The County Borough of CaerphillyVisitor Guidet 2018 www.visitcaerphilly.com Contents Unearthing a sleeping giant .............. 3 Introducing our legendary past ......... 5 Shwmae a Chroeso i Gaerffili A land of myths & legends ................. 7 “Hello and welcome to Caerphilly” Discover Caerphilly on foot ............... 9 Calling all adventure seekers ........... 11 Thank you for choosing the county If you need any help or advice while Have a passion for the outdoors? ... 13 borough of Caerphilly as a destination planning your visit or once you are Map .................................................... 15 to visit. Whether it’s for a day, a short here, contact or call into The Visitor Time for some self indulgence ........ 16 break or longer, there’s a lot waiting Centre Caerphilly, located in the heart to be discovered. From uncovering of Caerphilly town. Let us entertain you .......................... 17 our rich historical past to lapping up Dining out .......................................... 19 The local staff have a wealth of beautiful scenery and wildlife. Blaengawney Farm ........................... 21 knowledge on the area and can help This guide is packed with lots of useful with any aspect of your visit from Where to stay .................................... 23 information on the area along with finding a place to rest your head to inspiration on places to visit and a taste selecting a special place to dine. The county of our renowned Valleys welcome. We borough of Brecon The county borough hope you find this guide useful and Caerphilly is of Caerphill y See you Soon! Brecon Beacons that you’ll come to love the borough located in the heart National Park Monmouth as much as we do…in the words of of Southern Wales Tommy Cooper “Just like that!” M4 Merthyr Tydfil and straddles the Chepstow ancient county Swansea Pontypridd boundaries of Newport M4 Monmouthshire Bridgend M4 CARDIFF BRISTOL and Glamorgan. Barry With such close proximity to Cardiff, Newport and the Brecon Beacons, the county borough of Caerphilly is an ideal base for visitors looking to explore the South Wales Valleys and beyond. There are excellent transport links throughout the borough, with Cardiff The Visit Caerphilly Centre C6 Tel: 029 2088 0011 just 15 minutes from Caerphilly Email: [email protected] town by train and 8 miles by car or Postcode: CF83 1JL bus. Visitors have the choice of city Web: www.visitcaerphilly.com Opening Times: 10am - 5.30pm, 7 days a week, shopping and entertainment or the Closed 25th - 27th December & 1st January more laid back atmosphere of the county borough of Caerphilly. 01 The County Borough of Caerphilly Visitor Guide 2018 02 Pisa's got nothing on us Though the focus of many Welsh attacks, Caerphilly Castle has Unearthing a sleeping giant remained a formidable fortress Dominating an impressive 30 acre site, Caerphilly Castle is Wales’ and perhaps one of the greatest largest and Britain’s second largest castle behind Windsor. strongholds of all-time. Even the efforts of Oliver Cromwell’s This medieval fortress was built mainly between 1268 and 1271 by Gilbert de roundheads failed to break the Clare. Known as Gilbert ‘The Red’ because of his red hair, denoting his Norman Castle’s boundaries, though they heritage, he built the castle to take control of Glamorgan and to prevent the did leave a rather remarkable Welsh Prince Llewellyn ap Gruffudd from achieving his southward ambitions. scar - the famous leaning tower, which has leaned 3m out of the The design of the castle is based on perpendicular since 1648. a concentric ring of walls, something o not seen in Britain before. It also has Caerphilly 11 an extensive ring of water defences o and huge gatehouses. This mammoth Pisa 3.97 stronghold remains a striking testament to the Anglo-Norman Statue of the 4th Marquess of Bute ‘holding up’ domination of the area. the leaning tower, alluding to his restoration work. Lights, camera, action! Caerphilly Castle and its impressive fortress have provided the perfect backdrop to popular Caerphilly Castle BBC series ‘Doctor Who’ and Location: Caerphilly B6 Postcode: CF83 1JD ‘Merlin’, whilst our towns and Tel: 029 2088 3143 villages have featured in Sky 1’s Web: www.cadw.wales.gov.uk ‘Stella’, Welsh drama series ‘The Baker Boys’ and ‘BBC’s Casualty’. 03 The County Borough of Caerphilly Visitor Guide 2018 04 Discover local heritage Heritage Sites: Ruperra Castle & Caerphilly County Borough’s museum, the Winding D6 Introducing our legendary past House features a changing programme of fascinating Coed Craig Ruperra Location: Lower Machen exhibitions on the local area’s history, heritage Web: www.ruperratrust.co.uk and culture. The Winding House 2018 exhibition www.ruperra.org.uk programme includes ‘The Life of Elliot’, celebrating the life of Elliot Colliery and the people that worked there. Butetown Heritage Trail A1 Location: Butetown, Rhymney Explore the affect that the pit had on the local area from Postcode: NP22 5QH/5QJ its opening in 1888 to its closure in 1967. Web: www.butetownhistory.info Groeswen Chapel B6 Location: Caerphilly Finding your roots Postcode: CF15 7UT Tel: 029 2088 2245 Fuelled by the influence of the popular TV series ‘Who Web: www.visitcaerphilly.com Do You Think You Are’ and the rising social trend of National Mining tracing your genealogy, visitors are increasingly looking B5 to pursue their family history. There is a wealth of Memorial & Garden Location: Commercial Street, information and resources available to help. For more Senghenydd information visit www.caerphilly.gov.uk/chronicle Postcode: CF83 4GY Tel: 029 2083 0445 Web: www.abervalleyheritage.co.uk Remembering the fallen Museums & Art: Commemorating the fallen of the 152 mining disasters across Wales, the National Mining Memorial was Winding House Location: New Tredegar B2 unveiled on the centenary of the Universal Colliery Postcode: NP24 6EG Disaster in Senghenydd on the 14th October 2013. Tel: 01443 822666 The memorial incorporates a bronze statue, wall of Web: your.caerphilly.gov.uk/ Llancaiach Fawr Manor windinghouse/content/welcome Location: Nr. Nelson A4 remembrance & path of memory within the memorial Postcode: CF46 6ER garden, dedicating a ceramic tile to each disaster. Aber Valley B5 Tel: 01443 412248 Heritage Museum Web: www.llancaiachfawr.co.uk Location: Senghenydd, Caerphilly Postcode: CF83 4HA Tel: 029 2083 0445 Web: www.abervalleyheritage.co.uk Y Galeri Location: Below The Visit C6 Caerphilly Centre, Caerphilly Set in 1645, the servants of Llancaiach Fawr Manor will be pleased Postcode: CF83 1JL to show you around their master’s fine house, provided you are of Tel: 029 2132 2570 Web: www.ygaleri.co.uk good repute of course! If you are lucky, you might meet the master of the house Edward Prichard, or Canals: perhaps catch a glimpse of the mistress Mary Prichard, though she is a rather Monmouthshire & E6 ‘sickly’ soul and does not like to brave the air of the valleys. With the Manor Brecon Canal (Crumlin Arm) Location: Risca known for being haunted, you never know who you might meet when visiting this Postcode: NP11 6GY 17th century manor house! Enjoy day tours, ghost tours and events throughout Web: www.visitcaerphilly.com the year at this splendid Manor House. Senghenydd National Mining Memorial 05 The County Borough of Caerphilly Visitor Guide 2018 06 Famous Faces Famous faces to come out of the county borough of Caerphilly include the legendary Tommy Cooper, A land of myths musicians The Manic Street Preachers, Falklands hero Simon Weston, Beauty and the Beast’s ‘Gaston’ actor Luke Evans who was raised in Aberbargoed, presenter Matt Johnson, sporting stars Aaron The Manic Street Preachers Ramsey, Nathan Cleverly and Joe Calzaghe… & legends to name but a few! Big Ben Benjamin Hall, the Baron of Llanover tall man and in honour of his help and and Abercarn oversaw the later stage parliament involvement at the time, installation of the hour bell in the many say the bell was named after famous ‘Big Ben’. Benjamin was a very him… ‘Big Ben’ is even inscribed on it! The Penllwyn Pirate Penllwyn Manor in Pontllanfraith was despite having many uses since Sir A legend of love once home to the most notorious and Henry Morgan lived there. It is said that the restless spirit of famous pirate… Sir Henry Morgan. The Princess Alice of Angouleme, wife Welsh pirate, privateer, buccaneer and of Gilbert de Clare roams Caerphilly admiral of the Royal Navy was Castle in search of her lost love. mentioned in the 2003 Hollywood film, Legend has it, the princess, growing Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of tired of her husband’s cold and the Black Pearl and even has a brand of Almost 2000 years after the Romans angry ways; fell in love with amorous rum named after him, the ‘Captain and Silures battled across these Welsh Prince Gruffudd of Brithdir, Morgan’ Rum. The historic manor hills, Gelligaer is again telling the only to seal their unfortunate fate. house still stands today and retains story of the Romans in the Valleys of The Princess perished of a broken many of its beautiful original features South Wales. Why not come and visit heart after deranged Gilbert ordered this village, which has a history that the execution of her lover when the stretches back to prehistory, and a affair was exposed. Now on a moonlit Tommy Cooper heritage waiting for you to explore. night, you may see the Princess, known as ‘The Green Lady’ searching Famous comedian and magician Tommy Cooper was born for her lover, wearing green as a in Llwyn Onn Street, Caerphilly on the 19th March 1921. His symbol of her husband’s envy. ‘larger than life’ personality and unique ability to entertain, makes Tommy one of Caerphilly’s most famous and much loved sons. To commemorate his life, a 9 ft bronze statue Gelligaer Roman Fort was commissioned by the Tommy Cooper Society and stands Location: Gelligaer B4 Postcode: CF82 8BB proudly opposite Caerphilly Castle.