Castell Caerdydd (Cardiff Castle), Cymru (Wales)
Well, it seems the Welsh have always been a lot who do not like someone else telling them what to do. The Romans found this out and in 58 A.D. built the first fort here to control the area. They did not end up controlling the area, just protecting the fort.Romans left, and a thousand years later, the Normans decided to take their shot after conquering England, trashed the Roman remains, buried some, then built a motte and bailey (basically a building on a hill) to control the area. It took them a while to actually conquer but William was all about propaganda so this was a start.
In 1404, the place was trashed by the peasants sick of English rule. This was the final actual Welsh uprising but tells you something if it takes 1400 years to beat someone.
So after that, rich nobles bought it and built it up, with a new one taking over every generation. It was even attacked in the Civil War but spared major damage and even razing because it was still important for defense.
In the 1700s, the Bute family (Marquesses if you must know) bought it. They owned the coal mines in the area, and became literally richer than the King. They threw a crap ton of money into it, remaking many aspects into a medieval fantasy and gothic, then later Victorian, useability. 200 years of cleanup and redo.
Roman origins rediscovered, used as an air raid shelter during the war, and donated to the city in 1947 (I'm going to say the crazy taxes London put on everything was a major factor in this).
Now it's a museum, useable space for concerts, private functions, and such. Ok, enough history (is there ever enough history?), onto the pictures!
The Arrival - Walking
I walked up St. Mary Street, it's literally downtown. Stopped by the Georgian Cardiff Market for some Welsh Cakes (get the original ones first then try the exotics), and made my way to the Castle.The Castle
Large encased courtyard with keep on the hill, various usability buildings on the walls (after there was a real risk of attack), and walls, lots of walls.The Manorhouse
What became the main residence, the Manorhouse. The most magnificent aspect of the castle, and truly a beautiful place to be in.Walls and Walkways
As it is a proper castle, it has walls. Old and new. Old from Rome, new from various time periods.Spending Money
A cafe (actually pretty decent) with a bar! And of course the shop.
How one usually gets in unless they breakdown a wall
Nice hill, that'll slow down people so you can kill them easier
The water supply in the protected area
Inside, this used have floors and buildings, but revolts took care of that
This was actually the bedroom of the noble staying here
The top of the tower, great for archers and zoom camera lenses
A functioning moat, not like London where there were removed because someone might get hurt falling in. Welsh are sturdier it seems
Nice views from the towertop
Looking north it's the countryside very quickly
A small place to live in
The jewel of the building, the Arab room
Used for a drawing/tea room with treasures hidden in the walls
The main dining and banquet room
And a huge fireplace to keep warm, as you can see by the workmanship, this was not done on the cheap
The small dining room, you know, the size of a tennis court
The library where all the books are held and multiple places to peruse books, and account ones holdings
Another big fireplace, with Greeks above it
These are the stairs real guests would have used to be impressed
Midevil walls
Roman walls, below current ground level and in better shape than the existing walls
Walk ways inside the walls
Walk ways on top of the walls, yes, both are connected
Welsh flags, because... well, still pissed off
Access to I dunno what, too old for electricity and I don't see any plumbing here
The keep still dominates
World war 2 shelters, could hold up to 1600 people for extended times
Food available for those long attacks
While long, actually wouldn't have handled a direct hit very well
Decent food including grilled, not just cold stuff
My only complaint is they didn't have a castle specific t-shirt to buy
Summary
A long-running, but overall, not very successful castle for defense as it was breached many times. Super cool place now, with the "civilized" age we live in (infer any sarcasm you want there).Go in, buy a ticket, walk around the grounds, have a drink at the cafe bar.