Blog Archives

Commemorating 400 years of Ruperra Castle 15-17 October 2026

6/6/2026

Ruperra Castle was built by Sir Thomas Morgan of Machen and completed in 1626, 400 years ago!

Join us to celebrate 400 years of the only pageant castle in Wales, a magical scheduled monument, sadly at risk of collapse.

15-17 October 2026 at Bedwas Workmen’s Hall, Old Newport Road, Caerphilly CF83 8BJ.

Exhibition open to the public 1-6pm each day – just turn up. Booking is essential for free performances and talks.

Register to attend one or more of our fascinating talks

Thursday 15 October:

2pm Ruperra’s twin: The story of the restoration of Lulworth Castle – James Weld, Chairman, The Lulworth Estate

Lulworth Castle in Dorset is very similar to Ruperra - a pageant castle built in the 1600s which was damaged by fire in the last century. Lulworth was restored in 1998 with funding from English Heritage and, with its surrounding parkland, is open to the public at certain times of the year. Lulworth Castle is no longer lived in, but sensitive consolidation shows the layers of history within its walls. James will inspire us with the restoration, and explain the commercial viability of its use over the last 20 years.

Friday 16 October:

2pm Ruperra Castle, new insights from historic building recording - Richard Hardy, Senior Historic Buildings Consultant, Cotswold Archaeology

Richard will provide further details behind programme of historic building recording carried out in 2024. He will talk through some of the details found in historic floor plans and their change over time, plus observations from a study of the physical fabric of the building’s remains. The talk will also identify some of the building’s predecessors that may have provided inspiration for its distinctive design and evolution.

3.30pm Ruperra Castle – Plans, Promises, and Abandonment: The Lost Futures of Ruperra Castle - Dr Jon Berry, Senior Inspector of Ancient Monuments and Archaeology, Cadw

Dr Jon Berry is Cadw’s Senior Inspector of Ancient Monuments and Archaeology. He has worked for Cadw for twenty-four years and been involved with Ruperra Castle since 2010. In this presentation, Jon will look at the development schemes that have come and gone over past decades, providing an insight into how difficult it is to work with complex masonry ruins.

7pm Tales of Ruperra Castle – Paul Busby, story teller and creator of the Little Knowledge podcast.

Join Paul for interesting stories of Ruperra Castle - grand 'mock' castle for a powerful courtier, refuge for King Charles I and latterly home to the heir of the illustrious Tredegar Estate. He’ll follow the history and legends surrounding this storied building which was twice all but destroyed by fire. An odd burial, an almost premature one, the impact that Colonel Fred Morgan had on his staff and the phenomenon of the 'sporting' poacher.

Saturday 17 October:

12pm The First Ruperra Castle – Mike Gwyther and Pat Jones-Jenkins from the Ruperra Castle Preservation Trust

Built by Sir Thomas Morgan of Machen in 1626, Ruperra Castle is the only pageant castle in Wales. Find out more about his life and how he came to build his magnificent house in Llanfedw 400 years ago.

1pm Courtly dancing with My Lady's Dancers and audience participation

1.30pm Rhiw’r Perrai, the slope of the pear trees – Dr Elaine Davey and Charlotte Rogers from the Ruperra Castle Preservation Trust

Ruperra Castle sits in a conservation area and is listed in Cadw's Register of Parks and Gardens of special historic interest for its deer park, architectural remains of its seventeenth century layout and Edwardian formal gardens and landscaping. Find out more about the beautiful environment surrounding Ruperra.

2.30pm Courtly dancing with My Lady's Dancers and audience participation

3pm Pageants and Revels – Dr Juliette Wood, Cardiff University

Prospero’s final speech in The Tempest calls his life in exile and by extension the play itself an ‘insubstantial pageant.’ Contemporary audiences would have understood this phrase and the performances to which it referred. This talk will illustrate early pageants with drawings and descriptions of sets and costumes from pageant masques performed at the Tudor and Jacobean courts. It will be proceeded by dances of the period, and the dancers will be wearing costumes to add an extra dimension of how these wonderful performances were staged.