City bids farewell to dragon as it leaves castle walls

THE huge blue dragon perched on top of Cardiff Castle has taken flight as the Champions League celebrations draw to a close.

Cardiff awoke to find the castle had a new resident on the morning of May 11, when the giant sculpture appeared on the ramparts of the iconic location under the cover of darkness.

The dragon had been guarding a replica of the famous trophy ever since, while 35 banners draping from the castle ensured visitors knew the Welsh capital was gearing up for one of the biggest sporting events in the world.

The new arrival was to celebrate the Champions League final being held in Cardiff, which saw Gareth Bale’s Real Madrid thumping Juventus 4-1 at the National Stadium of Wales on Saturday.

As expected, the dragon proved to be a popular selfie spot and tourist attraction as around 170,000 European football fans descended on the city last week for the showpiece event on Saturday.

But yesterday was the last chance for residents and visitors to catch a last glimpse of the castle’s newest occupant after it was scheduled to be removed last night.

The art installation at one of Cardiff ’s most iconic landmarks was the product of Wild Creations, the Cardiff-based firm which creates props and displays from its 18,000sq ft workshop.

The project was more than a year in the making, and involved numerous stages of development - including drawing, sculpting, hand-sculpting, robot work, a team of artists painting it and metal work, as well as printing all 35 banners.

Matt Wild, owner of Wild Creations, previously told WalesOnline: “The branding for Cardiff was the dragon protecting the trophy. What better place to put that than the top of Cardiff Castle?

“It’s such an iconic part of Cardiff, it’s great to do it here.”