The 17th-century castle that’s been ‘left to rot’
IT’S been a crash-pad for King Charles I, narrowly escaped being snapped up by the US newspaper tycoon who inspired Citizen Kane and was once home to an aristocratic occultist who was pals with the Pope.
Yet, unlike neighbouring castles such as the one in Cardiff, far fewer people will have heard of the crumbling 17th-century ruin that is Ruperra Castle, which, for the past several decades has been left to rot in woodland in Caerphilly.
Located on land at Draethen, northeast of the capital, the Grade II-listed building has been gutted twice by raging fires – once in 1785 and again during World War II – and has been deemed too expensive to repair.
Using the ‘90s restoration of Lulworth Castle in Dorset – upon which Ruperra was modelled – as a guideline, experts have reckoned a total overhaul would set its owners back by more than £30m.
As a result, the ruin – off the A468 south of Machen – has spent years facing an uncertain fate at the hands of developers such as businessman Ashraf Barakat, who, having bought it in 1998, announced plans to knock it down and build luxury flats and a polo pitch in its place.
He claimed such a development was the only way to save the building, situated on 13 acres, from falling into further disrepair.
However, those plans were abandoned after a four-day public inquiry into the matter at Caerphilly council’s headquarters in 2009, where opposing experts argued that such proposals would only result in the loss of a special historic artifact and cause damage to its surrounding landscape.
The castle was then put on the market for £1.5m, but, despite attracting worldwide interest and a number of offers, it failed to sell because the price tag was deemed too high.
Another attempt came in October 2019 when new owners revealed their intentions to transform the castle’s outbuildings – namely the former dairy, laundry, stables and coach house – into seven homes.
A local heritage group, the Ruperra Castle Preservation Trust, called for Caerphilly council to refuse the application, citing the presence of protected species on the site, such as the greater horseshoe bat.
Those plans have now been revised and resubmitted by the applicant for reconsultation.
“It’s very frustrating that things are taking this long to reach some sort of a solution,” said Pat Jones-Jenkins, the trust’s secretary.
“Ruperra is a scheduled ancient monument and very important in the history of Wales, and it should be regarded as such.
“At the moment, though, it’s dangerous and requires urgent remedial work to stop it from falling down.
“But it needn’t happen overnight or cost something ridiculous either.
“It just needs making safe for people to visit – beyond that, you could do up a room or two in which to host events.”
Ruperra Castle was built in 1626 as status symbol by military leader Sir Thomas Morgan, regarded as one of the most powerful men in Wales at the time.
It is recognised by historians as one of the country’s first “mock” castles, and, in its pomp, it even entertained King Charles I, who was taking brief respite from the First English Civil War.
Godfrey Charles Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar, who was a captain in the 17th Lancers during the infamous Charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimean War, was born at Ruperra, while former Lord Tredegar Evan Morgan grew up there.
Evan Morgan’s colourful life included practising black magic, serving as right-hand man to Pope Pius XI, keeping a boxing kangaroo as a pet and training a macaw to climb up his trouser leg and stick its head out of his flies at parties.
He also refused to sell the building to American media magnate William Randolph Hearst, who wanted it as a love nest for his Hollywood actress lover Marion Davies during the 1920s.
During his time working for military intelligence during World War II, Evan also concocted a plan to drop hundreds of spy pigeons over Nazi Germany, but it backfired when the birds ended up being turned into mincemeat by the engines of the Allies’ own planes.
And it was around the same time that an electrical fire ripped through Ruperra – its second big blaze – after which it was left to decay.
The castle was sold in the 1950s and has remained in private ownership ever since.
“It’s such a shame to see the levels of neglect – to both the buildings and the surrounding gardens, which used to be quite spectacular back in the early 20th century,” added Pat. “But it’s all been left to rot. “The road leading to the castle is also in a state, so you can’t even really get to it.
“Most people don’t even know it’s there.”