Professional Documents
Culture Documents
BRATIANU’’
2016
CARDIFF, A PLACE TO ENJOY
YOURSELF!
ENE ANA-MARIA
PÂRVETE RODICA
CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………3
CHAPTER I. MUSEUMS……………………………………………………...5
CHAPTER II. SIGHTSEEING………………………………………………....7
CHAPTER III. ENTERTAINMENT…………………………………………..9
CHAPTER IV. FESTIVALS……………………………………………………11
CONCLUSIONS…………………….….….……………………………………13
REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………….14
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INTRODUCTION
Medieval Cardiff
The medieval castle dates from the 11th century, when the Normans conquered
Glamorgan. It was begun by William the Conqueror on his return from St Davids in
Pembrokeshire, in 1081. The castle was originally built in wood. In the 12th century,
Robert Consol, Duke of Gloucester, rebuilt it in stone.
The medieval town started as a relatively small enclosure marked out by Working
Street and Womanby (Hummanbye) Streets’ both names are linked to Old Norse. In the
second stage of its development, Cardiff expanded south. The town was then enclosed and
defended to the east by a bank and ditch and eventually a stone gate. To the west, the
town was protected by the meandering river Taff.
In the 15th century, the town was destroyed by Owain Glyndŵr’s Welsh army and the
Castle lay in ruins until Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, restored the defences and
castle buildings including the octagonal tower in 1423.
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Modern Cardiff
Much of the rest of the castle and walls date back to the 19th century, when the third
Marquess of Bute employed William Burges to restore, refurbish and rebuild it.
In 1794, the ironmasters of Merthyr Tydfil opened the Glamorganshire Canal, which
linked Merthyr Tydfil with Cardiff for the transport of iron and then later used to transport
the huge amounts of coal for export following the opening of the West Bute Dock in 1839
by the 2nd Marquess of Bute. This saw Cardiff become the biggest coal exporting port in
the world, resulting in Edward VII granting Cardiff city status in 1905. The port reached its
peak in 1913, with more than 10 million tons going through the port.
After going into decline in the 70’s and 80’s Cardiff’s docks and city centre have now
been regenerated. Cardiff Bay is now a thriving waterside development, and the
construction of the Millennium Stadium in the city centre helped transformed Cardiff into
a true European capital city.
Cardiff nowadays
Cardiff is a city of attractions, sport, culture and entertainment. With brilliant
attractions which draw people from all over the UK and abroad you’ll be spoilt for choice in
Cardiff. Choose from historic houses and castles or wildlife and water sports.
You’ll find a lively entertainment scene in and around Cardiff, which features opera,
ballet, musicals, and live music from top acts. Across the city, there are a range of theatres,
galleries,museums, arts and live music venues. From the traditional to the ground-
breakingly modern, from seating thousands to cosy intimate spaces, Cardiff can satisfy
every taste.
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CHAPTER I. MUSEUMS
For people who love history and like to expand their knowledge, Cardiff has a
great number of museums and cultural centers such as:
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CHAPTER II. SIGHTSEEING
Cardiff is a city which can cast a glamor over anyone with its lovely sceneries.It
combines the old, the castles and the remains of medieval communities, with the new,
modern buildings which become exhibits through their architectural style. Here are some
informations about Cardiff’’s most popular attractions for sightseeing:
CASTLE COCH
This building is chiefly known as a romantic folly supposedly reproducing a small
medieval Welsh chieftain's stronghold, built in the 1870s, for the 3rd Marquess of Bute to
a design by William Burges, and possessing the most remarkable interior decoration.
However, it was built upon the remains of a genuine 13th century castle built in two
stages. Evidence was found of the building having been deliberately slighted by mining.
The castle was probably founded by a Welsh lord in 1240-1265 and had a round tower
keep at the SW corner of a tiny D-shaped courtyard with a hall on the south side, all built
of rough rubble sandstone from which the building took the name Castell Coch, or "Red
Castle." It stands upon a platform commanding the gorge of the Taff and was protected
towards the higher ground by a deep dry moat from the bottom of which the walls rise
with a very broadly battered base. The keep contained vaulted rooms, and probably had a
fourth storey and a conical roof like it has now. The walls are over 3.3m thick above the
square battered base from which it rises with pyramidal spurs.
The two eastern towers, the square gatehouse between them, and the upper hall on
the south side were superior ashlar faced buildings added slightly later, perhaps by Gilbert
de Clare, who is likely to have taken over the castle in the 1270s or 1280s. These works
were more damaged than the older part and not much survived of the towers above the
rooms at courtyard level. The curtain wall also thickened at the second building period and
now has two fighting galleries, a series of embrasures at courtyard level, and a roofed over
wall walk open to the court on the inner side.
BUTE PARK
Just a short walk from Cardiff Castle and the city centre is Bute Park, an extensive area
of mature parkland, flanked by the River Taff, Sophia Gardens, Pontcanna Fields and the
castle. Few places can boast such a spacious green area in the heart of their city - a very
popular 'green lung' full of historic and wildlife interest. Containing a stunning, nationally
significant arboretum with 50 UK ‘Champion Trees', Bute Park and plays a vital role in the
city's events calendar - the RHS Show Cardiff is just one of such flagship events.
Bute Park was once the ‘back garden’ of Cardiff Castle and therefore they share a
common history, and have played significant roles in the development of the city from
Roman and medieval times, through the industrial revolution, up until the modern city of
Cardiff we know today. From 1873, the southern section was laid out by Andrew Pettigrew
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for the Bute family as Cardiff Castle's private pleasure grounds. In 1947 the 5th Marquess
of Bute presented much of Bute Park, nearby Sophia Gardens and Cardiff Castle itself, as a
gift to the people of the city.
One of the main attractions of Cardiff is also situated in Bute Park-the Animal Wall. The
Animal Wall, located at the southern boundary of the park on Castle Street, is one of the
most delightful and photographed historic features in Cardiff.
The concept for the wall is attributed to architect William Burges who was employed by
the 3rd Marquess of Bute. However, Burges died before even the structure of the wall was
completed and the carving of the animals did not begin until the late 1880s. Architect
William Frame brought the Animal Wall to completion, based on sketches by Burges.
The wall was constructed in two phases. The original wall was erected in the 1890s
directly outside the castle and the original animals included: a pair of lions holding shields,
a lioness, a lynx, a bear, a sea lion, a wolf, a pair of apes and a hyena. You can tell these
apart from their later cousins because they have glass eyes.
Cardiff is a city in which you cannot say you have nothing to do. For those who do not
enjoy sightseeing, are a fun of sports and wish to relax, there are quite a lot of places they
can go to, such as:
CARDIFF BAY
There are many attractions in Cardiff Bay for all the family throughout the year; Boat
rides to History centers like the Cardiff Bay visitors centre, known to locals as the Tube, The
Red Dragon Centre where there is fun for everyone, including a bowling centre and a fun
arcade. Why not visit the Senedd? It houses the National Assembly for Wales’ or you
could pay a visit to the Lightship; The vessel is a major attraction in its own right.
There are also regular boat trips to Penarth just a short trip from Cardiff Bay, with
moorings to the Cardiff bay barrage. The Cardiff Bay Barrage itself is 1.1km long and
extends from Cardiff docks in the north to Penarth in the south.
This major civil engineering construction project subsequently led to the impoundment
of the Bay that has over 13km of waterfront.
If you fancy some brain teasing, pop along to the famous Techniquest. Techniquest
represents a kind of experience that is accessible and stimulating. It will provide choices to
suit a range of abilities and interests, and will include surprises, participation, interactivity
and discussion wherever possible.
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OAKWOOD THEME PARK
It contains numerous attractions such as:
Speed: Hold tight and get ready for 2000 feet of fast, furious fun. You’ll climb,
plunge, roll, twist, turn and loop on super fast orange rails at speeds of up to 95kph.
And be left begging for more!!!!
Bounce: The nearest you'll ever get to being a human bullet, Bounce blasts you up
in the air at up to 70kph. Don't get your breath back yet, hold on for the shock drops
as you bounce your way back down to earth.
Drenched: Take the plunge and let Drenched carry you 100 feet up into the air, then
drop you at up to 88kph into the pool below. Think that's as wet as you can get? Try
handling the 45 foot splash wave on the bridge!
Boating Lake: Take to the water for a relaxing cruise – unless it’s your turn to pedal!
Our pedaloes take up to 5 people and the boating lake is a great place to see the
sights – and sounds of Megafobia!
Bobsleigh: Go it alone or team up as two and take on our downhill bobsleigh run.
Free running sledges gather speed as the corners get faster – don’t forget to slow
down for the finish.
Snake River Falls: Take a dinghy for one man or two and head for the fast flowing
white water of Snake River Falls. Race down the rapids as the water whirls and
swirls and hurls you down river through two open and two covered slides till you’re
home. But probably not dry.
Spooky 3D: Do you dare enter the haunted house? Take your seat on the ghost
train, put your ghoulish 3D glasses on and keep your eyes wide open. You’re about
to encounter some grabbing, grasping, frightening sights.
Treetops Coaster: Climb aboard the Treetops Coaster as it takes you on its branch
line high in the trees above Oakwood. Weave a thrilling, twisting, turning path as
you go, and look out for squirrels.
Waterfall: It’s not just the water that falls. Take a deep breath as your single sledge
drops down a sheer water shoot into the shallow pool below. Getting wet has never
been so much fun!
Journey to Neverland: Come Away, Come Away. Enter 14 Kensington Gardens,
where you will follow Peters' shadow around the Darlings' bedroom as Tink flys
around exploring. Then through the window, off to the "Second on the right".....
NEVERLAND!
Skull Rock: Dare you take the plunge into Hook’s secret fortress?! Be warned, Hook
is guarding his treasure and has vowed to send intruders plummeting down a 40
foot freefall drop. This ride certainly isn’t one for land lovers!
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CHAPTER IV. FESTIVALS
As the title of this chapter says, here you will find information about some of the most
popular festivals from Cardiff:
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CARDIFF HARBOUR FESTIVAL & THE P1 WELSH GRAND PRIX OF THE SEA
The Cardiff Harbour Festival provides fun for everyone. On land explore the craft stalls,
and enjoy live music and entertainment.
On the water, Cardiff Bay will play host to the P1 Welsh Grand Prix of the Sea, and the
Bay will again be the venue for the penultimate round of this year’s P1 SuperStock and
AquaX UK championships. Designed by the best race engineers in the industry compete,
the fleet of powerboats and jet skis will serve up a feast of fast, furious and free-to-watch
marine motorsport action.
PADDLE FEST
Try out a range of water-sports for the very first time, including canoeing, kayaking and
stand up paddle boarding, as during the festival special ‘taster sessions’ running
throughout the day.
See the latest kit and get some handy hints and technical guidance at the trade stalls, or
even try a ‘Park and Play’ session on the white water. Great for experienced paddlers who
have their own kit, the range of features suit both the intermediate and advanced boater.
The action packed Indoor Surfing and Air Trail attractions will also be open so book your
space early, or just relax in the café bar, and enjoy live music on the bandstand.
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CONCLUSIONS
Cardiff is the capital of Wales, a city which could spellbind anyone just with its beautiful
scenery. With a history that has its beginings more than 2000 years ago, Cardiff brings
togheter both the old and the new. This combination of modern architecture with the
medieval style of construction is the main reason I choose this city as the theme of my
certificate paper.
In the first chapter I wished to display the historical part of Cardiff, which also
represents a way to gain more knowledge about the long history of the city. This section
covers the three most important museums from the capital of Wales: the National
Museum Cardiff, St Fagans History Museum and Firing Line: Cardiff Castle Museum of the
Welsh Soldier. This chapter contains information about each of the above mentioned
educational sites such as: what they can offer their visitors, what tours there are and some
references about how they came to be. I wrote this part of my certificate paper especially
for the those who love history and wish for greater knowledge.
The second chapter reveals the old, medieval part of the city. As I said in the beginning
this is one of the reasons I choose this theme; Cardiff is a place which shows that people
can still respect and preserve what they have been gifted with from their ancestors. Even
though I could have talked about the modern part of the city, I choose the other one
because my wish was to show the uniqueness of Cardiff. Due to this fact I wrote about
sightseeing sites such as: Castle Coch, Bute Park ( which also contains The Animal Wall) and
Cosmeston Lakes Country Park. The information about these three places that I included
can easily point out why I made this choice: all the three places mentioned above are
monuments of old architectural styles and also a relaxing environment for those who wish
to escape the hustle and bustle of the modern life full of tehnology.
The next section of this certificate paper reveals the ways of entertainment Cardiff has
for its visitators. In this chapter I whised to present the fun manner of the city and the
variety of places which can entertain persons of all ages, from children to the elderly. This
is the reason why information about the best locations where a person could enjoy having
a drink and eating some food, playing different sports, spending time with their family or
friends or just watching a live performance have been included. The three palces I believed
to be the ones which could have the description mentioned above are Cardiff Bay, Chapter
Arts Centre and Oakwood Theme Park.
The last chapter shows a new part of the city, a center for different kinds of festivals.
Through this section I wished to reveal the social life of the city. This festivals bring to
Cardiff people from all around the world, thus making the city a place where you can get to
know not only about the welsh culture, but also about other cultures. You can also meet
new people and learn about their way of thinking or just make new friends from all around
the world. The festivals I wrote about are just simply entertaining from my point of view:
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Cardiff International Food & Drink Festival, Grand Medieval Mêlée, Cardiff Harbour Festival
& the P1 Welsh Grand Prix of the Sea and Paddle Fest.
All in all, what I wished to make everyone see is that Cardiff is a city which can be
enjoyed by people of all ages due to its uniqueness brought not only by the combination of
the old with the new, but also by the variety of places, where one can relaxand spend time
how they want, and the activities through which anyone could have fun.
REFERENCES
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