E X T E N S I O N WELSH CASTLES Caerphilly Castle, the largest castle in Wales. Wales is a land with lots of castles. Everywhere you go, you can find a castle or its ruins1. Dinas Bran For example, on a grassy2 hill, near the town of Llangollen, there is Dinas Bran, also called Crow Castle. In Arthurian romances3 we read that perhaps it is where you can find the Holy Grail. Other legends say that a magic harp4 is near the ruins of the castle in a place where nobody can find it and that some fairies5 live there. In medieval documents there is some information about Crow Castle. It says that there was a castle in that place in the year 1073. In 1277 the Earl6 Henry de Lacy destroys it and what we can see today is just some ruins. Dolforwyn Castle A Welsh prince builds this castle in the Severn Valley between 1273 and 1277. Then it becomes English. In fact, two English noblemen7 easily take the castle because there is no water in it and the people in the castle can t resist for a long time. The English change its structure and build a well8 in the castle. Different people live in the castle until the reign of Richard II (13771399). We know that around 1380 it is in bad condition and in 1398 some documents describe it as ruinous and with no value9 . 1. ruins: parts that remain of a building. 2. grassy: covered in grass. 3. romance: story full of adventures and love affairs. 6. Earl: Count. 7. nobleman: a member of the nobility. 8. well: 4. harp: 9. value: the cost of something. 5. fairy: little imaginary women with magical powers. 36