Discover the magnificent castles of the region, from the grandeur of Cardiff Castle to the stunning guise of Caerphilly Castle and the enchanting spire of Castell Coch
Walk through history at St Fagans National Museum of History, encountering early modern cottages and farmhouses and the medieval church of St Teilo with pre-Reformation interiors
Explore the Cardiff Bay area with a tour of The Senedd Welsh Parliament building and Norwegian Church Arts Centre
“Suzanne was incredibly professional, interesting & clearly knew her subject inside out! It was a pleasure to listen to her talks & talk with her informally.”
ACE customer on a 2024 UK tour led by Suzanne Fagance Cooper
A thriving city with historical appeal, Cardiff offers an abundance of landmarks and monuments to explore Welsh heritage. Our tour will unravel the past through visits to a variety of sites, from iconic castles to churches and unique museums.
Castles in this region attest to the tumultuous history between Wales and England during the medieval period, and we will spend time exploring three major sites, their magnificent architecture, art and fascinating pasts. Cardiff Castle was originally established as a 3rd century CE Roman fort before later developing into a Norman Motte and Bailey structure, and currently presents lavish Gothic revival interiors and gardens. Castell Coch, nestled in the ancient woodlands of Fforest Fawr, known as the ‘red castle’, evokes a fairytale scene with its enchanting spire and sumptuous interiors. We will also encounter the grand vision of Caerphilly Castle, its stone edifice surrounded by a ring of shallow lakes originating from 1216, that claims the title of oldest surviving concentric castle in the world.
Museum visits will enhance insights into the history and culture of Wales, including a tour of the collection at the National Museum Cardiff. St Fagan’s National Museum of History, meanwhile, offers a unique way to experience Welsh heritage by recreating aspects of communities from across the country over time. Set within 100-acre parkland, this open-air museum includes 17th century cottages and farmhouses with native breeds of livestock and regular demonstrations, the medieval church of St Teilo with pre-Reformation interiors – a splendid Workmen’s Institute – and the recreation of Llys Llywelyn Royal Court of the Princes of Gwynedd, used during the 13th century.
Further visits at Cardiff Bay will invigorate our understanding of the city as a cultural capital, including a guided tour of The Senedd Welsh Parliament building, which offers interesting temporary exhibitions and the unusual landmark of the Norwegian Church Arts Centre, constructed in 1868 for Nordic seamen who came to Cardiff during the industrial revolution. We will also consider Cardiff’s connection to the wider legacy of art in the UK at Llandaff Cathedral, which houses Christ in Majesty by Jacob Epstein, one of the inspirations for Anthony Gormley’s Angel of the North.
We will stay throughout at the Hilton Cardiff, a modern and comfortable hotel, chosen for its ideal proximity to visits and Cardiff Central Station.
Suzanne Fagence Cooper
Suzanne is a curator, historian and Arts Society accredited lecturer, whose specialisms include 19th and 20th century British and French art.
This tour will be led by Suzanne Fagence Cooper, MA, PhD, a curator and historian whose specialisms include 19th and 20th century British and French art. An Arts Society accredited lecturer, she was a curator and Research Fellow at the V&A Museum for 12 years and has collaborated with many of Britain’s regional museum collections. She is the author of To See Clearly: Why Ruskin Matters (2019) and How We Might Live: At Home with Jane and William Morris (2022), and curated the 2019 exhibition Turner, Ruskin & the Storm Cloud at York Art Gallery.
5
£1575
CARD-26
