Conceived by the Architect William Burges (1827-1881), but not executed until ten years after his death, the Animal Wall is one of the castle’s most remarkable features.  Extended in the 1930s to include further animals, the wall was the work of two different sculptors; Thomas Nicholls and Alexander Carrick. Originally intended to be part of a ‘Moat Garden’ for the 3rd Marquess of Bute, it was part of a larger, more elaborate scheme that was intended to include statues and fountains.  

This lecture tells the full story of its history and design, and how it came to be regarded with huge affection by an entire generation of Cardiff children in the 1930s.