Cardiff Central, Cardiff, Wales
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Castle
Cardiff Castle (Welsh: Castell Caerdydd) is a medieval castle and Victorian Gothic revival mansion. The original motte and bailey castle was built in the late 11th century by Norman invaders on top of a 3rd-century Roman fort. The castle was commissioned by William the Conqueror or Robert Fitzhamon.
In the mid-18th century, Cardiff Castle passed into the hands of the Marquesses of Bute. John Stuart, the first Marquess, employed Capability Brown and Henry Holland to renovate the main range, turning it into a Georgian mansion, and to landscape the castle grounds, demolishing many of the older medieval buildings and walls. When the Marquess died in 1947, the castle was given to the city of Cardiff. Today the castle is run as a tourist attraction.
Cardiff Castle is allegedly haunted by a number of ghosts. These include an old-fashioned coach and four that has been seen at the gateway to the castle and also reportedly heard by people indoors. The other apparitions at the Castle are of the second Marquees of Bute; and the apparition of a Grey Lady - a young woman in a long robe - whose identity is as yet unknown.
Other mysterious occurences include the heavy doors in the main dining hall opening and closing on their own, and lights stitching on and off.
Pictured above is Cardiff Castle Keep courtesy of Amybobs.
Cardiff Castle,
CF10 3RB.
For further information, please read Britain's Haunted Heritage by J A Brooks; Ghosts of Wales by Peter Underwood; Supernatural Wales by Alvin Nicholas; and Haunted Cardiff and the Valleys by South Wales Paranormal Research.
Queen Street
A Lady in Grey haunts the area around Cardiff Castle and Queen Street. She has been reported walking along Queen Street itself, passing the Castle, through Duke Street and makes her way to a bridge over the River Taff. Once there, she stops and waves across the river, whereas on other occasions she waves up at one of the towers of Cardiff Castle. She is said to be seen during daylight hours, but more towards evening. Her identity is unknown.
For further information, please read Britain's Haunted Heritage by J A Brooks.
The Old Sea Lock
A “lady robed in black” once haunted the area around the old sea lock. Accounts state that she appeared to be looking for something and wringing her hands. She was reportedly seen at twilight, and on one occasion even asked for assistance, eventually rewarding the man with gold found under some stones. It is not known who she was or if she has put in any recent appearance.
The Haunted House
Peter Underwood recounts the case of a haunted house in Cardiff that was occupied by a family named Webbs during the 1930’s. Prior to their occupancy, the house remained empty for a number of years due to its reputation for being haunted. The phenomena included tactile presences, whereby a male visitor felt that when he sat in a particular armchair he was sitting on an invisible lap! Other occurrences reported were “loud and unexplained knockings”, footsteps and the closing of a particular bedroom door.
Location
Visitor Information
Cardiff (Welsh: Caerdydd) is the capital and largest city in Wales and the ninth largest city in the United Kingdom.
The city is the country's chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for Wales.
Pictured is Cardiff Bay courtesy of Cardiff Harbour Authority. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
