The Animal Wall at Cardiff Castle is an iconic landmark. It was designed by Architect William Burges for the 3rd Marquess of Bute. Burges died before the wall was completed and Architect William Frame brought the wall to completion. The wall has fifteen animals in total. The original wall was located directly in front of the Castle and was decorated with just nine animals. Models of each animal were made for Lord Bute’s approval and two, including a “sea horse”, were rejected. The original wall was more or less completed in 1892.
The Animal Wall has inspired several literary works, most famously a story by Dorothy Howard Rowlands, which was serialised in the South Wales Echo and Express from 1933 and was enormously popular with a whole generation of children. Characters included William the seal, Priscilla the pelican, Martha and Oscar the monkeys, Larry the lynx and Romulus and Remus the two lions.