Cardiff Castle has long been an icon of the Welsh capital with a remarkable history spanning 2,000 years and passing through many noble families.
I recently took a tour of the castle grounds and, in this guide, I'm going to uncover some of the interesting facts about Cardiff Castle that you might not know.
1. A fortification has sat on the site since the Roman era.
Although the current structure dates to medieval times, it is thought that a fortification has stood on the site since 55AD during the Roman era1.
Some of the remains of the original Roman walls can be seen around the castle today, for example, a section has been preserved in the visitor centre (pictured below).
2. The city is named after the castle, not vice versa.
You might think that Cardiff Castle is named after the city of Cardiff, but it's actually the city that gets its name from the castle.
The word 'Cardiff; comes from the medieval Welsh word 'Caerdyf''. When you break this word down, 'Caer' means fort and 'Dyf' is a corrupt word for the River Taff.
So Cardiff essentially means 'The Fort on the River Taff'.
3. It used to be much closer to the sea.
The reason that the Romans built a fort here was to protect against pirates. Back then, the sea came in much closer so the fort would have overlooked their harbour2.
4. The castle was originally made from timber.
Cardiff Castle is a motte and bailey design. This means that there's a small mound, known as a motte, with a keep on top. When the castle was first built in 1091 by Robert Fitz Hamon, he used a wooden structure.
When his son-in-law, Robert Fitzroy (also known as ‘Robert the Consul’), inherited the castle, he decided to rebuild it using stone. This 12th century stone structure remains today (pictured below).
To learn more about the early days of the castle, see my full guide to the history of Cardiff Castle.
5. In Norman times, the bathrooms overhung the castle walls.
During the Norman period, the castle didn't have proper bathrooms, and they certainly didn’t have any running water.
Instead of bathrooms, they used what’s called a garderobe, or a privy chamber. These were small rooms along the outside walls of the castle that projected outwards slightly3.
Inside there would simply be a wooden bench with a hole which overhung the moat where the waste would end up.
6. The 3rd Marquess of Bute was just 6 months old when he inherited the castle
The 3rd Marquess of Bute, John Crichton-Stuart, is credited with giving the castle its biggest make-over in recent history. In 1865, he invited architect William Burges to oversee renovations of the castle in a partnership that lasted for 16 years.
However, the 3rd Marquess inherited the Bute estate at the age of 6 months when his father, the 2nd Marquess of Bute, died suddenly at the age of 54.
7. The castle shares a connection with Big Ben.
The castle’s clock which sits on its very own clock tower was designed by Edward Dent, the same man who designed Big Ben’s clock.
The clock tower itself was designed by William Burges in 1866 as part of the renovation of the south wall. The clock face is flanked by 10 ft (3m) statues which represent the principal planets.
In its entirety, the tower took about five years to build. It stands at 132 ft (40m) tall and holds seven rooms, one on each floor.
8. Cardiff Castle was used as an air raid shelter during WW2.
During the Second World War, Cardiff was heavily bombed. It is estimated that over 2,000 bombs were dropped on the city.
Because the castle’s walls were so thick they provided great protection from this bombardment. Whilst people who had the means to do so relied on homemade Anderson and Morrison shelters, those who worked in the city or could not access other shelters, relied on the Castle for protection.
Entrances were knocked into the outside of the walls and wooden ramps were placed there to ensure people could access the shelter quickly4.
9. You can visit some parts of the castle for free.
I had lived in Cardiff for almost three years before I realised that you can visit the castle courtyard without buying a ticket. This is just one of many secrets of Cardiff!
The courtyard, also known as the Public Square, is open to the public where you can enjoy the view of the Norman keep without paying. There's also the Castle Cafe, gift shop, and public toilets available.
10. Cardiff Castle is the most visited tourist attraction in Wales.
According to the latest available Welsh tourism stats, Cardiff Castle is the most-visited paid tourist attraction in Wales.
In 2021, the castle attracted 372,606 visitors. It has been consistently among the top 3 most-visited attractions for the past 4 years.
Published: 19 July 2022 · Last updated: 9 October 2023