RAGLAN (Rhaglan), seven miles west of Monmouth, is an unassuming village worth visiting for its glorious Castle (June-Sept daily 9.30am-6pm; April, May & Oct daily 9am-5pm; Nov-March Mon-Sat 9.30am-4pm, Sun 11am-4pm; £2.50; CADW), whose fussy and comparatively intact style makes it stand out from so many other crumbling Welsh fortresses. The last medieval fortification built in Britain, the design of which combines practical strength with ostentatious style, Raglan was begun on the site of a Norman motte in 1435 by Sir William ap Thomas. The gatehouse , still used as the main entrance, houses the best examples of the castle's showy decoration in its heraldic shields, intricate stonework edging and gargoyles. In the mid-fifteenth century, ap Thomas's grandson, William Herbert II, was responsible for the two inner courts, built around his grandfather's original gatehouse, hall and keep. The first is the cobbled Pitched Stone Court , designed to house the functional rooms like the kitchen, with its two vast, double-flued chimneys, and the servants' quarters. To the left is Fountain Court , a well-proportioned grassy space surrounded by opulent residences that once included grand apartments and state rooms. Separating the two are the original hall, from 1435, the buttery, the remains of the chapel and the dank, cold cellars below.