Raglan Castle

Largely the creation of the more peaceful Middle Ages, Raglan brings to a close the great castle-building chapter in Welsh history and is as much a statement of wealth and social aspiration as of military power. It was begun in 1435 by the influential Sir William ap Thomas, who raised the mighty Great Tower. His son William Herbert continued the grand work in the same lavish vein, creating a sumptuous, richly embellished palace with formal state apartments and the Great Gate. Yet handsome Raglan was no pushover, for it endured one of the longest sieges of the Civil War.

The fifteenth century castle has recently unveiled a new environmentally friendly visitor centre, designed to lend itself to its historic surroundings and which boasts a well-stocked gift shop. A new pilot project using Bluetooth technology to deliver audio files to visitors’ mobile phones is also currently underway at Raglan Castle as part of the ongoing commitment by Cadw, the Welsh Assembly Government’s historic environment service, to improve heritage interpretation at its sites.

The new Bluetooth initiative, the first to be trialed in the UK, allows visitors to download MP3 audio stories on their mobile phones for free. These stories take visitors on a guided tour of Raglan, recounting life at the castle during the Civil War siege of 1646; they are set up to encourage visitors to further explore the castle’s history, including it’s other on-site interpretation, events, it’s guidebook and it’s website.

Parking, toilets and toilet for the disabled, baby changing facilities, guidebook available, on-site shop, site exhibition.

Further Information:
Most sites are closed on 24, 25 and 26 December and 1 January.

Full details are available from Cadw Site Operations Unit, tel. 01443 336000.

Last admission to this site is thirty minutes before closing.