Cardiff Castle, Cardiff, Wales
The characteristically shrewd Romans noted this site’s easy access to the sea and, from the mid-1st century onward, Cardiff Castle was home to a succession of Roman forts. The Normans were next to move in, building the original motte and bailey castle, reputedly commissioned by William the Conqueror himself, with the new fortifications including the magnificent keep, which still stands today. Over the ensuing centuries, it was owned by a succession of aristocratic families, including the medieval Lords of Glamorgan but, during the Wars of the Roses, its fortunes were chequered, falling into various hands before, in the 15th century, coming under the ownership of its most famous incumbent yet: Henry Tudor, the future King Henry
