The 40th anniversary of Cadw has already been covered in the news earlier this month. The BBC article, “From castles to loos – protecting Wales’ history” is well worth a read.
Rather than repeat this information, I thought I’d look through my collection for items related to Cadw, share some stories I’ve published about them and take a look at the origin of their logo.
History of Cadw
Cadw was established on 29 October 1984, by the Secretary of State for Wales. It combined staff from the Welsh Office and Wales Tourist Board to conserve and promote the nation’s heritage.
The organisation was established as an Executive Agency (within the former Welsh Office) on 2 April 1991. It was then an Executive Agency of the National Assembly for Wales from 1 July 1999.
Cadw became a department of the Welsh Assembly Government in 2005, now the Welsh Government, and remains so as they celebrate their 40th anniversary.
The head of Cadw is Gwilym Hughes who reports to Sioned Evans, Director General of Education, Culture and Welsh Language Group.
Cadw Memorabilia and Articles
I’ve got a few interesting pieces of memorabilia featuring Castell Coch that were published by Cadw. My post, “Castell Coch: The 1980s” contains a nice selection.
Cardiff illustrator Sue Shields produced a series of illustrations that were featured on Cadw gifts in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
These are some of the stories I’ve published about Cadw over the last ten years:
- 2014 – Cadw invited me to watch a horror film in Castell Coch.
- 2014 – Tongwynlais Pupils Pilot Cadw’s New History Programme.
- 2015 – Build a Lego Castell Coch with Cadw.
- 2015 – Cadw Launches Exclusive New Gayle Rogers Castell Coch Range.
- 2015 – Artists in Residence at Castell Coch.
- 2017 – I attended Folli Fest, a youth takeover of Castell Coch.
- 2018 – Simon Underdown wrote about being a volunteer at Castell Coch.
- 2019 – Discovering the Squatters at Castell Coch.
- 2020 – Chimney Conservation Tour.
- 2024 – Preserving Castell Coch.
The Carew Cross
The Cadw logo is a common sight on signs around Wales. It was inspired by the Carew Cross.
The Carew Cross is an 11th century, Grade I listed memorial Celtic cross. It stands on the side of the road just outside Carew Castle in Carew, Pembrokeshire.
I bought a few old postcards of the cross that show how the stone memorial has changed over the years. The first image is from 1916.
Ancient Celtic design at its finest, it has contemporary relevance as inspiration for our very own Cadw logo.
Cadw website
A Latin inscription on the base of the monument has been translated as ‘The Cross of Margiteut son of Etguin’, thought to be a reference to Mareddud, a descendent of law-maker Hywel Dda, who ruled the ancient kingdom Deheubarth and died in battle in 1035.
Guidebooks
I wrote about the official Castell Coch guidebooks from 1957 to 1975 a few years ago.
The “Office of Works” was formed in 1851 and became the “Ministry of Works” in 1940. During this period, the Ancient Monuments Act (1882) and the Ancient Monuments Protection Act (1900) were introduced to protect monuments and encourage owners to place them in state guardianship.
Castell Coch was placed in the care of the Ministry of Works by the 5th Marquess of Bute in 1950. The “Ministry of Works” was renamed the “Ministry of Public Building and Works” in 1962. The Ministry of Public Building and Works was absorbed into the Department of the Environment in 1970.
The first guidebook produced under the management of Cadw, below, was written by Sally Rousham and published in 1985.
I’m going to feature this title in the follow-up to my Official Guidebooks post.
Visit Castell Coch
For up to date information about visiting Castell Coch, head over to the official Cadw web page for Castell Coch.
A great reminder of the information you’ve kept us engaged with over the year. Fascinating to be reminded of all the history just a few hundred metres away.