smallhobbit: (Default)
smallhobbit ([personal profile] smallhobbit) wrote2020-08-21 04:39 pm

Chepstow Castle

In a normal world this week I would have been in London for a few days, visiting exhibitions and seeing plays.  Alas, it was not to be.  But since I had the time booked off work we again went out for a couple of days.

Our first visit was to Chepstow Castle, where it chose to rain.  In fact it rained so much we abandoned any thoughts of looking round Chepstow afterwards and went straight home.  The photos are therefore not as good as I might have hoped, since it was a case of grabbing a picture and putting my phone away again before it got too wet.  Nevertheless they give a reasonable idea of what we saw.

This is the lower bailey, built in the 1190s:



And these are the main gatehouse castle doors, now stored in the hall porch.  They too date from 1190:



The castle is built on the edge of the River Wye:



The castle is now a ruin, but still very impressive:



The oldest part of the castle, the Great Tower, dates from approximately 1090 (the exact date is unknown).  Looking closely, it's possible to see the Roman tiles which were included within the tower walls:



And the view from inside the Great Tower:



 
stonepicnicking_okapi: Blue-and-white teacup (Teacup)

[personal profile] stonepicnicking_okapi 2020-08-21 05:09 pm (UTC)(link)
I know it's just the weather but it does look very atmospherically gloomy and 'something rotten in Denmark,' you know?