The remodeled wing of Cardiff Castle.
The guide book said that Cardiff Castle was one of the major tourist attractions in Cardiff. If that's so, then Cardiff really doesn't have much going for it.
The castle dates from Roman times. A portion of the Roman wall still survives. Later, the Normans and the English built the standard castle structures on the site of the old Roman fort. The keep still survives from this portion of time. However, the part of the castle that brings in the tourists is the "new" portion. Remodeled in the late 1800's by the Bute family (the local coal barons) to be their home, the new part of castle contains several theme rooms designed to appeal to the family's love of things medieval. I found it to be a gaudy attempt by a rich family of the late Victorian era to recreate the Middle Ages. O.K., the Arabian Room was cool; but, one room does not make a tourist attraction.
The castle is owned by the City of Cardiff. Thus, today it serves as a city park. That might be one of the reasons why I didn't care for the castle. The day I was there, the grounds were being used for a children's festival, thus ruining the whole complex with loud music and screaming children. Also, the library in the restored part of the castle has become home to the City of Cardiff's Council's meeting minutes. Since the family cleared out the library when they sold the castle to the City, some intelligent bureaucrat got the idea that they could solve the City's space problems and fill up the library by placing the City's meeting minutes in the empty shelves. I bet this bureaucrat thought that it would go a long way to recreating the mood of the room. Believe me, it doesn't.
If you still feel like seeing this "attraction", be aware there
is no charge to enter the castle grounds. Visiting the Roman wall and the
old keep are also free. However, a guided tour of the remodeled portion
costs £3. The 45 minute tour is the only way to see this part of the
castle.
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