The Somersets later added Renaissance-style gardens and the Pitched Stone Court with its Long Gallery. Visitors today see the Great Tower and South Gate from the 15th century, the later Renaissance courtyard, and the remains of the water gardens and moat walk. The castle’s earthwork bastions and the site of the steam-powered water feature recall its final years as a Royalist stronghold. The parkland and terraces still frame views of the surrounding countryside, where deer once grazed in Home Park and Red Deer Park. The ruins stand as a reminder of the castle’s role in medieval and Civil War history.