Raglan castle - built to impress
Tuesday dawned rather dull and it was difficult to guess what the weather would do. However as the sun began to peep through, we headed out to Raglan Castle. First impressions were spot on - the place is huge! It is a magnificent Tudor-period sandstone structure, which was not built specifically as a defence as the other great castles of Wales had been. Instead, it was designed mainly as a statement of wealth and influence. A manor had existed on the site before William ap Thomas acquired the property through marriage in 1406. A veteran of Agincourt in 1415, ap Thomas enjoyed the favour of King Henry VI and was knighted in 1426. He wanted to demonstrate his upwardly-mobile status, so set out on an ambitious building plan for Raglan. In 1435 he began work on the Great Tower, also known as the Yellow Tower of Gwent, but he was never to see it completed, as ap Thomas died in 1445. The building work was continued by his son, William, who took the surname Herbert. H...