Cardigan Castle recently bid a regretful farewell to one of its older residents in its 220-year-old Turkey Oak.

Since its felling in February, a new character has slowly emerged from what remained of that once great oak.

To mark the location of this iconic tree, Cardigan Castle commissioned the carving of a spectacular new sculpture, made from the remaining tree stump.

After careful consideration, it was agreed that a carving of Lord Rhys would be most fitting, with his large imposing figure surveying the grounds of the castle he started to build in 1171, becoming the first Welshman to build a castle from stone.

The carving was designed and sculpted by Carmarthen-based artist Simon Hedger to make the best use of the remaining wood.

What might be achievable was initially unclear as Turkey Oak is known for being notoriously difficult to work with, due to significantly smaller amounts of hard wood present in the tree, compared to a native oak tree.

However, Simon was pleasantly surprised with the amount of good material he had to work with from the old tree.

The sculpture shows Lord Rhys holding a sword and spear looking out across to where it is believed his Great Hall would have once stood; the Great Hall which played host to what is widely regarded and Wales’s first Eisteddfod.

Jonathan Thomas, director of Cardigan Castle, said: “Losing the Turkey Oak was a tremendous disappointment for everyone involved with Cardigan Castle. It was a unique tree that had survived so much of the castle’s history. However, we are really pleased that we have been able to gain something from this loss.

"It feels right that this latest significant change to the landscape of the castle has been marked with an acknowledgment of where it all started in the first place. I’m looking forward to welcoming visitors, from near and far, back into the castle to enjoy this spectacular work of art.”

Giving a history of the Turkey Oak, Glen Johnson, added: “Although tree-ring dating would be the only way of being certain, we suspect that the Turkey Oak was probably planted around the time that John Bowen was having the east wing of Castle Green House built - circa 1805-1808.

“Alternatively, it may have been planted as part of the garden development recorded in 1810-11 when the hanging garden was being created along the Strand.

"The acorn or sapling must have been brought to Cardigan by sea - perhaps as a gift to John Bowen, who had a brother at Troedyraur who was a well-known horticulturalist. The earliest photos of the castle site, from circa 1870, show it as a large mature tree of at least 30 to 40 years.

“The tree has witnessed the building of the front range of the house for Arthur Jones in 1827, was part of the garden of High Sheriff David Davies who lived here in the 1830s, and the unrelated Davies family who dwelt here for three generations.

"The tree was a popular feature of John Evans’ garden here also, and from 1940 until 2003 stood proudly while the rest of the site fell into decline. It has managed to survive long enough to see the castle restored.”