Castell Coch
The ‘Red Castle’ in the trees above Tongwynlais — a Victorian Gothic Revival dream raised on authentic 13th-century foundations.
Visit Cadw →A Fairytale Built on Ruins
The medieval castle at Coch fell into ruin after the 15th century. Four hundred years later, John Crichton-Stuart, the 3rd Marquess of Bute — reputedly the richest man in the world — commissioned the eccentric architect William Burges to raise a romantic, fully-furnished country retreat on the surviving stonework.
The result is one of Britain's most arresting High Victorian interiors: polychrome murals, gilt carvings, mythical creatures, and astronomical symbolism packed into conical towers and round turrets that look lifted straight from a storybook.
The Build
Our Minecraft recreation captures the distinctive silhouette of Castell Coch — the three conical-roofed towers, the drawbridge and portcullis, and the woodland setting — along with faithful interiors inspired by Burges's richly decorated rooms.
Castell Coch is part of the Cadw Cymru expansion rolling out to the Minecraft Education world, with a practitioner guide and curriculum-aligned activities to follow.
Inside the Build
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