The Southeast Tower in the center is perhaps the most curious element of the Caerphilly Castle. Half of its façade is missing and the rest leans at an angle of 10 degrees, steeper than the Tower of Pisa. Some historians believe it was destroyed by gunpowder by Oliver Cromwell’s troops at the end of the English Civil War in the mid-17th century. Others claim the land beneath it is sinking. There is a wooden statue of John Crichton-Stuart, the 4th Marquess of Bute, pretending to hold the structure up. He was responsible for extensive renovation of the castle from 1928 through 1939. The 20 foot sculpture by John Merrill was erected in 2013.
