The History of Caerphilly Castle Lights Up

8th September 2010

An amazing technicolour journey through centuries of love, hatred, bitter conflict, woeful destruction and ultimate restoration will be played out as Illuminata 2010 comes to Caerphilly Castle from September 26th until October 8th. The castle’s history will form the centrepiece of this unique digital light and sound spectacular which coincides with the Ryder Cup 2010 taking place in nearby Newport.

The project is the brainchild of Cadw, the Welsh Assembly Government’s historic environment service, and world-renowned projection specialist Ross Ashton. Ross was born in Sheffield and having trained in photography and theatre he moved to London and Paris where he worked with a variety of visual media before specialising in High Power Projection in 1992.

Caerphilly’s Illuminata story begins in 1268 with the construction of the castle and features Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and Gilbert de Clare as they fight for supremacy and control of the castle with animations projected across the walls of the inner ward.

Act Two begins in 1315 and sees Payn De Turberville installed as the new keeper of Glamorgan and fanatical tax collector. Needless to say he is not a popular man and a revolt led by Llywelyn Bren besieges the castle. Dramatic scenes ensue as the men of Glamorgan lead a revolt, burning fields, villages and castles. However, royal forces move in and Bren and his supporters surrender.

The new lord of Glamorgan enters the scene in Act Three. Soon after taking up his new role, Hugh Despenser executes Llywelyn Bren in 1318 and we see his head roll away into the dark. Hugh – a close friend and confidante of King Edward II - redesigns the great hall so that Caerphilly is as much a palace as a fortress and enjoys a lavish lifestyle as lord of Glamorgan.  By 1326, the king’s queen, Isabella, has had enough of Despenser’s influence over her husband, and with her lover, Roger Mortimer, they chase the unlucky pair across England and Wales until they are captured near Llantrisant. Sir Hugh is hanged drawn and quartered.

The Fourth Act ushers in the start of a decline in the castle’s fortunes. Although it is still in use as a prison in 1428, in 1583, Thomas Lewis is granted permission to take away the stone and enlarge his own house, The Van, which – now restored – still overlooks the town. The Civil War rages in Wales between 1642 and 1648 and probably shortly after, the castle is deliberately damaged to make it useless as a stronghold - explosions everywhere are the name of the game.  The final act sees the 4th marquess of Bute entering the frame. It is 1928 and the Great Depression sees thousands out of work. The marquess uses this pool of labour to start major restorations of the castle and the animations will shows drawings and antiquarian images that trace the story of the castle from ruin to the magnificent restored fortress that we see today. The final frames celebrate the role that the castle plays in the life of twenty-first-century Caerphilly, as part of events like The Big Cheese and Cauldrons and Furnaces.

Jayne Rowlands, Cadw’s Head of Presentation, said, “We are excited to have such an international talent as Ross on board which promises to make Illluminata an event to remember and one which will be talked about for years to come. His years of experience have produced an instinctive understanding of the relationship between artwork and structure, light and surface, object and subject and the light shows at Caerphilly will be no different and I hope as many people as possible get a chance to see it for themselves.”

Ross Ashton added, “Caerphilly Castle is an amazing venue and I fell very privileged to be the first person to be able to project on its walls. They provide a backdrop like no other for this special light and sound show and while I have been fortunate to be able to project on some fantastic buildings the world over, such as Buckingham Palace, Illuminata is unique and the story it tells will bring the castle of Caerphilly to life like never before.”

More information on the Illuminata event can be found at www.cadwevents.co.uk. Tickets are also available to buy from £5 through the Cadw events website, at Caerphilly Castle itself and via Ticketline UK www.ticketlineuk.co.uk.

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