Cardiff (Caerdydd) - Wales - page 95

It's far from a traditional Welsh castle, more a collection of disparate castles scattered
around a central green, encompassing practically the whole history of Cardiff. The most
conventionally castle-like bits are the motte-and-bailey Norman shell keep at its centre (built
in wood in around 1081 and rebuilt in stone in 1135) and the 13th-century Black Tower that
forms the entrance gate. William the Conqueror's eldest son Robert, Duke of Normandy,
was imprisoned in the wooden fort by his brother, England's King Henry I, until his death
at the age of 83.
A grand house was built into the western wall in the 1420s by the Earl of Warwick and
was extended in the 17th century by the Herbert family (the earls of Pembroke), but by the
time the Butes acquired it a century later it had fallen into disrepair. The first marquess of
Bute hired architect Henry Holland and Holland's father-in-law, the famous landscape-ar-
chitect Lancelot 'Capability' Brown, to get the house and grounds into shape.
It was only in the 19th century that it was discovered that the Normans had built their
fortifications on top of Cardiff's original 1st-century Roman fort. The high walls that sur-
round the castle now are largely a Victorian reproduction of the 3rd-century 3m-thick Ro-
man walls . A line of red bricks, clearly visible from the city frontage, marks the point where
the original Roman section ends and the reconstruction commences.
Also from the 19th century are the towers and turrets on the west side, dominated by
the colourful 40m clock tower . This faux-Gothic extravaganza was dreamed up by the
mind-bendingly rich third marquess of Bute and his architect William Burges, a passion-
ate eccentric who used to dress in medieval costume and was often seen with a parrot on
his shoulder. Both were obsessed with Gothic architecture, religious symbolism and astro-
logy, influences that were incorporated into the designs both here and at the Butes' second
Welsh home at Castell Coch. Yet along with the focus on the past, the plans included all of
the mod cons of the Victorian era, such as electric lighting (it was the second house in
Wales to feature this newfangled wizardry) and running water in the en suite attached to
the upper-floor bedroom.
A 50-minute guided tour takes you through the interiors of this flamboyant fantasy
world, from the winter smoking room in the clocktower with decor expounding on the theme
of time (zodiac symbols grouped into seasons, Norse gods representing the days of the
week, and a fright for anyone who dares listen at the door - look up as you pass through
the doorway), to the mahogany-and-mirrors narcissism of Lord Bute's bedroom , with a gilded
statue of St John the Evangelist (the marquess' name saint) and 189 bevelled mirrors on
the ceiling, which reflect the name 'John' in Greek.