By: Cardiff County Council
Cardiff Castle is situated in the heart of Wales’ capital city, occupying a large and historic site which has been enjoyed by visitors for many years.
The Castle’s history dates back nearly 2000 years from the arrival of the Romans in the first century AD. They realised the strategic importance of the site and used it as a naval base and trading post. Today, reconstructed Roman walls form the boundary of the Castle structure, although a large section of the original wall is still on display to the public.
After the Romans left in the 4th Century AD, very little is known about the site until the arrival of the Normans in the 11th Century AD. The Roman defences were still in place and theNormans used them as the foundations of their own fortress. About 1090, Robert Fitzhamon built a motte (mound) with a wooden stockade within the site, and during the following century this was replaced by the stone shell Keep visible today.
The 12th Century was one of great activity for the Castle. Robert of Normandy was held captive in the Keep from 1126 to 1134, after his capture by his brother, Henry I. In 1158 a Welsh chieftain, Ifor Bach of Senghenydd, kidnapped Earl William of Gloucester and his family from the Castle at night, lowering them bound and gagged from the windows; they were only released when Ifor’s demands had been met.
Over the centuries, the Castle has been owned by a number of noble families; it passed by marriage from the De Clares to the Despenser family in 1399, and again by marriage to Richard Neville, “The Kingmaker.” After he was killed in 1471, it passed through his daughters, Isabel - who was married to the Duke of Clarence, and Anne - wife of Richard III, to the Crown. By 1550 it was owned by the Herbert family and by 1776, again through marriage, the Castle, and its large estate came into the possession of the Bute family.
During the nineteenth century, the 2nd and 3rd Marquises of Bute developed Cardiff into a major port, exporting vast quantities of coal from their mineral-rich property. It was the enormously rich 3rd Marquess of Bute (1847-1900) who transformed the lodgings, which partly date from the mid 15th century, into the spectacular cluster of towers we see today. The 3rd Marquess employed the eccentric but brilliant architect William Burges (1827-81) to recreate a noble castle of the middle ages, and the resulting architectural and decorative scheme makes Cardiff Castle one of the most important examples of the Gothic Revival.
In 1947, the 5th Marquess of Bute gave the Castle to the City of Cardiff and the local council has managed the site on behalf of the people ever since. From 1949 to 1974, the building was home to the Welsh College of Music and Drama, who later moved to their current home on North Road.
Even when the Castle was a private home, it was occasionally open to the public, but it was not until the 1950s that tourism was actively encouraged.
Today, visitors can wander freely around the Castle grounds, Norman Keep and Roman Wall plus the military museum of the Royal Regiment of Wales, which is also housed on the Castle site. Access to the lodgings is by guided tour, and includes some of Burges’ most imaginative and magnificent interiors. These blend the exotic, the historic and the mystical. The Arab Room and the three fantastic rooms of the Clock Tower celebrate such themes as astrology, astronomy and Greek mythology in a blaze of decorated tiles, gilding, marquetry and painting. The superb Banqueting Hall recreates a uniquely Victorian vision of the medieval and is a popular venue for weddings, dinners and other private functions.
The core part of the Castle’s business today is generated by tourist admissions to the grounds and guided tours, although revenue is also earned from private functions, Welsh banquets in the 15th century vaulted Undercroft and outdoor events held in the grounds.
In 1997, Cardiff Council made a successful application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for further development and conservation of the site. New visitor facilities will be introduced at the Castle and extensive conservation work will be carried out on the fabric of the building which aims to be completed by 2008. This project will secure the future of the Castle throughout the new millennium and help to ensure that the Castle will be available for future generations of both local people and visitors to enjoy.
