Old & New

I dropped my car off for the well overdue MOT and made the most of the hour by a walk into central Caerphilly.

The blip photo is one I have seen many hundreds of times. Today, on foot, seemed the ideal time to record it. It is a view that most tourists won't see as it's a side street about 200 metres from the main South Gate entrance.

It's always fascinated me as you have a castle built in the 13 century and then 'yards away' newish houses built about 1960. (There are old stone terraced houses around the town built just after 1900). I'm sure that if planners had their way, permission wouldn't be given these days!

So, as it stands, you have a great mix of old and new.

The leaning South East Tower (on the left of the pic!) of Caerphilly Castle leans at a greater angle than the slightly more famous Leaning Tower of Pisa!

The medieval castle, second in size in Britain only to Windsor, was ‘slighted’ by Cromwell’s forces in 1648, leading to the South East Tower splitting in two. Now the 20m of the structure that remains leans three metres off true.

The other story, which I prefer, is that the split in the tower is caused by subsidence when the water from the moats dried up. I doubt Cromwell's forces would only damage one tower.

I returned to my car at 10am to find out that I am now street legal! (phew)