 Raglan Castle was built in several phases , initial work occurring in the 1420s and 1430s , a major phase in the 1460s , with various alterations and additions at the end of the 16th century . The castle was built in stone , initially pale sandstone from Redbrook , and later Old Red Sandstone , with Bath Stone used for many of the detailed features . Like similar properties of the period , the castle of the 1460s was almost certainly designed to be approached and entered in a particular way , maximising the aesthetic and political value of the fortification . At Raglan , the design highlighted the Great Tower : a typical senior visitor would ride through Raglan village , and first the tower and then the rest of the castle would appear suddenly over the slight rise on the hill . A visitor would have needed to circle the Great Tower and the moat , before coming in through the gatehouse , into the Pitched Stone Court , around the edge of the communal hall , before reaching the previously hidden , and more refined , inner Fountain Court . Only then would a privileged guest be able to enter the Great Tower itself , overlooking the Herbert family 's own chambers . Many less senior visitors or servants would never have entered this far , seeing only the external elements of the castle , but perhaps having been impressed by the outside of the Great Tower as they arrived . 
