On Sunday the 6th of September 2020 we were on our way home after a weekend away in South Wales, when we decided to stop off at Cardiff on our way home. After faffing about in Sophia Gardens car park, the machines weren't accepting cash, a young lad told us there is free parking up the road in Cathedral Road, so we drove up there, I was sceptical but it really was free, in a city centre I couldn't believe it!
So after parking we walked back through Sophia Gardens and out onto Cowbridge Road East and across the River Taff.
As we crossed we got our first look at Wales National Stadium, The Millennium Stadium now known as the Principality Stadium since 2016.
A little further along was the entrance to Bute Park and lined with the animal wall.
Bute Park is a major park in the city of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It comprises 130 acres of landscaped gardens and parkland that once formed the grounds of Cardiff Castle. The park is named after the 3rd Marquess of Bute, whose family owned the castle.
The Animal Wall is a sculptured wall depicting 15 animals in the Castle Quarter of the city centre of Cardiff, Wales. It is a Grade I listed structure.
The Animal Wall was designed by William Burges in 1866, but it was not built until 1890, after Burges's death in 1881. The work of the restoration of Cardiff Castle and the building of the Animal Wall for the Marquess of Bute, was continued by his former assistant William Frame.[2] The original nine animal figures were sculptured by Thomas Nicholls, they were the hyena, wolf, baboons, seal, bear, lioness, lynx, and 2 different lions. They were painted in naturalistic colours, although since then the paint work on the sculptures has been removed.
The wall was moved about 50 metres (160 ft) from outside Cardiff Castle to its present location outside Bute Park in 1922, due to road widening in front of the castle in Duke Street and Castle Street (now the A4161).
In 1931 a further six animals were added; the pelican, ant-eater, raccoons, leopard, beaver and vulture. They were all sculptured by Alexander Carrick.
The original nine, sculpted by Thomas Nicholls, had glass eyes and were painted in naturalistic colours to make them seem even more lifelike. But the paint peeled after a couple of years and was never replaced, leaving the bare stone seen today.
The animals reached the peak of their popularity in the 1930s when the South Wales Echo ran a children's cartoon strip – the Keepers of the Wall – that depicted them involved in adventures around the city.
Penned by Dorothy Howard Rowlands characters included William the seal, Priscilla the pelican, Martha and Oscar the monkeys; however, the statues are actually baboons. Larry the lynx and Romulus and Remus the two lions.
The inside of the castle also features animals carved in stone, including many lions, as these were a symbol of Lord Bute's family.
In the 1970s Council planners had wanted to demolish the Animal Wall to widen the Castle Street again, but this idea was later abandoned.
As part of a £5.6 million refurbishment of Bute Park, restoration of the animals began in July 2010. During the repair, the anteater's nose, which has been missing since the late 90s, was replaced as well as the missing glass eyes in the nine original animals. This work was completed in October 2010.
We turn right up Westgate Street and up to the Principality Stadium.
Principality Stadium is the national stadium of Wales. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and has also held Wales national football team games. Initially built to host the 1999 Rugby World Cup, it has gone on to host many other large-scale events, such as the Tsunami Relief Cardiff concert, the Super Special Stage of Wales Rally Great Britain, the Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain and various concerts. It also hosted six FA Cup finals and several other high-profile football fixtures while Wembley Stadium was being redeveloped.
The stadium is owned by Millennium Stadium plc, a subsidiary company of the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU). The architects were Bligh Lobb Sports Architecture. The structural engineers were WS Atkins and the building contractor was Laing. The total construction cost of the stadium was £121 million,[3] of which the Millennium Commission funded £46 million.
The Millennium Stadium opened in June 1999 and its first major event was an international rugby union match on 26 June 1999, when Wales beat South Africa in a test match by 29–19 before a crowd of 29,000. With a total seating capacity of 73,931, it is the third-largest stadium in the Six Nations Championship behind the Stade de France and Twickenham. It is also the second-largest stadium in the world with a fully retractable roof and was the second stadium in Europe to have this feature. Listed as a category four stadium by UEFA, the stadium was chosen as the venue for the 2017 UEFA Champions League Final, which took place on 3 June 2017. In 2015, the Welsh Rugby Union announced a 10-year sponsorship deal with the Principality Building Society that saw the stadium renamed as the "Principality Stadium" from early 2016.
A statue of Sir Tasker Watkins, the former WRU president between 1993 and 2004, was commissioned to stand outside Gate 3 of the stadium. The bronze statue, 9 feet (2.7 m) tall, was sculpted by Llantwit Major based sculptor Roger Andrews. The Welsh Government contributed £50,000, as did Cardiff Council.It was official unveiled on 15 November 2009 by his daughter, Lady Mair Griffith-Williams.
Opposite is the fabulous Tiny Rebel bar,shame it wasn't open, some great beers from this brewery!
We walk around to Womanby Street around the back and have a great breakfast in the Wetherspoon pub 'The Gatekeeper'.
After Breakfast we continue along Womanby Street and past some great Iron Maiden artwork on the side of 'The Bootlegger'. A Stylish lounge with an American speakeasy vibe offering craft cocktails & live music Fri–Sat.
Now we walk onto Castle Street and opposite Cardiff Castle itself.
Cardiff Castle (Welsh: Castell Caerdydd) is a medieval castle and Victorian Gothic revival mansion located in the city centre of Cardiff, Wales. The original motte and bailey castle was built in the late 11th century by Norman invaders on top of a 3rd-century Roman fort. The castle was commissioned either by William the Conqueror or by Robert Fitzhamon, and formed the heart of the medieval town of Cardiff and the Marcher Lord territory of Glamorgan. In the 12th century the castle began to be rebuilt in stone, probably by Robert of Gloucester, with a shell keep and substantial defensive walls being erected. Further work was conducted by The 6th Earl of Gloucester in the second half of the 13th century. Cardiff Castle was repeatedly involved in the conflicts between the Anglo-Normans and the Welsh, being attacked several times in the 12th century, and stormed in 1404 during the revolt of Owain Glyndŵr.
After being held by the de Clare and Despenser families for several centuries, the castle was acquired by The 13th Earl of Warwick and Comte de Aumale in 1423. Lord Warwick conducted extensive work on the castle, founding the main range on the west side of the castle, dominated by a tall octagonal tower. Following the Wars of the Roses, the status of the castle as a Marcher territory was revoked and its military significance began to decline. The Herbert family took over the property in 1550, remodelling parts of the main range and carrying out construction work in the outer bailey, then occupied by Cardiff's Shire Hall and other buildings. During the English Civil War Cardiff Castle was initially taken by a Parliamentary force, but was regained by Royalist supporters in 1645. When fighting broke out again in 1648, a Royalist army attacked Cardiff in a bid to regain the castle, leading to the Battle of St Fagans just outside the city. Cardiff Castle escaped potential destruction by Parliament after the war and was instead garrisoned, probably to protect against a possible Scottish invasion.
In the mid-18th century, Cardiff Castle passed into the hands of the Stuart dynasty, Marquesses of Bute. John, 1st Marquess of Bute, employed Capability Brown and Henry Holland to renovate the main range, turning it into a Georgian mansion, and to landscape the castle grounds, demolishing many of the older medieval buildings and walls. During the first half of the 19th century the family became extremely wealthy as a result of the growth of the coal industry in Glamorgan. However, it was the 3rd Marquess of Bute who truly transformed the castle, using his vast wealth to back an extensive programme of renovations under William Burges. Burges remodelled the castle in a Gothic revival style, lavishing money and attention on the main range. The resulting interior designs are considered to be amongst "the most magnificent that the gothic revival ever achieved". The grounds were re-landscaped and, following the discovery of the old Roman remains, reconstructed walls and a gatehouse in a Roman style were incorporated into the castle design. Extensive landscaped parks were built around the outside of the castle.
In the early 20th century, the 4th Marquess of Bute inherited the castle and construction work continued into the 1920s. The Bute lands and commercial interests around Cardiff were sold off or nationalised until, by the time of the Second World War, little was left except the castle. During the war, extensive air raid shelters were built in the castle walls; they could hold up to 1,800 people. When the Marquess died in 1947, the castle was given to the City of Cardiff. Today the castle is run as a tourist attraction, with the grounds housing the "Firing Line" regimental museum and interpretation centre. The castle has also served as a venue for events, including musical performances and festivals.
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| A Harris Hawk in the Castle Grounds. |
We leave the Castle and walk up Queen Street for a bit, but this is just like any other shopping centre around the country.
So we decided to leave the shops and we walked up Park Place and then Greyfriars Road back towards the Castle.
At the end of the road we could see the Crown Court and Town Hall.
We pass the Friary Gardens and crossed the road, followed the Castle Walls and then into Bute Park.
We crossed a bridge in the park across the Feeder canal bridge with a view back to the castle.
In the Park is a stone circle.
Gorsedd Stones (Welsh: Cerrig yr Orsedd) are groups of standing stones constructed for the National Eisteddfod of Wales. They form an integral part of the druidic Gorsedd ceremonies of the Eisteddfod. The stones can be found as commemorative structures throughout Wales and are the hallmark of the National Eisteddfod having visited a community.
Each stone structure is arranged in a circular formation typically consisting of twelve stone pillars, sometimes from the local area and sometimes, the stones have been brought in to represent the Welsh counties, such as at Aberystwyth. A large, flat-topped stone, known as the Logan Stone, lies at the centre of the circle and serves as a platform.
We cross another bridge over the River Taff and another view of the stadium.
The River Taff (Welsh: Afon Taf) is a river in Wales. It rises as two rivers in the Brecon Beacons; the Taf Fechan (Little Taff) and the Taf Fawr (Big Taff) before becoming one just north of Merthyr Tydfil. Its confluence with the River Severn estuary is in Cardiff.
The river supports a number of migratory fish, including salmon, sewin (sea trout), and eel.
We walk back through Sophia Gardens and back to the car, just a quick flying visit before home, but what a lovely city!
