Cardigan Castle reopens following £12m restoration project
- Published
Matt Murray is shown around the castle by trustee and local historian Glen Johnson
Cardigan Castle will reopen to the local community on Tuesday following a four-year, £12m restoration.
For 15 years the Ceredigion community campaigned to save the site which has been restored into a heritage attraction and events venue, with holiday accommodation and a restaurant.
Restoration work included roof repairs, landscaping and reconstruction of the castle's walls.
The site will open to the general public on Wednesday.
The Cadwgan Building Preservation Trust, made up of 250 local people, secured investment for the restoration, including more than £6m from the Heritage Lottery Fund and £4.3m from the European Regional Development Fund.
Hundreds of local volunteers took part in fundraising, raising more than £200,000 to save the 900-year-old site.
Recent history
The site has been restored into a heritage attraction, luxury accommodation and events venue
1961 - Cardigan castle becomes a Scheduled Ancient Monument and Castle Green House a listed building
1984 - Castle Green House declared unfit for human habitation
2001 - Local paper, The Tivy-Side Advertiser, starts a "Save the Castle" campaign
2003 - the castle is bought by Ceredigion council
2011 - Cadwgan Building Preservation Trust receives much-needed grants from funders, including Heritage Lottery Fund and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through Welsh government, to restore the castle
2015 - Castle re-opens
A remake of Wales' original Eisteddfod chair has been returned to the castle following the restoration as it believed to have been home to the first ever recorded Eisteddfod in 1176.
The site also has a dedicated Eisteddfod exhibition along with exhibitions telling the story of the castle and the people who lived there.
Cardigan Castle spokeswoman Sue Lewis said: "The castle's commercial streams are absolutely vital in generating income for the upkeep of the site.
"Our target is to attract more than 30,000 visitors to the castle in its first year of trading."
But a row has broken out over plans to invite an English folk group to headline the opening concert in July.
Local people were invited to the opening of the castle on Tuesday
The grounds of the castle have been landscaped
A remake of Wales' original Eisteddfod chair has been returned to the castle
Restoration work included roof repairs
The castle now has luxury holiday accommodation
The new restaurant in the castle
- Published1 April 2015
- Published7 October 2014
