Caerphilly, Wales, United Kingdom

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Caerphilly is a town and community in Wales. It is situated at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley.

It is 7 mi (11 km) north of Cardiff and 12 mi (19 km) north-west of Newport. It is the largest town in Caerphilly County Borough, within the historic borders of Glamorgan.

The town's site has long been of strategic significance. Around AD 75 a fort was built by the Romans during their conquest of Britain. An excavation of the site in 1963 showed that the fort was occupied by Roman forces until the middle of the 2nd century.

Following the Norman invasion of Wales in the late 11th century, the area of Sengenhydd remained in Welsh hands. By the middle of the 12th century the area was under the control of the Welsh chieftain Ifor Bach (Ifor ap Meurig). His grandson Gruffydd ap Rhys was the final Welsh lord of Sengenhydd, falling to the English nobleman Gilbert de Clare, the Red Earl, in 1266. In 1267 Henry III was forced to recognise Llywelyn ap Gruffudd as Prince of Wales, and by September 1268 Llywelyn had secured northern Sengenhydd. Gilbert de Clare had already begun to take steps to consolidate his own territorial gains, beginning the construction of Caerphilly Castle on 11 April 1268. The castle would also act as a buffer against Llewelyn's own territorial ambitions and was attacked by the Prince of Wales' forces before construction was halted in 1270. Construction recommenced in 1271 and was continued under the Red Earl's son, Gilbert de Clare, 8th Earl of Gloucester. With only interior remodelling carried out to the castle by Hugh le Despenser in the 1320s, Caerphilly Castle remains a pure example of 13th century military architecture and is the largest castle in Wales, and the second largest in Britain (after Windsor).

Aviation The nearest airport is Cardiff Airport which is 19 miles (31 km) away by road, it is a 35-minute drive and about an hour by train and shuttle bus. Bristol Airport is 47 miles (76 km) away by road.

Rail Caerphilly has three railway stations. All are located on the Rhymney Line serving Cardiff. • Caerphilly at the southern end of the town near the shopping area • Aber in the western part of the town • Energlyn & Churchill Park railway station in the far western part of the town The rail service between Caerphilly and Cardiff Queen Street typically takes 13 minutes. From there services continue to Penarth, Cardiff Central, or on occasion Bridgend (Via Rhoose Cardiff International Airport).

Road The A469 trunk road runs through the town north to south and connects the north to the Heads of the Valleys Road and the South to the A48 Cabalfa Interchange. The A468 skirts the northern boundary of the town connecting the west with the A470 and the east with the M4 Motorway European route E30 at junction 28.

Metro The South Wales Metro is a system integrating heavy rail, light rail and bus services in South East Wales around the hub of Cardiff Central. The first phase was approved for development in October 2013. Work has already began and the Core Valley lines (including Rhymney line) are to be electrified. New trains will be introduced (British Rail Class 756), Increasing capacity, more frequent services and greener transport for the town and the local region. Caerphilly will also benefit from new greener buses which will also be integrated into the system. The Metro should be completed by late 2023 early 2024.