One of Wales’ most popular visitor attractions, Cardiff Castle is the centre-piece of the 
As needs changed, in the Tudor era a number of residential apartments were also added to the castle but the Castle’s history really comes alive as late as the 19th the century when the castle was acquired by the Marquis of Bute of Scotland. A successful coal baron in the thriving coal industry at the start of the industrial revolution, the marquis entirely revived the Tudor structures to create a lavish mansion. With the help of his wild imagination, extreme wealth for the times and the assistance of fashionable architect William Burges he transformed the castle adding an ornate clock tower and various spires and turrets. It was inside however that they excelled in their medieval gothic revival creating room after room of eccentrically themed and intricately decorated quarters; these include the summer smoking room elaborately decorated with jewels, the fairytale themed children’s nursery and the grandiose banqueting hall decorated with murals depicting the castle’s history. Today these quarters can only be visited on a guided tour which carries an extra fee but this is well worth it to see the unique interiors and hear the eccentric tales of the family and castle.
A British Rail Tour – Get two countries for the price of one as you use the British rail network to explore the rails England and Wales. Your itinerary will include scenic rail rides through the scenic Welsh border Marches and over the Yorkshire Dales whilst overnight stops include the historic cities of Chester and York and the cosmopolitan Welsh capital city of Cardiff. In order to best explore the rural landscapes of Wales we’ve included two separate day tours to explore the South Wales countryside and the mountains of Snowdonia in the North Wales.
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