22. Upstairs: Banqueting Hall

The inside of the house contains some unexpected interiors and you can see some of these as you follow the arrows through the building.

Whilst it looks large, there are not as many rooms as you might think, and there was always a shortage of practical living space. Lord and Lady Bute and their children only used Cardiff Castle for a few weeks of each year, enjoying living in the quirky and imaginative rooms designed by the architect, William Burges, who was responsible for the Castle’s Victorian ‘make-over’.

Burges designed his medieval-style interiors down to the last detail, including wall and ceiling decoration, furniture, textiles and metalwork. Each individual room in the house has a theme – reflecting the interests of the architect and his patron, Lord Bute. William Burges was a very expensive architect to employ, and was famous for going over budget. But at Cardiff Castle he was working for one of the world’s richest men, and cost was less important than the desired opulent effect.

The upper rooms of the house include the small, but very elaborate’Arab Room’, which is rich with decoration in marble, mosaic, tiles and a splendid ceiling covered with pure gold leaf. When Lord and Lady Bute stayed at the Castle, they entertained in rooms such as the Banqueting Hall – the largest room in the house; and, even today, the room continues to play host to Royalty and Heads of State.