On arriving in Cardiff (see post) we headed straight to Cardiff Castle. With a big day planned we didn’t have time for a tour, and only expected to get a glimpse of the castle from beyond its 12 metre high walls, however we were pleasantly surprised to find the north gate open (photos 1-5). We crossed the bridge over a moat to the gate which opened out to the expansive castle grounds which had many people milling around, including a group of school children dressed in bright red shirts – the national colour of Wales. 

We followed the cobblestone pathway through the castle grounds, stopping to look at the various buildings that still remained within its walls. The castle began life as a Roman fort in AD 55 and there are still several parts of the original construction around, for example, the lower bricks in the south wall shown in the last photo. 

The Normans built a castle on the Roman ruins in the late 11th century, and the 12 sided ‘keep’ (photos 6-9) was built in the early 12th century on a ‘motte’ – a man-made mound. It was called a keep because it is a shell built around other buildings to protect them. 

Many of the other castles of this age we visited on our trip had their buildings and grounds compacted onto the top of a hill fort, but I was surprised at how large and flat Cardiff’s castle grounds were, especially being right in the middle of what is now a bustling city. The Romans spent about 350 years here and it was easy to picture the sights and sounds of armour-clad soldiers marching around the grounds with military precision.

Various developments were made to the castle and grounds over the 12th – 15th centuries, but one of the most significant additions was the Victorian mansion and clock tower built during the 1860s-70s (photos 10-13). I would definitely like to come back and do a tour of these very elaborate looking Gothic Revival style buildings some day.

In front of the mansion was a large sculpture of the Welsh dragon, the national symbol of Wales which stems back to Welsh mythology, featuring King Arthur and Merlin. The red dragon is also on the Welsh flag, of which we saw several both inside and outside the castle.

A café and gift shop were near the south gate, with our favourite bear Paddington waiting to greet us, yet again! 

Exiting out of the gate into the busy streets of Cardiff was like stepping between two worlds. With a mix of old and new architecture, it’s interesting to think how this city of 385,000 has grown up around the castle as its centrepiece over the centuries.