Caldicot Castle, apart from having a history dating back to Saxon times, forms the picturesque centrepiece of a beautiful country park. The keep is thought to have been built by Humphrey de Bohun soon after 1220 and the imposing gatehouse by Thomas of Woodstock in the 1380s. The castle was restored by a wealthy Victorian with an interest in British naval history and was the home of the Cobb family until the 1960s. The castle was designed to look quite forbidding from outside but is surprisingly pleasant once you enter. It hosts medieval banquets and on a sunny day becomes a wonderful venue for wedding ceremonies and celebrations. Caldicot could be called a castle within a castle. Once inside the main walls, a large lawn has the 13th century Norman round keep as its focus. It is thought that this miniature castle was itself built on the site of an earlier Saxon stronghold.            Photo's and Webset by Paul Mallinson © Paul Mallinson 2004