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Cardiff is the capital of Wales and a city grown from large deposits of not least coal and iron. Wales has been a leader in the industrialization of Great Britain, and over time it has created an enormous wealth, which have been turned into a lot of great constructions in the capital city of Cardiff.
Industrial history is largely a thing of the past, and Cardiff has in recent decades undergone a revitalization of the old docks at Cardiff Bay. The modern waterfront area is within walking distance from the old town, and it adds a whole new dimension to the city for locals and visitors alike.
Cardiff has its share of modern architecture, and there is also something for travelers who would like to see Edwardian urban planning and construction. And Cardiff Castle is also worth a visit while walking in the city center. Here, several fine churches and the city’s many Victorian shopping arcades feature some of the cozy streets.
Cardiff is the capital of Wales, which, as a country, is incredibly beautiful with many hills and mountains, a long coastline and countless quaint towns that exude the Welsh atmosphere. All of this is something that is in the immediate vicinity of Cardiff.
In the middle of Cardiff sits the city’s beautiful old medieval castle and castle, Cardiff Castle, which was built on the same site as the Roman fort from around the year 75. At the end of the 11th century, the Normans built a castle tower, part of which can still be seen. It is The Norman Keep, which is surrounded by a moat in the northern part of the castle area.
Over the following many centuries, the castle was gradually expanded, and it often changed owners. In the latter half of the 18th century, John Stuart, who was the 3rd Earl of Bute, bought the site, and the Stuart family later built the majority of the castle grounds that can be visited today.
In the years 1869-1881, John Crichton-Stuart, as the 3rd Marquis of Bute, expanded Cardiff Castle considerably. The architect William Burges was in charge of the task, and in terms of style it was done in a mainly imaginative version of a traditional medieval castle.
Several towers were built in the castle complex, of which the Clock Tower is the most characteristic. With the Clock Tower and the other expansion, the city’s profile was suddenly changed in a medieval direction.
Inside, the castle’s rooms and halls were also decorated and furnished very beautifully and with inspiration from past centuries. In the Clock Tower there is, for example, a bachelor’s dormitory, where you will find the beautiful Summer Smoking Room. Another of the rooms worth seeing is the Banqueting Hall, which through its decoration depicts the history of Cardiff Castle.
Behind the name National Museum Cardiff there is both a museum and a national gallery, and both departments are worth visiting. The beautiful museum building was built from 1912, and after a halt in construction during the First World War, it opened gradually in the period 1927-1932.
At the National Museum Cardiff, you can see a fine presentation of Wales’ development in various areas such as archaeology, geology and art. The dedicated gallery has several collections, including Dutch art from the 1500s-1700s and a selection of 19th-century French painters.
The palatial structure forming City Hall is Cardiff’s Town Hall, which was opened in 1904 as part of the great public development of the time with institutions around Alexandra Gardens. The town hall was built in stone from the Isle of Portland in Dorset on the English south coast, and it is the town’s fifth town hall. The building style was inspired by Renaissance architecture.
Inside the Town Hall you can see a series of marble statues of famous figures from Welsh history; among others you can see Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf (Llewelyn II), who was the last reigning Prince of Wales. At one of the main staircases there is also a memorial to Captain Robert Scott and his crew who went on an ill-fated South Pole expedition in 1910.
The finely ornamented Town Hall Tower measures 59 meters in height and is one of Cardiff’s best-known architectural landmarks.
Despite its location outside the center of Cardiff, the large and beautiful cathedral in the suburb of Llandaff functions as the area’s most significant Anglican church building. As a cathedral, the Bishop of Llandaff has his seat here.
There are remnants of Christian Celtic religiosity from the 6th century on the site, and the first proper church is said to have been built in 560. After the Norman invasion, they installed the first bishop in 1107, and in 1120 construction of the cathedral itself began. The building was completed in 1290.
During the English Civil War in the middle of the 17th century, the church was damaged, and at the beginning of the 18th century the tower was close to collapsing. The lack of maintenance meant that the construction of a new cathedral began in 1734. The new building was called the Italian Temple, and despite being built on the church for about 100 years, it was never completed. Instead, in the 1800s, the old building was restored and the former tower was rebuilt, but on this occasion it was adorned with a spire.
During World War II, a bomb exploded next to the cathedral in 1941, and of all English cathedrals, only Coventry Cathedral was more destroyed than Llandaff Cathedral during the war. Reconstruction began after the war, and in 1958 the cathedral was rededicated.
Castle Arcade is a shopping arcade in Cardiff which opened in 1887. It connects Castle Street and High Street and was laid out with two streets meeting at right angles.
The arcade was built with two storeys and is the only one of Cardiff’s many old shopping arcades to be built in this way. Castle Arcade is an architectural experience in the Victorian style.
The Millennium Stadium is Wales’ national stadium, also known as the Principality Stadium. It is used not least to house the country’s home games in rugby and also most in football. The large stadium, which opened in 1999, can hold 74,500 spectators and was the largest in the UK when it opened.
The dimensions of the stadium are impressive and the facility is definitely one of Cardiff’s most distinctive buildings. The four corner towers reach a height of 90 meters and are thereby a major feature of the cityscape.
This is the main railway station in Cardiff and it is also the busiest railway station in Wales. Along with Queen Street Station, Cardiff Central Station provides access to Cardiff city center from both Wales and England.
The railway history of the city began in the 1840s when the South Wales Railway company wanted to establish a line to and from Cardiff and they were looking for a suitable site for a new railway station. The area by the River Taff was at risk of flooding but was well situated. Isambard Kingdom Brunel came up with the solution in the form of a realignment of the Taff to the west, thereby creating a large enough area for the railway station. The first railway linked Cardiff with Swansea and Chepstow and it opened in 1850.
It was the Great Western Railway that was responsible for the railway operation, and the company built the current railway station building in the years 1932-1934. The railway station was built beautifully in the Art Deco style of the time. The building still stands with art deco elements both externally and in, for example, the large ticket hall.
The Tabernacle is a Baptist chapel located in the center of Cardiff. The building was originally built in 1821, while the current chapel is the result of a remodeling and extension that took place in the years 1862-1865.
It was the local architect J. Hartland who was responsible for the reconstruction, which was carried out in the Italianate form of classicist style. The interior of the chapel is a church room with galleries on the first floor and some fine glass mosaics, which were installed in 1928.
This church is one of the oldest buildings in Cardiff and, together with Cardiff Castle, is the only structure in the city that has survived from the Middle Ages. St. John the Baptist Church was originally built as a chapel in 1180. However, it was destroyed in 1404 and at the end of the same century the church was rebuilt. Since then, it has been expanded in the 19th century.
The church offers a church room worth seeing, where you can see, among other things, some beautiful glass mosaics, which were installed primarily in the 1850s and 1860s. You can also regularly visit the church’s café for a cup of tea and enjoy the atmosphere.
Cardiff Central Market is a Victorian-style market building. The current building was designed by William Harpur and erected in 1891 with a market floor and balconies, but there has been a food market on this site since the 18th century.
The clock inside the market building is also a H. Samuel clock, which the jeweler’s shop of the same name located immediately next to the market donated in its time. The original clock was hung in 1910, while the current one dates from 1963.
Cathays Park is an area of Cardiff that covers the green area of Alexandra Gardens and the surrounding houses, which with its imposing features in the predominantly Edwardian style form the most grandiose public building complex from 20th century Cardiff.
The central park, Alexandra Gardens, is named after Denmark’s Princess Alexandra, who became Queen of England and Empress of India through her marriage to the English King Edward VII.
In the park stands the Welsh National War Memorial, a memorial from 1928, which was erected in memory of those killed in the First World War. Fallen in later wars have subsequently been commemorated with plaques or other monuments.
The background for Cathays Park was a land purchase in 1898, where the Bute family sold the area where the first Marquess of Bute had had a mansion in the years 1812-1825. The land purchase took place in connection with the city council’s desire to construct new buildings for administrative and educational purposes.
The University of Cardiff was founded in 1883 under the name University College of South Wales & Monmouthshire. Since 2004 it has been called Cardiff University. The university is housed in several buildings around Alexandra Gardens, the most impressive of which is the main building along Museum Avenue.
The architect was John Caroe, and he was inspired by the universities of both Oxford and Cambridge. The foundation stone for the building was laid in 1905, and the university building was opened in several stages. The first inauguration took place in 1909, and the somewhat newer side wings were inaugurated in the 1960s.
Cardiff Bay is an area located south of Cardiff city center and on the freshwater lake that forms a kind of inner harbor in Cardiff Bay. As the name suggests, Cardiff Bay was a bay where the city’s major docks were located. History has been written from these facilities, where, for example, the Terra Nova Expedition set out from Cardiff in 1910 towards Antarctica.
In the 1990s, the Cardiff Bay Barrage was built, and with it the new and current inland lake was formed. The purpose of the dam was to create the framework for an urban development that could not least enable new recreational areas for the city’s citizens and the many tourists who visit Cardiff.
The Pierhead Building is a distinctive building that stands as one of Cardiff’s well-known silhouettes from the industrial era. The Pierhead Building has been central to Cardiff Bay since its opening in 1897. At the time, the building was the headquarters of the Bute Dock Company, whose former residence had burnt down in 1892.
With the opening of the Pierhead Building, the Bute Dock Company changed its name to the Cardiff Railway Company. On the building is the motto “wrth ddwr a than”, which means “with fire and water”. The words symbolize the power that Welsh industry used to develop the country.
The Pierhead Building is elegantly decorated in terracotta, and several styles have been used for the ostentatious decoration, which is also repeated on the tower. In 1947 the building became the seat of the Cardiff Port Authority, and today it is housed as part of the Welsh National Assembly.
Wales Millennium Center is one of Wales’ absolute centers for the performing arts. The center opened in 2004 and hosts ballet, dance, comedies, musicals and opera. There are several halls in the complex, the largest of which holds almost 1,900 spectators.
The idea with the architecture was partly to create an immediately recognizable building icon and partly to create a symbol of what is Welsh. In this way, the choice of materials has fallen on, among other things, a large amount of slate, wood, glass and metal, which all come from Wales.
Above the front of the building you can read the inscription “Creu Gwir fel gywr o fwrnais/In these stones horizons sing”; these are lines written by the Welsh poet Gwyneth Lewis. The letters are windows, and when illuminated in the evening they are a special sight.
The Senedd is the seat of the Welsh National Assembly and thus one of the most important political institutions in the country. The building is unconventional with its distinctive structure in glass, and the architect precisely wanted to signal transparency to the people with this choice of material.
The heart of the building, which is however closed to the general public, is the circular hall named Siambr. The hall is the place where the national assembly meets. The Senedd was also inaugurated in 2006 by Queen Elizabeth II.
Den Norske Kirke is a church in a beautiful position at the edge of Cardiff Bay. The church was built in 1868 by the Norwegian sailors’ church, which is part of the Norwegian folk church. Norwegian Church serves as a church for both Norwegian sailors and Norwegians in Cardiff.
At the time of the construction of the church, Norway’s merchant navy was the third largest in the world, and Cardiff was used as one of the fleet’s traffic hubs; for that reason there were many Norwegians here. Today, an art center has been set up in the idyllic church building.
Castell Coch Castle looks like a real medieval castle and was built by architect William Burges under John Crichton-Stuart, who held the title of 3rd Marquess of Bute. Construction took place at the end of the 1800s. Burges was also the architect of the current appearance of Cardiff Castle, and the features of the Victorian Gothic Revival are clearly visible in both places.
Before the current castle, in the 13th century a fortification was built here on the site, which was strategically important. It is believed that the fortress was almost completely destroyed as early as the 14th century, and the ruins remained until the 19th century, when Castell Coch was built on the foundations of the old castle.
William Burges sought to design the castle in a style faithful to medieval architecture, and succeeded very well; however, there is debate as to whether or not turret hats were used at the time. Inside, the rooms and halls are decorated as fine examples of Victorian neo-Gothic, and as a visitor you cannot help but be impressed.
The castle was never used as a permanent residence, and in 1950 the 5th Marquess of Bute left the site to the Welsh State Unit for the Preservation of Historic Buildings, among other things.
Tintern Abbey is a church of a Cistercian monastery founded in 1131; the church building itself was mainly built in the years 1269-1301. In addition to the church itself, you can also experience the remains of some of the surrounding monastery buildings.
Today Tintern Abbey stands as a beautiful, picturesque and monumental ruin in a magnificent landscape on the River Wye surrounded by hilly terrain. The building complex, of which remains have been preserved today, was built from the 12th century to 1536, when the site’s history abruptly stopped.
King Henry VIII sought control of the church during his rule; which was not least due to the wealth that had been accumulated here. It also affected Tintern Abbey, which in 1536 was handed over to the crown, and thereby the place’s status as an active monastery was history. The treasures were moved to the King’s Treasury and the buildings were given to Henry Somerset, who was Earl of Worcester. The lead of the roof was sold, and thereby began a great decay.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, people lived here temporarily, but otherwise Tintern Abbey stood, and gradually tourists came to view the beautiful ruin. During the 1900s, the ruin was renovated and it is now a building that is being preserved.
Caerleon is a village known for its Roman history. The city was home to the legion Legio II Augusta in the period 75-300, and it was therefore naturally a fortress city with associated facilities.
Among the excavated ruins of Roman society, you can see the legionaries’ baths, barracks and a large amphitheater. The ruins are not well preserved, but they give an impression of the conditions and the size of a defense post here in the far north of the Roman Empire.
At the ruins there is also an interesting legionary museum, the National Roman Legion Museum/Amgueddfa Lleng Rufeinig Cymru, which conveys information about the life and work of the legionaries in a Roman outpost like Caerleon. The military technique of the Romans is also described, and in the collection you can also see quite a few archaeological finds.
The Big Pit National Coal Museum is a museum that tells the story of the Welsh coal mining industry, which was a major contributor to Wales’ economic heyday and the area’s industrial development.
The Big Pit itself opened in 1860 and operated as a coal mine until 1980. After its closure, the mine was converted into a visitor center; it opened in 1983. The name Big Pit comes from the fact that when the mine opened it was the mine in Wales that had the biggest drop to the mine shafts. At the beginning of the 20th century, more than 1,100 people worked in the mine.
The visit to the Big Pit is particularly interesting, which is due to the fact that part of the former mine tunnels are open, so you can really go underground and take a walk. On the trip, you wear the right safety equipment, because the mine is the original with the risks inherent in it. Above ground there is a simulated mine that shows the extraction of coal step by step, and in one of the mine’s crew buildings there is an exciting exhibition about Wales’ coal mining. In this exhibition there are lots of effects and stories that convey different aspects of a miner’s life.
The Big Pit is located in the town of Blaenavon, which also houses an example of the many railways that were built in Wales over time. In 1866 the railway opened from here to the nearby town of Pontypool. The reason for the facility was the coal mining in Big Pit, and the track was operational as such until 1980, when Big Pit closed as an active coal mine. Until 1941, the line had also transported passengers, and until 1954 also freight other than coal. Now the track has reopened as a veteran railway.
Merthyr Tydfil is a town with a significant industrial history and was one of the hotbeds of the area’s industrial revolution. Today, the former foundation is gone; namely the iron and steel works and the area’s rich coal mining. There are, however, interesting remains from the city’s heyday, which give visitors a good insight into the era of industrialization.
1759 was the year the first major iron works opened, and more followed in the following decades, and Merthyr Tydfil became the world center for the production of iron, for which there was an exploding demand. Railways were built between the city and shipping ports, and in 1804 the world’s first steam locomotive, the Iron Horse, ran here. By the middle of the 19th century, the town had even grown to become the largest in Wales.
The Cefn Coed railway viaduct (Pontycapel Road) is one of Merthyr Tydfil’s largest structures. Built in 1866, it consists of 15 arches on the Brecon and Merthyr line spanning the River Taff. Today the railway line is closed, but the beautiful viaduct still stands and today a path goes over it.
In the middle of the town is the 19th-century castle Cyfarthfa Castle (Brecon Road). It was erected from 1824 by William Crawshay II for funds generated from iron production. The castle was inhabited until 1889, and in 1908 the city government bought it. The board arranged a museum and a school in the large building. The surrounding green area forms the castle park Cyfarthfa Park.
From Merthyr Tydfil you can take the vintage Brecon Mountain Railway (Pant Road) which is a great way to get out into the Brecon Beacons National Park. The track is a kind of reconstruction of the many narrow-gauge industrial tracks in Wales. The track is newly laid on the old ground of the Brecon and Merthyr Railway, which operated in the years 1859-1864.
The Brecon Beacons National Park is a large and beautiful natural area located immediately north of the town of Merthyr Tydfil, from where you can take the atmospheric Brecon Mountain Railway (Pant Road) into the park’s magnificent landscape.
The name Brecon Beacons comes from the area’s mountain range of the same name. The highest peak is Pen y Fan, which reaches a height of 886 metres. The national park was established in 1957 and covers an area of 1,344 km². Visitors can go hiking or simply enjoy the grassy landscape.
The city of Swansea is the second largest in Wales and it has a history like many other cities in the country. Industrialization has characterized the area, but there are also a number of historical and modern attractions in the city.
Swansea’s old castle, Swansea Castle (Castle Square) lies as an atmospheric ruin in the streetscape. It originally dates from 1106, and it has been expanded continuously over the centuries thereafter.
The city’s largest church is St. Mary’s Church (St. Mary’s Square), whose history goes back to the first half of the 14th century. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, however, the building collapsed several times and was then rebuilt each time.
As for museums, you can visit the National Waterfront Museum/Amgueddfa nasional y glannau (Oystermouth Road), which belongs to the National Museum of Wales. The museum depicts the Welsh history of industrial revolution and innovation. The Swansea Museum (Victoria Road) is the oldest in Wales and exhibits a mixed collection from both Wales’ history and from abroad.
In the center of Swansea you can also visit the tropics with a visit to Plantasia (Quay Parade), a large greenhouse with different plant environments with more than 5,000 different species. There is also a butterfly house in the facility.
Bristol has been one of England’s economically and culturally leading cities over the last many centuries and it hosts a number of interesting sights. Not least, the trade along the river has made its mark since industrialization, and the artificially created river port now forms an environment for many cultural activities, promenades and simply boasts a nice atmosphere.
There are several museums in the city. Among them is the great ship SS Great Britain, which was the world’s largest when constructed in 1843. You can also get the story of the English colonial history in the city, which also offers art, entertainment and really good shopping.
Queen Street
capitol-shopping-centre.co.uk
Castle Street, High Street
Trinity Street, St. Mary Street
cardiff-market.co.uk
14-18 Mary Street
houseoffraser.co.uk
St. Mary Street, The Hayes
Queen Street
stdavids-shopping.co.uk
Queen Street, St. John Street, Working Street, Trinity Street, The Hayes, St. Mary Street, High Street
Barry Island Pleasure Park
Barry Island
pleasureparkonline.co.uk
Techniquest
Stuart Street
techniquest.org
Big Pit National Coal Museum
Blaenavon, 50 km NE
museumwales.ac.uk/en/bigpit
Cardiff Castle
Castle Street
cardiffcastle.com
Cardiff International Pool
Olympian Drive, Grangetown
leisurecentre.com
Roman armies landed in Britain in the year 43, and through the following years they conquered land, and at the same time there were battles between the Romans and local tribes. The same was true of the people who inhabited present-day Cardiff and southern Wales.
During the same period, the local Silures people established themselves in what later became Cardiff. From the 50s, the Roman legions captured the area from the local population, and the Roman Empire built a fort in the same location, which was strategically important when entering the Bristol Channel.
The Roman fort was in the place where you can see Cardiff Castle today, and their presence was part of the Roman province of Britannia. The fort was used by the Romans until the late 300’s, when the Roman Empire troops left Cardiff; the Romans also left Britannia not so many years later. The following centuries do not know much about Cardiff’s history, other than that the city was mentioned in the Welsh annals of 445.
In about 850, the Vikings attack the Welsh coast, and Cardiff was once used as a base and harbor in the area. Nor is much known about the time and settlement of the Vikings, and it took a few centuries before the next significant event happened.
In 1081, the English King William I, nicknamed the Conqueror, led an army through southern Wales. Cardiff was conquered and on the site of the ancient Roman fort the first Cardiff Castle was built around 1100.
A town grew up around Cardiff Castle, and its population was primarily settlers from England. By 1111, the city had built city walls as a defense, and it already had a considerable size. In 1126, the city became its first mayor, and by the end of the 13th century, Cardiff was the only city in Wales to have more than 2,000 inhabitants.
Throughout the 1300s, Cardiff had become an important port city, and the city gained certain commercial rights which further developed the city. Weekly markets were established and merchants from all over the region regularly visited Cardiff, which also hosted two annual festivals.
However, in 1404, development stopped abruptly when Owain Glyndŵr conquered Cardiff Castle and burned most of the town’s houses. Back then, the city was listed with wood as the most widely used material, so it was easy to turn it into ash.
Owain Glyndŵr was the last native Welsh to carry the title of Prince of Wales. Glyndŵr was successful with his attack, but shortly after the destruction, however, the city was rebuilt and it gave new flourishing.
England and Wales signed the Union Agreement Act of Union in 1536, and with one new administrative units were formed in the form of counties. It was on this occasion that Glamorgan County was established as one of the new Welsh gentlemen, and Cardiff became the capital of the region.
Many administrative changes occurred with the Union Agreement. In the years following its conclusion, monasteries were demolished and a new military system was introduced following the English pattern. Cardiff and Wales were also represented in the English Parliament, the House of Commons. Cardiff also gained a new nobility; The Herbert family was at that time Cardiff’s leader, and in 1551 William Herbert was made the first baron of Cardiff.
Later in the 16th century, Cardiff obtained a royal charter in which the British monarch guaranteed certain rights to the city. That was in 1581, and eight years before that, Cardiff had been established as a major customs office.
In 1608, Cardiff was granted extended rights, which stimulated the city’s growth. Or were the following a relatively quiet and stable period, however, which did have some historical highlights.
During the Second English Civil War, which took place 1648-1649, The Battle of St. Fagan’s place on May 8, 1648. During the battle, Republican round heads fought against royalists and won over them. The victory led to Oliver Cromwell taking power in Wales. Cromwell was a military and statesman, and he was later a leading figure in the creation of the Commonwealth of England.
Cardiff’s development began in earnest from 1766, when John Stuart, the first marquis of Bute, married the Herbert family. The Stuart family became the city’s leading family, and John Stuart, among other things, initiated a major renovation of Cardiff Castle. Other major buildings were also added, and the city got a diligence connection with London.
At this time, Cardiff was still a smaller city by both Welsh and British standards. Through the 18th century, despite the awnings of the Butte new plant at the turn of the century, it lost population land to Swansea and Merthyr Tydfil, among others. In a census of 1801, there were 1,870 Cardiff residents, who were merely the 25th largest city in Wales.
In the first half of the 19th century, Cardiff’s flourishing really took off as John Crichton-Stuart, the second Marquis of Bute, built docks in the city’s harbor area. The docks were connected by rail to the areas in the area where, among other things, coal was mined, making Cardiff a transit port for enormous values. The activities and economy attracted people from outside, and many newcomers came from England and Ireland. The growth was so great that by the end of the century Cardiff had overtaken both Merthyr Tydfil and Swansea in population, and it was now Wales’ largest city.
In the 1880s, a rival shipping port was erected in nearby Barry, and within a few decades Barry had overtaken Cardiff in unloaded coal. However, the coal exchange was in Cardiff and that was the place where Britain’s coal prices were set. That relationship attracted many businesses and trade, so the coal continued to make the city rich. Gradually, ironworks had also emerged, so the city was a decidedly industrial city.
King Edward VII granted Cardiff several rights in 1905, and this mattered in the way that many national institutions were placed here in the following decades. This included, for example, the National Museum and new political bodies. The generally increased local Welsh representation manifested itself in a large public expansion in the decades around 1900. A large land acquisition enabled the new facilities, which can still be seen around Alexandra Gardens.
New institutions sprang up, but with the turn of the century, however, the industrial decline of the traditional factories and industries also came to an end, and the city’s sources of income disappeared. Coal shipping dropped drastically in the interwar period, and this was due to falling demand for coal that was otherwise Wales’ economic backbone.
During World War II, bombs fell, among other things, destroying the cathedral in Llandaff, and the industry became increasingly difficult. In the middle of this time, Cardiff was appointed Welsh capital in 1955, and it provided some development in administrative institutions and bodies. One example is the British body, The Welsh Office, which was laid here in 1964; it was the precursor to the administration of the Welsh National Assembly since 1999.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, much of Cardiff’s heavy industry closed down, such as the steel mills that had previously contributed significantly to the city’s economy. Despite the difficult situation, the population grew in the 1990s and a large and new development was initiated. Britain’s then-largest stadium, Millennium Stadium, was erected and the entire sad industrial and port area at Cardiff Bay was urbanized. It created a whole new side of Cardiff that suddenly got more cultural institutions and a lovely area for nightlife enjoyed by both citizens and tourists.
Cardiff, Wales[/caption]
Overview of Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital of Wales and a city grown from large deposits of not least coal and iron. Wales has been a leader in the industrialization of Great Britain, and over time it has created an enormous wealth, which have been turned into a lot of great constructions in the capital city of Cardiff.
Industrial history is largely a thing of the past, and Cardiff has in recent decades undergone a revitalization of the old docks at Cardiff Bay. The modern waterfront area is within walking distance from the old town, and it adds a whole new dimension to the city for locals and visitors alike.
About the Whitehorse travel guide
Contents: Tours in the city + tours in the surrounding area
Published: Released soon
Author: Stig Albeck
Publisher: Vamados.com
Language: English
About the travel guide
The Whitehorse travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Canadian city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.
Whitehorse is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.
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Castle Arcade is a shopping arcade in Cardiff which opened in 1887. It connects Castle Street and High Street and was laid out with two streets meeting at right angles.
The arcade was built with two storeys and is the only one of Cardiff’s many old shopping arcades to be built in this way. Castle Arcade is an architectural experience in the Victorian style.
The Millennium Stadium is Wales’ national stadium, also known as the Principality Stadium. It is used not least to house the country’s home games in rugby and also most in football. The large stadium, which opened in 1999, can hold 74,500 spectators and was the largest in the UK when it opened.
The dimensions of the stadium are impressive and the facility is definitely one of Cardiff’s most distinctive buildings. The four corner towers reach a height of 90 meters and are thereby a major feature of the cityscape.
This is the main railway station in Cardiff and it is also the busiest railway station in Wales. Along with Queen Street Station, Cardiff Central Station provides access to Cardiff city center from both Wales and England.
The railway history of the city began in the 1840s when the South Wales Railway company wanted to establish a line to and from Cardiff and they were looking for a suitable site for a new railway station. The area by the River Taff was at risk of flooding but was well situated. Isambard Kingdom Brunel came up with the solution in the form of a realignment of the Taff to the west, thereby creating a large enough area for the railway station. The first railway linked Cardiff with Swansea and Chepstow and it opened in 1850.
It was the Great Western Railway that was responsible for the railway operation, and the company built the current railway station building in the years 1932-1934. The railway station was built beautifully in the Art Deco style of the time. The building still stands with art deco elements both externally and in, for example, the large ticket hall.
The Tabernacle is a Baptist chapel located in the center of Cardiff. The building was originally built in 1821, while the current chapel is the result of a remodeling and extension that took place in the years 1862-1865.
It was the local architect J. Hartland who was responsible for the reconstruction, which was carried out in the Italianate form of classicist style. The interior of the chapel is a church room with galleries on the first floor and some fine glass mosaics, which were installed in 1928.
This church is one of the oldest buildings in Cardiff and, together with Cardiff Castle, is the only structure in the city that has survived from the Middle Ages. St. John the Baptist Church was originally built as a chapel in 1180. However, it was destroyed in 1404 and at the end of the same century the church was rebuilt. Since then, it has been expanded in the 19th century.
The church offers a church room worth seeing, where you can see, among other things, some beautiful glass mosaics, which were installed primarily in the 1850s and 1860s. You can also regularly visit the church’s café for a cup of tea and enjoy the atmosphere.
Cardiff Central Market is a Victorian-style market building. The current building was designed by William Harpur and erected in 1891 with a market floor and balconies, but there has been a food market on this site since the 18th century.
The clock inside the market building is also a H. Samuel clock, which the jeweler’s shop of the same name located immediately next to the market donated in its time. The original clock was hung in 1910, while the current one dates from 1963.
Cathays Park is an area of Cardiff that covers the green area of Alexandra Gardens and the surrounding houses, which with its imposing features in the predominantly Edwardian style form the most grandiose public building complex from 20th century Cardiff.
The central park, Alexandra Gardens, is named after Denmark’s Princess Alexandra, who became Queen of England and Empress of India through her marriage to the English King Edward VII.
In the park stands the Welsh National War Memorial, a memorial from 1928, which was erected in memory of those killed in the First World War. Fallen in later wars have subsequently been commemorated with plaques or other monuments.
The background for Cathays Park was a land purchase in 1898, where the Bute family sold the area where the first Marquess of Bute had had a mansion in the years 1812-1825. The land purchase took place in connection with the city council’s desire to construct new buildings for administrative and educational purposes.
The University of Cardiff was founded in 1883 under the name University College of South Wales & Monmouthshire. Since 2004 it has been called Cardiff University. The university is housed in several buildings around Alexandra Gardens, the most impressive of which is the main building along Museum Avenue.
The architect was John Caroe, and he was inspired by the universities of both Oxford and Cambridge. The foundation stone for the building was laid in 1905, and the university building was opened in several stages. The first inauguration took place in 1909, and the somewhat newer side wings were inaugurated in the 1960s.
Cardiff Bay is an area located south of Cardiff city center and on the freshwater lake that forms a kind of inner harbor in Cardiff Bay. As the name suggests, Cardiff Bay was a bay where the city’s major docks were located. History has been written from these facilities, where, for example, the Terra Nova Expedition set out from Cardiff in 1910 towards Antarctica.
In the 1990s, the Cardiff Bay Barrage was built, and with it the new and current inland lake was formed. The purpose of the dam was to create the framework for an urban development that could not least enable new recreational areas for the city’s citizens and the many tourists who visit Cardiff.
The Pierhead Building is a distinctive building that stands as one of Cardiff’s well-known silhouettes from the industrial era. The Pierhead Building has been central to Cardiff Bay since its opening in 1897. At the time, the building was the headquarters of the Bute Dock Company, whose former residence had burnt down in 1892.
With the opening of the Pierhead Building, the Bute Dock Company changed its name to the Cardiff Railway Company. On the building is the motto “wrth ddwr a than”, which means “with fire and water”. The words symbolize the power that Welsh industry used to develop the country.
The Pierhead Building is elegantly decorated in terracotta, and several styles have been used for the ostentatious decoration, which is also repeated on the tower. In 1947 the building became the seat of the Cardiff Port Authority, and today it is housed as part of the Welsh National Assembly.
Wales Millennium Center is one of Wales’ absolute centers for the performing arts. The center opened in 2004 and hosts ballet, dance, comedies, musicals and opera. There are several halls in the complex, the largest of which holds almost 1,900 spectators.
The idea with the architecture was partly to create an immediately recognizable building icon and partly to create a symbol of what is Welsh. In this way, the choice of materials has fallen on, among other things, a large amount of slate, wood, glass and metal, which all come from Wales.
Above the front of the building you can read the inscription “Creu Gwir fel gywr o fwrnais/In these stones horizons sing”; these are lines written by the Welsh poet Gwyneth Lewis. The letters are windows, and when illuminated in the evening they are a special sight.
The Senedd is the seat of the Welsh National Assembly and thus one of the most important political institutions in the country. The building is unconventional with its distinctive structure in glass, and the architect precisely wanted to signal transparency to the people with this choice of material.
The heart of the building, which is however closed to the general public, is the circular hall named Siambr. The hall is the place where the national assembly meets. The Senedd was also inaugurated in 2006 by Queen Elizabeth II.
Den Norske Kirke is a church in a beautiful position at the edge of Cardiff Bay. The church was built in 1868 by the Norwegian sailors’ church, which is part of the Norwegian folk church. Norwegian Church serves as a church for both Norwegian sailors and Norwegians in Cardiff.
At the time of the construction of the church, Norway’s merchant navy was the third largest in the world, and Cardiff was used as one of the fleet’s traffic hubs; for that reason there were many Norwegians here. Today, an art center has been set up in the idyllic church building.
Castell Coch Castle looks like a real medieval castle and was built by architect William Burges under John Crichton-Stuart, who held the title of 3rd Marquess of Bute. Construction took place at the end of the 1800s. Burges was also the architect of the current appearance of Cardiff Castle, and the features of the Victorian Gothic Revival are clearly visible in both places.
Before the current castle, in the 13th century a fortification was built here on the site, which was strategically important. It is believed that the fortress was almost completely destroyed as early as the 14th century, and the ruins remained until the 19th century, when Castell Coch was built on the foundations of the old castle.
William Burges sought to design the castle in a style faithful to medieval architecture, and succeeded very well; however, there is debate as to whether or not turret hats were used at the time. Inside, the rooms and halls are decorated as fine examples of Victorian neo-Gothic, and as a visitor you cannot help but be impressed.
The castle was never used as a permanent residence, and in 1950 the 5th Marquess of Bute left the site to the Welsh State Unit for the Preservation of Historic Buildings, among other things.
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