What makes Raglan castle stand out from most castles is that it is made of a polygonal design. All of it’s towers and the gatehouse has six sides, not round or square which is the usual build for castles.
Raglan Castle is one of the last true castles to be built in Wales, and was built for it’s beauty rather than battle.
The construction of this unusal castle began back in the 1430s by Sir William ap Thomas, who was known as the Blue Knight of Gwent and he fought at the Battle of Agincourt with King Henry V in 1415.
The Yellow Tower of Gwent is one of the the Great Tower’s at Raglan Castle that Sir William takes responsibility for building.
The Great Tower or Yellow Tower of Gwent is surrounded by a moat, which you can cross via a bridge from the main castle. It has an apron wall with six turrets just above water level.
Before it’s partial destruction this Great Tower stood four stories tall and included battlements making it the highest tower of the castle, unfortunately it now stands at three stories high.
In addition to the Great Tower, there are a further two impressive towers, named the Closet Tower and Kitchen Tower.
These towers are not as tall or large as the Great Tower but both are still formidable in their own right when anyone was attempting to attack the castle.
The Closet Tower is more impressive due to its machicolations that adorn the top and gatehouse. The Closet Tower’s basement served as a prison whilst the first and second floors were the officers’ quarters.
Some other main designs of Raglan castle are the impressive mullioned windows which bathed rooms in luxurious light. But it is the large oriel window which is one of Raglan’s defining features.
A very impressive and beautiful castle.