These were taken in August, 2023, on a tour through the UK and Ireland. I didn't expect to enjoy touring the castle as much as I did.

The original castle was built in the late 11th century by the Normans on top of a Roman fort from the 3rd century. It was rebuilt with stone in the 12th century and further work conducted in the second half of the 13th century. It was repeatedly involved in conflicts between the Anglo-Normans and the Welsh in the 12th century and stormed early in the 15th century. Further work on the castle was done later in the 15th century. During the English Civil War, the castle was initially taken by a Parliamentary (fighting against Charles I) then retaken by the Royalist (fighting in favor of Charles I) in 1645. The castle passed into the hands of the Stuart dynasty, Marquesses of Bute. Extensive renovations were conducted, demolishing many of the older medieval buildings and walls. In the latter half of the 19th century, the 3rd Marquess of Bute, who was widely considered the richest man in the world, remodeled the castle in a Gothic revival style with large amounts of money that transformed the interior designs such that they were considered to be amongst "the most magnificent that the gothic revival ever achieved." In addition, the castle grounds were relandscaped and the walls and gatehouse reconstructed in a Roman style. One of the interesting aspects of the walls is the Animal Wall. It depicts 15 animal carvings at the west entrance of the castle. I was able to get pictures of three of them, shown below. There were originally 9 animal carvings (I didn't get pictures of the hyena, wolf, the pair of baboons, a seal and the pair of lions) done in the late 1880s. In 1931, when the wall was moved due to road widening, an additonal 6 more animals were added (I didn't get pictures of the pelican, the anteater, a pair of raccoons, a leopard, a beaver and a vulture.) By the time of WW2, little was left of the Bute lands commercial interests, having been sold off or nationalized. During WW2, extensive air raid shelters that could hld up to 1,800 people were built into the castle walls. After the death of the 4th Marquess in 1947, the castle was given to the City of Cardiff.

The interior of the castle was amazing. I hope to post a few more pictures of this beautiful castle in the next few days.

Tree holes have always fascinated me and stirred my imagination! Some are pretty amazing formations, and my mind frequently wonders if I am seeing a tree hole or if I am actually looking at the entrance to someone's home. If you've looked at some of my recent posts, you know the answer. However, it continues to thrill me when I walk past a particular tree hole, and see someone peeking out or, better yet, scooting into it.

So, over the year, I have captured a few tree holes in my stomping grounds and will share.

As always, I hope you enjoy!