Find out about the Co-op Community Fund!

Ruperra Castle Preservation Trust has been chosen as a local good cause by the new Co-op store at Machen. For more details  about how to help go to coop.co.uk/causes.

The following is an example of the leaflet left at the Machen store.

A Great Lunch atthe Waterloo Hotel in Newoport.

On Sunday 17th November, Ruperra Castle Preservation Trust will hold its 11th A G M and Lunch at the Waterloo Hotel in Newport. As soon as you decide to come along, send in for the Menu and other details, explained on the poster.

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Help to stop the Rot!

STOP THE ROT!

Ruperra Castle Preservation Trust fears that Caerphilly’s forgotten Castle – at Ruperra – is at risk and that Ruperra, an exceptional pageant castle unique in Wales and built by Welshman Sir Thomas Morgan – ancestor of the Lords Tredegar – will remain hidden, undervalued and ruinous. 

The current owners – Mr and Mrs Al Khafaji – have put in planning applications for the first part of a residential development with no proposals for the Castle and no prospect of producing enough surplus money to restore the Castle which they have left to rot.   The Trust thinks these applications should be REFUSED.

 

NO REPAIR OR RESTORATION WORK HAS BEEN UNDERTAKEN ON THE CASTLE since 1941 apart from emergency work to demolish internal chimneys - despite Scheduled Ancient Monument and Listed Building legislation.  During this time the south-east tower has collapsed and large cracks have appeared in its largely unsupported walls and north-west tower. 

The Ecological Impact Assessment report shows the extent and importance of protected species on the site including a colony of Greater Horseshoe bats.  The applications will affect the Stables, Bothy and Generator block which houses a 204 Greater Horseshoe Bat maternity roost - one of only 5 in Wales. 

The Council’s own LAND MAP and the EU-funded Sustainable Caerphilly Landscape Master plan (developed with external expertise and inputs from a wide range of voluntary groups, including the Trust) shows the need for a sustainable future for this historic area.   

The Trust considers that Caerphilly Council should refuse these applications because they WILL NOT protect the Castle for local young people as required under the Well-being of Future Generations Act (WFGA).

Pat Jones Jenkins, Secretary of the Trust said “The Castle and its Estate are an unique and precious part of the heritage of Wales much valued by local people who are appalled at the level of neglect and lack of public access.  Like Caerphilly Castle and Tredegar House, Ruperra Castle and Estate is a vital link to families who made a huge impact on the history of Wales, its industries and its people over many centuries. 

The Ruperra Castle Preservation Trust has been pivotal in recording and making available to local communities many of its stories from the distant and more recent past.  There are more which are yet to be investigated and re-told. Allowing it to become a private gated community is not the way forward! “

Please send your objections by Monday 28^th October to planadmin@caerphillygov.uk

NOTE: These applications can be viewed on Caerphilly Council’s web-site: 19/0788/LBC and 19/0787/COU: Former Dairy and Laundry (The Bothy), Stables and Coach house; and 19/0790/LBC and 19/0789/COU: Kitchen Garden Store.

Open Doors Day with the Marcher Stuarts! Sunday 15th September

 
Hope you're all fired up for this year's Open Doors Day!
You must ring to book for your tea and cakes. 
Tel. no. 01656 741622 - that's the landline. The mobile works OK but sometimes cuts out - it's 07713 634854.
The tea is £5 per head and £3 for children under 12.
We have to know how many are coming so that the  excellent cake makers will have time to bake. 
We can take you on a walk to view the Castle but we can't go inside the grounds. A heritage expert will give you a talk by the entrance and you'll walk on the old drives to the castle. 
You can park at the Home Farm and sit in the Barn if you don't fancy walking.
There'll be plenty of notices to guide you to the Farm. Come on the Draethen -  Michaelstone road from the Hollybush in Draethen. The drive from the Lisvane road is not open for cars and is very rough.

Wildflower walk Augusr 11th Snday

We're doing the wildflower walk again and hoping for better weather this time!!

 

Discovering wildflowers, their healing powers, folklore and myth Sunday June 16th

Meet at Ruperra Home Farm Barn ready for a walk starting at 2 pm. Use the entrance by Ruperra House on the Draethen -Michaelstone Road.  Post code NP10 8GG
Once again the Rudry Lunch Ladies will serve biscuits and cakes made from plants and  flowers.  DON'T  WORRY there'll be no magic mushrooms or nettle soup! 
You can pay on the day - £5 for the walk, the talk by Adrianne Jones and the food. If it rains we can shelter in the barn and look at pictures of plants and medical treatments.

 
Please phone 07713 634854 or 07528 793074 to tell us you are coming so we can have the right amount of eats. Phone numbers are at the bottom of the poster. 

Walk, Talk and Lunch Sunday May 19th

Still time to book for the lunch , but come along for the walk and talk as well!