Cardiff

Wall near castle around central park has a wide variety of animals coming over it.

This is the capital of Wales. It is situated on the Severn Estuary (same river as Shrewsbury and Iron Bridge) at the mouth of the River Taft on the south coast. Because of this it gets hit by all the storms coming from the Atlantic and can generally be wet and windy.  We experience both.  The wet was downpours that did stop.  The wind lasted all weekend.

Cardiff Castle wall- Gun ports at the top of wall.

This area has been home to people since the Neolithic period or 6,000 BC.  The Romans founded a fort here in 75 AD and the current Cardiff castle is built on its foundations.  Cardiff castle is Medieval with a Victorian gothic revival mansion. The original mottle and bailey still exists that was built in the 1000’s century.

Cardiff Castle main gate



Original 11th century keep and moat
 



Victorian Mansion inside the castle

 

Just outside Cardiff is St. Fagan’s National History Museum. When St. Fagan’s castle, really a manor house, was donated to the county, they acquired and moved 40 other buildings from all over Wales to the grounds to show what life in Wales was like over the last 1000 years. 

St. Fagan's Castle

St. Teito's Catholic church from 1520


Drawings in church that were found when it was being moved to the museum.  they had been covered by Cromwell in the 1500's

 

Tannery

Farm house from 1700- House on right Animals to left of door

 

Inside 1700 farm house. Used until 1950's

It is an outdoor interactive museum.  You can go into churches, several styles of farm houses, tannery, black smith, town shops, school, Iron-workers row houses, miners club, and of course the Manor house.