"I thought you would rush back to London to deal with those three sketches." The fat man said with a smile as they walked on a tree-lined path.
Yang Jing shrugged his shoulders. "Why are you in such a hurry? Anyway, the painting is in my hands and I can't run away. There's no point in being anxious. Besides, I have never been to Cardiff, nor have I seen the famous Cardiff Castle. Now that I'm here, why not take a good look around? Otherwise, when I return home, I will definitely regret not visiting Cardiff Castle when I came to Cardiff. I don't want to leave such a regret."
The fat man patted Yang Jing on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, Old Yang. I can definitely be your guide. I stayed here for a while during the Christmas holiday three years ago. I am very familiar with this place."
The fat man pointed to the large green area around him and said, "This huge area is the most famous park area in Cardiff. The road we are walking on now is in the famous Bute Park. Look, to the east is Sophia Park, to the north are Pentecarna Green and Llandaff Green. These parks and green areas are all connected to Cardiff Castle in the south."
The fat man pointed at the large green area and turned around and continued, "Perhaps you don't know that such a large area was part of the huge assets of the famous Bute family more than 60 years ago."
The fat man stood where he was and stamped his feet hard on the ground. "This 130-acre Bute Park is now the largest park in Cardiff. You know, the back door of Cardiff Castle was several kilometers north of the main body of the castle. That is to say, before the fifth Marquis of Bute donated Cardiff Castle, the Red Castle and Bute Park to the city of Cardiff in 1947, the area where we are standing, this 130-acre Bute Park, was actually the back garden of Cardiff Castle."
Hearing what the fat man said, Yang Jing was also extremely surprised.
"Really? Such a large area is just the back garden of Cardiff Castle?" Yang Jing had just been busy at Vardi Castle for several days the past two days. The Vardi Castle, which covers an area of 30 acres, already seemed large enough to him. However, compared with Cardiff Castle, Vardi Castle was like a newborn baby.
The 30 acres of land that Vardi Castle boasts of is nothing compared to Cardiff Castle. The area of Cardiff Castle's back garden alone is as large as 130 acres, and the area of Vardi Castle is barely a fraction of that of Cardiff Castle's back garden...
The fat man nodded very confidently. "In fact, Cardiff Castle was not built by the Bute family. When it comes to the oldest castle in the whole of Britain, Cardiff Castle is definitely ranked first. In fact, this castle was built by the Romans as early as 76 AD. At that time, the Roman Empire's army built a military castle here for defense, which was the predecessor of Cardiff Castle. If we count from that time, Cardiff Castle has a history of more than 2,000 years. In comparison, Edinburgh, Corfe Castle, and Alwick Castle are all weak. Even Windsor Castle, where Her Majesty the Queen lives, is more than a thousand years later than Cardiff Castle in history!"
After a pause, the fat man continued, "It's just that after the castle was built, in the following thousand years, although many nobles lived in it, it was also destroyed many times in artillery fire. Until the 18th century, the castle was actually very dilapidated. It was not until 1766 that the Bute family came here and became the new owner of the castle, and the castle regained its vitality."
"The Bute family? The most legendary marquis family in Britain?"
"Yes, it's the Butt family." The fat man said very affirmatively.
Yang Jing had been in the UK for two years and had learned a lot about the country, including some of the most legendary families in the country.
In the UK, in addition to the royal family, there are several major families that cannot be ignored, such as the Churchill family, yes, the family that produced British Prime Minister Churchill, one of the three great men in World War II; there is also Princess Diana's family, the Spencer family, the Cavendish family, the Howard family, and of course the Bute family.
The Spencer family's title is earl, the Cavendish family and the Howard family's title is duke, and as for the Bute family, although it is only a marquisate, it is the financially richest family among these major families.
In 1766, John Bute, who was then Lord Mountstuart, married a local noble daughter after arriving in Cardiff, and gained huge real estate interests and mining rights in southern Wales. Their grandson, the second-generation Marquis of the Bute family, amassed a lot of wealth from the rich coal resources in Cardiff and became the leading tycoon in the UK. Until now, the Bute family has the highest financial strength in the UK.
The fat man said: "After the Bute family bought this century-old castle, they hired many well-known designers from the UK, the US, Italy and Turkey to renovate the castle, eventually turning Cardiff Castle into a luxurious castle. However, as coal resources in Wales were exhausted, the Bute family finally returned to Scotland and donated Cardiff Castle to Cardiff City Hall in 1947. This castle is currently the only government-owned castle in the UK."
Yang Jing shook his head and said, "The Butt family is really rich and powerful. They donated such a magnificent castle. Oh, it would have been great if they had donated this castle to me at that time..."
"Haha, you kid also get tempted sometimes! Lao Yang, it's already past nine o'clock, stop dreaming!" The fat man is always merciless in his attacks on those who daydream.
Yang Jing glanced at the fat man in annoyance and said, "Can't you just let me, your brother, fantasize a little bit?"
"What's there to YY about? Brother, you are already in your twenties, not a two or three-year-old kid. If you are YYing, can you please YY something more reliable?"
Yang Jing ignored this random guy and said to himself: "Isn't it just an ancient castle? Look at me. When I become rich in the future, I will build a castle bigger than this one sooner or later!"
The fat guy next to him almost burst out laughing...
PS: Here is one chapter first, there will be more in the afternoon...
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