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The Eisteddfod Chair is a hand-carved sculpture of oak, slate and bronze by Paul Clarke, dated 2015 by Art UK, in the garden of Cardigan Castle in Ceredigion, Wales. The castle describes it as a version of a domestic piece of furniture scaled up 1.5 times and says it re-imagines the chair awarded at Lord Rhys's first Eisteddfod, held at the castle in 1176; Art UK gives its height as 270 cm.
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Eisteddfod Chair (Cardigan Castle giant chair)
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Position of the site, not the object · 52.081° N, 4.661° W
FIELD GUIDE
The story
In the garden of Cardigan Castle, in Ceredigion, Wales, sits a chair carved from local oak, slate and bronze. The castle describes it as a hand-carved sculpture and as a version of a domestic piece of furniture scaled up 1.5 times. Art UK lists it as the Eisteddfod Chair by the sculptor Paul Clarke, born in 1962, dates it to 2015 and gives its height as 270 cm. The castle's page on the chair gives no height; its Explore the Castle page calls the chair a nine-foot sculpture.
The castle says the chair re-imagines the original chair awarded to the victorious poet at Lord Rhys's first Eisteddfod, held at the castle on Christmas day in 1176. Art UK gives the same year, 1176, for the first Eisteddfod. Cadw's record for the castle says it was in existence in 1136 and was rebuilt in stone under the Lord Rhys in 1171.
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PRACTICAL
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WHAT TO EXPECT
The chair stands in the garden of Cardigan Castle, a ticketed visitor attraction. Opening times vary seasonally. Check the castle's website for current opening hours, ticket details and visitor information. The map point shown for this listing marks the castle, not the chair.
ACCESS
Inside the grounds of Cardigan Castle, Green Street, Cardigan SA43 1JA. The castle says it has no on-site parking for day visitors, with the nearest car park at the bottom of Quay Street, and that its paths are wheelchair friendly and wheelchairs are available if required. The castle does not say whether the chair can be seen from outside the grounds.
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