CASTLE CARDIFF

The origins of this architectural treasure lie in a Roman fort built over 2,000 years ago. The Romans had erected fortifications to make Cardiff a naval base and trading post. In the ^11th century, the Normans used the Roman walls as foundations to build their own fortress. And finally, after several changes of ownership, in the ^18th century Cardiff Castle became the property of Wales' best-known family, the Bute family. At the end of the ^19th century, the third Marquess of Bute, reputed to be the richest man in Europe at the time, reinvented Cardiff Castle with the help of architect William Burges (1827-1881). The combination of these two men, a young polyglot with a passion for the natural sciences and an extravagant architect with a love of the Middle Ages, led to the creation of a castle unlike any other in the area. The style is marked by medieval characteristics, with an abundance of gold, raspberry and duck blue, a mix of genres and inscriptions in Greek, Hebrew and Latin. The nursery, whose tiled walls illustrate thirty children's stories, from Robin Hood to Sleeping Beauty, is a marvel. Each room has a different style; from the patio, a pale copy of Pompeii, to the winter salon, the only constant is the repetition of images and paintings of parrots, Burges' favorite animal. Discover these wonders on a guided tour, which we strongly recommend you take.