ownership of the Duke of Beaufort. The garrison was disbanded in 1685, and the buildings were partly dismantled, leased to tenants and left to decay. Various parts of the castle were used as a farmyard and a glass factory. By the late 18th century, its ruins became, with other sites in the Wye valley, a "Picturesque" feature on the "Wye tour", pleasure boat trips down the river from Ross-on-Wye via Monmouth. The first guide book to the castle and town was written by Charles Heath of Monmouth and was published in 1793. The 19th and 20th centuries By the 1840s, tourism was continuing to grow, particularly with day trips on steam ships from Bristol. At the same time, the courtyard of the castle began to be used for local horticultural shows, fêtes, and, increasingly from the 1880s, historical pageants sanctioned by the Duke of Beaufort. Although he tried to sell the castle in 1899, no buyer could be found. In 1910/11, the castle and adjoining river bed were the site of well-publicised excavations by Dr. Orville Ward Owen, who was attempting to find secret documents to prove that Shakespeare's plays had in fact been written by Francis Bacon. In 1913, the movie Ivanhoe, starring King Baggot, was made in the grounds. The following year, the castle was bought by businessman William Royse Lysaght, of Tutshill, and conservation work began. In 1953, the Lysaght family put the castle into the care of the Ministry of Works. In 1977 Terry Gilliam shot some of his film adaptation of Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky" at the castle. During 1984–1986, it was used as one of the locations for HTV's Robin Of Sherwood starring Michael Praed. Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura recorded part of their fifth album Chaos A.D. in the castle, in 1993. The castle today Chepstow Castle is open to the public, and since 1984 has been in the care of Cadw, the Welsh government body with the responsibility for protecting, conserving and promoting the built heritage of Wales. There are special events held often in the castle and visitors are now able to walk along the battlements and into Marten's Tower. The castle was used for the filming some scenes for the Doctor Who 50th anniversary broadcast. Gallery See also List of Cadw properties Striguil References Works cited External links Cadw - Chepstow Castle World History Encyclopedia - Chepstow Castle Castle ruins in