THE GLAMORGANS |
| Caerphilly Castle |
Off A469, in town centre |
The castle was largely the work of Gilbert de Clare, a
Norman lord under threat from the Welsh prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. Llywelyn destroyed
Clare's first castle, begun in 1268, but after more strife, Clare managed to complete
another fortress by 1283. Within the well-protected inner ward, the most striking feature
is the Great Hall. Also conspicuous is one ruined tower which manages to remain upright
while out-leaning the famous Tower of Pisa; it has been leaning since Cromwell's troops
tried to blow it up during the Civil War (1642-8). |
| Cardiff Castle |
On A4161 in city centre |
The castle is a three-in-one historic site, part Roman
fort, part medieval stronghold, part 19th century mansion. Sections of Roman wall can
still be seen in the outer wall, and are part of the third Roman fort on the site which
was built around AD 250 and covered 8 acres. Beyond the gatehouse, the castle grounds are
watched over by the shell of a mid-12th century keep. A new castle was begun in the
following century, when the Black Tower was built. In the 1860s came a glorious
transformation, wrought by the architect William Burges and the wealth of the 3rd Marquess
of Bute. |
| Castell Coch |
Off A470, 5 miles north-west of Cardiff |
A trio of towers peeping out above the trees is the
first view of this fairy-tale castle. The towers are circular, with conical roofs, and
built in the rosy stone which gives the castle its name, meaning ' Red Castle'. There is
more fairy tale inside, beyond the drawbridge. The rooms surrounding the small courtyard
are elaborately decorated. Though it stands on a rocky ledge once occupied by a genuine
medieval stronghold, Castell Coch is a Victorian whimsy, the work of the eccentric genius
William Burges, who designed it for his wealthy, land-owning client, the Marquess of Bute.
Begun in 1875, Castell Coch is a companion piece to the even more outrageously decorative
Cardiff Castle. |
| Cyfarthfa Castle Museum |
Off A470, 1 mile north of Merthyr Tydfil |
Grand, baronial Cyfarthfa Castle is a monument to the
wealth of 19th century industrial South Wales. It stands in its own park above a vanished
kingdom - the Cyfarthfa Iron Works, once ruled by the ironmaster William Crawshay. The
castellated, greystone mansion in mock-medieval style which Crawshay built in the 1820s is
today partially open as a museum and art gallery. Fine collections of furniture, including
Welsh country furniture, porcelain, silver and glass are also displayed. One section
traces Merthyr's role as the iron and steel 'capital of the world' in the early 19th
century, when it was the largest town in Wales. There are also models of Richard
Trevithick's steam locomotive. |
| Llandaff Cathedral |
Off A4119, 2 miles north-west of Cardiff |
Llandaff was originally a religious settlement founded
by the 6th century monastic leader St Teilo. The present building was started in Norman
times and was complete by 1500. Later Llandaff suffered neglect, even serving as an ale
house for Parliamentarian troops in the Civil War, a cattle pen and a post office.
Rebuilding in classical style commenced in the 18th century, but 100 years later, work to
restore the cathedral's medieval splendour began. In 1941 the cathedral was severely
damaged by a German landmine. By 1958, Llandaff was restored to its former glory. |
| Margam Country Park |
On A48, 4 miles south-east of Port Talbot |
This 850 acre park contains a combination of man-made
and natural treasures. Below the Iron Age hill-fort of Mynyddy Castell are the remains of
a Cistercian monastery founded in the 12th century. The abbey church was restored in the
19th century. The Margam Stones Museum contains locally found inscribed stones and
Christian crosses dating from the 5th to 11th centuries. After the dissolution of the
abbey in 1536, a local landowner turned the remainder of the abbey into a fine country
house. In 1786 Thomas Mansel Talbot began the glory of Margam - the 327ft long Orangery,
part of which now houses exhibitions. His son built the Gothic mansion known as 'The
Castle' around 1835. This too is now ruined but buildings around its courtyard contain a
visitor centre and the Coach House Theatre. |
| Oystermouth Castle |
On A4067, 4.5 miles south-west of Swansea |
This castle, the stronghold of the Braose family,
Norman Lords of Gower, must have been a tempting prize for the Welsh. They burnt the
original wooden castle in the 1180s, and sacked its stone replacement a century later.
Even so its grey limestone walls still stand at their original height with the ruined
gatehouse, chapel and great hall standing on top of a grassy mound. |
| Pontypridd Historical & Cultural Centre |
Bridge Street, off A470 in town centre |
The Tabernacle in Pontypridd is a fine Welsh Baptist
chapel, built in 1861 and closed as a place of worship some 120 years later. The interior
has now been converted into display and gallery areas, and archive material on the
Glamorganshire Canal and photographs of old Pontypridd as it was in the 18th and 19th
centuries when coal was king. |
| Swansea Museum |
Victoria Road, in city centre |
The museum was built in the late 1830's in heroic
neo-classical style. The museum houses a fine collection of Swansea porcelain and Nantgarw
pottery. Another section recalls the fate of Petty Officer Edgar Evans who perished on
Scott's ill-fated South Polar expedition in 1912. |
| Swansea's Castles |
In city centre |
The remains of Swansea's Old Castle date back to the
13th century. The New Castle, built the following century, towers above the Strand, as it
once dominated both the town and harbour. Cromwell's troops destroyed most of the castle
in 1647, during the Civil War. In its time it has served as a Norman mint, medieval
bishop's palace and Victorian debtors prison. |
| Wales Aircraft Museum |
Off A4226, 9.5miles south-west of Cardiff |
More than 30 propeller and jet aircraft and helicopters
are on display at the museum including, naval planes, Vulcan and Canberra bombers, a
hawker hunter fighter and US Airforce jets. |
| Welsh Folk Life at St Fagans |
Off A48, 4 miles west of Cardiff city centre |
The stars of the Welsh Folk Museum are its open-air
exhibits - 30 rural buildings of bygone days brought from all over Wales and re-erected in
the 100 acre park of St Fagans Castle. A complex of modern museum galleries completes the
scene. St Fagans Castle is an elegant mansion built around 1580 to the typical Elizabethan
E-plan. Oak panelling and tapestries are the main decorative features inside, and each
room is a reminder of the comfortable, privileged way of life. |
