Castell Coch is a fantasy straight out of the pages of Sleeping Beauty. Its conical towers and needle-sharp turrets peek out from a wooded slope, creating an idyllic vision of the Middle Ages.

It was the work of the eccentric Victorian architect William Burges, who designed this dream palace for the Marquis of Bute, owner of Cardiff's booming dockland and reputedly the richest man in the world.

Castell Coch was begun in 1875 on the site of the original 13th-century 'Red Castle'. Burges's scholarly exterior - complete with working portcullis and drawbridge - clothes an interior where he allowed his fertile imagination to run riot. There is almost too much to take in at this perfectly preserved extravaganza - the dazzling ceilings, the scenes from Aesop's Fables on the walls, the bird and animal mouldings around the doors, and the fantastic furnishings and fireplaces.

Telephone:- +44 2920 810101 - Access:- M4 (junction 32), A470 then signposted.

Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments. Crown Copyright.

Cardiff 7 miles

Railway:- Taffs Well 3/4mile

Website:- http://cadw.wales.gov.uk/