In June, we went to Cardiff to see the Champions League final match between Real Madrid and Juventus. Real won.
We stayed an extra day and visited the famous Cardiff Castle which is in the middle of the city. It was also used as to host hospitality services to sponsors of the match and their guests.
The Castle was a Roman fort, has an impressive Norman castle and an extraordinary Victorian Gothic fantasy palace, created by art-architect William Burges for the 3rd Marquess of Bute, one of the world’s richest men at his time. The Bute family brought prosperity to Cardiff by exporting coal all over the world.
In 1947 the Castle was given to the people of Cardiff by the 5th Marquess of Bute.
Within the walls of the Castle are tunnels which came into their own as air-raid shelters during the Second World War.
The Norman castle has an outer walls which provides a shell for smaller buildings within it.
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From the top of the Keep, one has panoramic views of the city of Cardiff.
The stadium is just visible behind the clock tower.
The house was renovated in 1865 and the process lasted 16 years. There are a number of opulent, highly decorated rooms in the main house.
The Arab Room is stunning.
Almost a theme park but this is real – somebody with serious money lived in it.
The house is being used to host various functions, both governmental and private.
We walked through the library where they had shelves full of old or antique books, all topics from science to literature. E.g., a set of books about English gardens in four seasons.
The Clock Tower was built on the site of a Roman bastion and completed in 1875.
It is a great tourist attraction.
Cymru !