Capturing Cardiff: Cardiff Castle - Rich History, Bright Future

[Steven Hayes]

Exciting developments are coming to Cardiff castle in the near future which, in the words of marketing manager Helen Jones, “guarantee to make everyone’s visit to this already hugely popular attraction, a totally unforgettable experience.”

The castle is one of the most historic and impressive tourist attractions in Wales with a history dating back 2,000 years. It houses a fantastic array of architecture with extracts of an original Roman wall, an original Norman keep and the fabulous Victorian architecture of William Burgess.

The opening of a new tourist centre in the grounds early next year looks set to cement the castle's place as one of the top attractions in Cardiff and could place it at the heart of Welsh tourism.

The original Norman keep

Thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Wales Tourist Board and Cardiff City Council, a so-called Interpretation Centre will open next spring. The £6million building will include a new restaurant, shop and open-air terrace with panoramic views of the castle grounds. The centre will also provide visitors with a brand new interpretation of the castle’s immensely rich history with the aim of transforming a pleasant historical stroll into a dynamic, educational and inspirational experience.

One thing that castle manager Kevin Burt and his staff are blissfully aware of is that upkeep, though incredibly costly, is simply not enough to maintain interest in any historical site and this is particularly true of Cardiff castle. With such a varied history, any visitor would be excused for confusing its true context and this is clearly the main problem the centre aims to tackle.

“The Interpretation centre is key to a better understanding of the site,” Kevin Burt said.

“One of our biggest criticisms was that this was a site which interpreted the Victorian era very well but people didn’t understand the other elements of history it has. We weren’t telling people those stories because they are harder to get hold of and not so easy to understand. That is what we will be doing with the interpretation centre.”

Listen to the interview below

Visitors to the impressive new building will be given a short introductory film about the castle’s history on a 15-metre screen which will then lift to reveal a panoramic view of the entire castle grounds.

“Imagine a journey which takes you back through 2,000 years of history,” Laurie Stewart, interpretation designer, said. “We will give visitors an exciting fly through. A visual feast of kings, invaders, battles, changing landscapes and stunning architecture before the screen moves away to reveal the castle outside, ready for them to explore.”

An artist's impression of the new building

A tunnel system which runs right the way round the castle will also be opened up to the public for the first time and visitors will be given an audio tour of the grounds in any of 10 languages, a testament to the international reputation some of the castle’s treasures hold.

The centre is part of an overall project which secured a £7.8million grant (£5.7million from the Heritage Lottery Fund and £2.1million from Cardiff City Council) back in 2000, though Kevin Burt estimates the total cost of the developments along with repairs since then is nearer £20 million.

Future developments are planned with the aim of linking the castle with its wider context within Cardiff, most notably plans are under way to make access to the castle green free and open up the North gate so that people can walk right through to the city centre.

“We are combining the initial project with a wider remit to develop the park and that has succeeded in its own lottery bid of £3.5million," Kevin Burt said. "So it’s part of the council’s wider strategy to look after, maintain and protect the castle itself but also to link it up with its wider context which is certainly the park land and the city centre.”

The castle is currently eighth in the list of tourist attractions in Wales and third in the paid attractions list but Kevin Burt believes the new centre could take it even higher.

“That is certainly the aim and has been from day one, not just for the sake of the visitors but also because we believed the castle wasn’t punching its weight and that it certainly should be,” he said.

“In the wider context we are nowhere near sites like Warwick castle and those are the sites we would benchmark ourselves against. But in the short term it is certainly an aim to increase visitor figures from the current level which is around 220,000 to nearer the 300,000 mark.”

Councillor Nigel Howells, Executive Member for sport, leisure and culture, said: “The number of people visiting the castle is increasing all the time. This exciting new development will allow visitors to enjoy access to more of the castle site and to really experience the events and characters that have shaped the castle’s history.”

[matthew yeomans]

Lots of good info but starts off on a weak note by sounding like a press release. Would have benefited from not sounding quite so one-sided. Good images and audio