Dating back to the early 12th century Cardigan Castle sits in the middle of the town with majestic views of the River Teifi in West Wales. The castle was probably first occupied by Gilbert Fitz Richard de Clare, although his occupation was short lived after Rhys ap Gruffydd captures the Castle using scaling ladders and demolishes it. In 1171 Rhys ap Gruffydd (Lord Rhys) moves his chief court here and begins to rebuild the Castle in stone for the first time. This is believed to be the first stone castle ever built by a Welshman. The restaurant in the new visitor centre now bears the name, 1176 as a knowing nod to the year when Lord Rhys hosts a celebration after the completion of his new castle. This festival has now been acknowledged as the first ever Eisteddfod. However the following centuries see the outer walls as the only surviving parts of this ancient castle. In the 1800’s the Castle Green House was built, and which you can still see today, albeit an extended version. The previous modern day owner, Miss Barbara Wood was unable to keep up the maintenance and was forced to live a caravan within the grounds for the last 15 years of her time at the property. In 2003 Cardigan Castle was purchased by Ceredigion County Council and after a £12 million restoration, it reopened in 2015 as a heritage attraction, restaurant, accommodation and events venue. Today, 6th July 2019 it was to host the wedding of Lucy and Mark. I had photographs Lucy’s sisters wedding a couple of years earlier at the Celtic Manor, so I knew sort of what to expect. Though they really pulled off quite a unique wedding. Not only finding a such an unusual wedding venue, but also featuring a bouncy castle and falconry display. Combined with lots of children and fun loving friends and family, it was quite the spectacle and a pleasure to photograph.
“We would highly recommend Sacha! He captured every special moment of our wedding day and our photos are incredible.”
“We can’t thank him enough!!!”