Cardiff Introduction Walking Tour (Self Guided), Cardiff

"Cardiff" came from the Welsh word "Caer-Taff" which means "Fort on the river Taff." Cardiff cannot be separated from the Cardiff Castle nor the castle from the city. People had been living in the neighborhood of Cardiff on the banks of the Taff when the Romans arrived and built a fort in 55 AD.

The fortification was strategically located. It was possible to control the harbor on the Bristol Channel and the vital coast road alongside the Taff. However as the Roman Empire faded, the square-shaped fort was abandoned in the 4th century AD.

Cardiff was not officially founded until the bumptious arrival of Robert Fitzhamon, a mate of William the Conqueror. In 1081 Fitzhamon conquered Glamorgan and the Roman ruin of Caer-Taff. He built a wooden castle inside the old walls of the Roman fort.

The fort was rebuilt in stone in the 12th century. The town was small, even for Wales. It huddled in the shadow of the castle. The garrison provided protection for the residents and a market for goods produced in the town. Market fairs were held twice a year.

The Lordship of Cardiff and Glamorgan were passed about among Richard III, Henry VII and at last Henry VIII. In 1550 the lordship and castle were given to the Herbert family of South Wales by Edward VI. In 1776 it passed by marriage to the marquesses of Bute.

The Bute family had a strong influence on the growth and development of Cardiff during the Industrial Revolution and into the 20th century. They provided land to the town to build the Civic Center. The castle and its parkland were donated to the City of Cardiff in 1947.

Once a Norman stronghold for war, the Cardiff Castle today is a venue for happier events. The Edwardian buildings in the civic center of Cathays Park are surrounded by ornamental gardens. There is the City Hall, the law courts. The National Museum of Wales has one of the largest collections of impressionist paintings other than Paris.

The National History Museum is an open air museum with 40 to 50 representative buildings of Welsh history. The Old Library is home to the Cardiff Story Museum. Bute park has plenty of green, including acres of formerly private gardens.

There are many things to learn about the City on the River Taff. Come and see.