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A Senedd Member has backed calls to save a castle from the risk of collapse. 

Natasha Asghar, Conservative Member of the Senedd for South Wales East has backed a long-running campaign to save Ruperra Castle. 

The Grade II castle, which is near Lower Machen, was built in 1626 by Sir  Thomas Morgan and is one of the only pageant castles in the UK – meaning it was built for show rather than defence. 

It has played host to King Charles I, the military during World War II and has also been a family home. 

Ms Asghar recently visited the site and met up with trustees from the Ruperra Castle Preservation Trust to find out more about their campaign, which aims to not only save the Castle but see it operate as a heritage site for the public.

Speaking after the visit, Natasha Asghar MS said: “It is heartbreaking to see such a beautiful castle crumble to the ground and that’s exactly what is happening with some parts of the building already falling down.

“I wholeheartedly support the Ruperra Castle Preservation Trust in their mission to preserve the site for community benefit.

“They have been leading this fight for quite some time and whilst it doesn’t look like the end is in sight yet, they must not give up hope and keep fighting for action.”

The  Ruperra Castle Preservation Trust has an open petition which has been submitted to the Welsh Parliament. 

The petition calls for the Welsh Parliament to bring forward a requirement that conservation management plans are made compulsory in a bid to avoid neglect and subsequent loss.

At the time of writing it has 3,368 signatures and will remain open until July 18.

Ms Asghar continued: “I would encourage everyone to sign up to their petition to help sites like Ruperra Castle, and I am very much looking forward to getting stuck in with the Trust.”

 ‘Difficult to resolve’

Senedd Member for Caerphilly, Hefin David has been working on issues relating to Ruperra Castle since 2016.

Mr David told Caerphilly Observer that the issue is “difficult to resolve” as the castle is currently privately owned.

Mr David said: “The owner is a private owner and is refusing to do anything.”

Though meetings were held prior to the pandemic where “all kinds of promises were made” nothing has been resolved to date.

Mr David continued: “The owner has got to take responsibility and engage with the community. That’s the way to unlock this.”

Mr David added that he has signed the petition and that bringing the owner “back to the table” to discuss matters is needed.

He added that he was still dedicated to the issue and said: “I’ll do anything they want me to do to help.”