Cardiff is the capital and largest city in Wales and the tenth largest city in the United Kingdom.The city is the country's chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for Wales. The unitary authority area's mid-2011 population was estimated to be 346,100, while the population of the Larger Urban Zone was estimated at 861,400 in 2009. Cardiff is a significant tourist centre and the most popular visitor destination in Wales with 18.3 million visitors in 2010. In 2011, Cardiff was ranked sixth in the world in National Geographic's alternative tourist destinations.
The city of Cardiff is the county town of the historic county of Glamorgan (and later South Glamorgan). Cardiff is part of the Eurocities network of the largest European cities. The Cardiff Urban Area covers a slightly larger area outside the county boundary, and includes the towns of Dinas Powys and Penarth. A small town until the early 19th century, its prominence as a major port for the transport of coal following the arrival of industry in the region contributed to its rise as a major city.
Cardiff was made a city in 1905, and proclaimed the capital of Wales in 1955. Since the 1990s, Cardiff has seen significant development. A new waterfront area at Cardiff Bay contains the Senedd building, home to the Welsh Assembly and the Wales Millennium Centre arts complex. Current developments include the continuation of the redevelopment of the Cardiff Bay and city centre areas with projects such as the Cardiff International Sports Village, a BBC drama village, and a new business district in the city centre.
Sporting venues in the city include the Millennium Stadium (the national stadium for the Wales national rugby union team and the Wales national football team), SWALEC Stadium (the home of Glamorgan County Cricket Club), Cardiff City Stadium (the home of Cardiff City football team), Cardiff International Sports Stadium (the home of Cardiff Amateur Athletic Club) and Cardiff Arms Park (the home of Cardiff Blues and Cardiff RFC rugby union teams). The city was awarded with the European City of Sport in 2009 due to its role in hosting major international sporting events. It has been announced that Cardiff will again be the European City of Sport in 2014. The Millennium Stadium hosted 11 football matches as part of the 2012 Summer Olympics, including the games' opening event and the men's bronze medal match.
Caerdydd (the Welsh name of the city) derives from the earlier Welsh form Caerdyf. The change from -dyf to -dydd shows the colloquial alteration of Welsh f [v] and dd [ð], and was perhaps also driven by folk etymology (dydd is Welsh for 'day' whereas dyf has no obvious meaning). This sound change had probably first occurred in the Middle Ages; both forms were current in the Tudor period. Caerdyf has its origins in post-Roman Brythonic words meaning "the fort of the Taff". The fort probably refers to that established by the Romans. Caer is Welsh for fort and -dyf is in effect a form of Taf (Taff), the river which flows by Cardiff Castle, with the ⟨t⟩ showing consonant mutation to ⟨d⟩ and the vowel showing affection as a result of a (lost) genitive case ending.
The anglicised form Cardiff is derived from Caerdyf, with the Welsh f [v] borrowed as ff /f/, as also happens in Taff (from Welsh Taf) and Llandaff (from Welsh Llandaf). As English does not have the vowel [ɨ] the final vowel has been borrowed as /ɪ/.
The antiquarian William Camden (1551–1623) suggested that the name Cardiff may derive from "Caer-Didi" ("the Fort of Didius"), a name supposedly given in honour of Aulus Didius Gallus, governor of a nearby province at the time when the Roman fort was established. Although some sources repeat this theory, it has been rejected on linguistic grounds by modern scholars such as Professor Gwynedd Pierce.
Archaeological evidence from sites in and around Cardiff—the St Lythans burial chamber, near Wenvoe (about four miles (6.4 km) west, south west of Cardiff city centre), the Tinkinswood burial chamber, near St Nicholas (about six miles (10 km) west of Cardiff city centre), the Cae'rarfau Chambered Tomb, Creigiau (about six miles (10 km) north west of Cardiff city centre) and the Gwern y Cleppa Long Barrow, near Coedkernew, Newport (about eight and a quarter miles (13.5 km) north east of Cardiff city centre)—shows that people had settled in the area by at least around 6,000 years before present (BP), during the early Neolithic; about 1,500 years before either Stonehenge or the Great Pyramid of Giza was completed. A group of five Bronze Age tumuli is at the summit of The Garth (Welsh: Mynydd y Garth), within the county's northern boundary. Four Iron Age hill fort and enclosure sites have been identified within Cardiff's present-day county boundaries, including Caerau Hillfort, an enclosed area of 5.1 hectares (51,000 m2).
Until the Roman conquest of Britain, Cardiff was part of the territory of the Silures – a Celtic British tribe that flourished in the Iron Age – whose territory included the areas that would become known as Breconshire, Monmouthshire and Glamorgan. The 3.2-hectare (8-acre) fort established by the Romans near the mouth of the River Taff in 75 AD, in what would become the north western boundary of the centre of Cardiff, was built over an extensive settlement that had been established by the Silures in the 50s AD. The fort was one of a series of military outposts associated with Isca Augusta (Caerleon) that acted as border defences. The fort may have been abandoned in the early 2nd century as the area had been subdued, however by this time a civilian settlement, or vicus, was established. It was likely made up of traders who made a living from the fort, ex-soldiers and their families. A Roman villa has been discovered at Ely. Contemporary with the Saxon Shore Forts of the 3rd and 4th centuries, a stone fortress was established at Cardiff. Similar to the shore forts, the fortress was built to protect Britannia from raiders. Coins from the reign of Gratian indicate that Cardiff was inhabited until at least the 4th century; the fort was abandoned towards the end of the 4th century, as the last Roman legions left the province of Britannia with Magnus Maximus.
Little is known about the fort and civilian settlement in the period between the Roman departure from Britain and the Norman Conquest. The settlement probably shrank in size and may even have been abandoned. In the absence of Roman rule, Wales was divided into small kingdoms; early on, Meurig ap Tewdrig emerged as the local king in Glywysing (which later became Glamorgan). The area passed through his family until the advent of the Normans in the 11th century.
In 1081 William I, King of England, began work on the castle keep within the walls of the old Roman fort. Cardiff Castle has been at the heart of the city ever since. The castle was substantially altered and extended during the Victorian period by John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute, and the architect William Burges. Original Roman work can, however, still be distinguished in the wall facings.
A small town grew up in the shadow of the castle, made up primarily of settlers from England. Cardiff had a population of between 1,500 and 2,000 in the Middle Ages, a relatively normal size for a Welsh town in this period. By the end of the 13th century, Cardiff was the only town in Wales with a population exceeding 2,000, but it was relatively small compared with most notable towns in the Kingdom of England.
In the early 12th century a wooden palisade was erected around the city to protect it. Cardiff was a busy port in the Middle Ages, and was declared a Staple port in 1327.
Henry II travelled through Cardiff on his journey to Ireland and had a premonition against the holding of Sunday markets at St Piran's Chapel, which stood in the middle of the road between the castle entrance and Westgate.
In 1404 Owain Glyndŵr burned Cardiff and took Cardiff Castle. As the town was still very small, most of the buildings were made of wood and the town was destroyed. However, the town was soon rebuilt and began to flourish once again.
In 1536, the Act of Union between England and Wales led to the creation of the shire of Glamorgan, and Cardiff was made the county town. It also became part of Kibbor hundred. Around this same time the Herbert family became the most powerful family in the area. In 1538, Henry VIII closed the Dominican and Franciscan friaries in Cardiff, the remains of which were used as building materials. A writer around this period described Cardiff: "The River Taff runs under the walls of his honours castle and from the north part of the town to the south part where there is a fair quay and a safe harbour for shipping."
Cardiff had become a Free Borough in 1542. In 1573, it was made a head port for collection of customs duties, and in 1581, Elizabeth I granted Cardiff its first royal charter. Pembrokeshire historian George Owen described Cardiff in 1602 as "the fayrest towne in Wales yett not the welthiest.", and the town gained a second Royal Charter in 1608.
A disastrous flood of the Bristol Channel on 30 January 1607 (now believed to be a tsunami) led to a change in the course of the River Taff and the ruining of St Mary's Parish Church, which was replaced by its chapel of ease, St John the Baptist.
During the Second English Civil War, St Fagans just to the west of the town, played host to the Battle of St Fagans. The battle, between a Royalist rebellion and a New Model Army detachment, was a decisive victory for the Parliamentarians and allowed Oliver Cromwell to conquer Wales. It is the last major battle to occur in Wales, with about 200 (mostly Royalist) soldiers killed.
In the ensuing century Cardiff was at peace. In 1766, John Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute married into the Herbert family and was later created Baron Cardiff, and in 1778 he began renovations on Cardiff Castle. In the 1790s a racecourse, printing press, bank and coffee house all opened, and Cardiff gained a stagecoach service to London. Despite these improvements, Cardiff's position in the Welsh urban hierarchy had declined over the 18th century. Iolo Morgannwg called it "an obscure and inconsiderable place", and the 1801 census found the population to be only 1,870, making Cardiff only the 25th largest town in Wales, well behind Merthyr and Swansea.
In 1793, John Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marquess of Bute was born. He would spend his life building the Cardiff docks and would later be called "the creator of modern Cardiff". A twice-weekly boat service between Cardiff and Bristol was established in 1815, and in 1821, the Cardiff Gas Works was established.
After the Napoleonic Wars Cardiff entered a period of social and industrial unrest, starting with the trial and hanging of Dic Penderyn in 1831.
The town grew rapidly from the 1830s onwards, when the Marquess of Bute built a dock, which eventually linked to the Taff Vale Railway. Cardiff became the main port for exports of coal from the Cynon, Rhondda, and Rhymney valleys, and grew at a rate of nearly 80% per decade between 1840 and 1870. Much of the growth was due to migration from within and outside Wales: in 1841, a quarter of Cardiff's population were English-born and more than 10% had been born in Ireland. By the 1881 census, Cardiff had overtaken both Merthyr and Swansea to become the largest town in Wales. Cardiff's new status as the premier town in South Wales was confirmed when it was chosen as the site of the University College South Wales and Monmouthshire in 1893.
A permanent military presence was established in the town with the completion of Maindy Barracks in 1877.
Cardiff faced a challenge in the 1880s when David Davies of Llandinam and the Barry Railway Company promoted the development of rival docks at Barry. Barry docks had the advantage of being accessible in all tides, and David Davies claimed that his venture would cause "grass to grow in the streets of Cardiff". From 1901 coal exports from Barry surpassed those from Cardiff, but the administration of the coal trade remained centred on Cardiff, in particular its Coal Exchange, where the price of coal on the British market was determined and the first million-pound deal was struck in 1907. The city also strengthened its industrial base with the decision of the owners of the Dowlais Ironworks in Merthyr (who would later form part of Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds) to build a new steelworks close to the docks at East Moors, which Lord Bute opened on 4 February 1891.
King Edward VII granted Cardiff city status on 28 October 1905, and the city acquired a Roman Catholic Cathedral in 1916. In subsequent years an increasing number of national institutions were located in the city, including the National Museum of Wales, Welsh National War Memorial, and the University of Wales Registry Building—however, it was denied the National Library of Wales, partly because the library's founder, Sir John Williams, considered Cardiff to have "a non-Welsh population".
After a brief post-war boom, Cardiff docks entered a prolonged decline in the interwar period. By 1936, their trade was less than half its value in 1913, reflecting the slump in demand for Welsh coal. Bomb damage during the Cardiff Blitz in World War II included the devastation of Llandaff Cathedral, and in the immediate postwar years the city's link with the Bute family came to an end.
In the 1997 devolution referendum, Cardiff voters rejected the establishment of the National Assembly for Wales by 55.4% to 44.2% on a 47% turnout, which Denis Balsom partly ascribed to a general preference in Cardiff and some other parts of Wales for a 'British' rather than exclusively 'Welsh' identity. The relative lack of support for the Assembly locally, and difficulties between the Welsh Office and Cardiff Council in acquiring the original preferred venue, Cardiff City Hall, encouraged other local authorities to bid to house the Assembly. However, the Assembly eventually located at Tŷ Hywel in Cardiff Bay in 1999; in 2005, a new debating chamber on an adjacent site, designed by Richard Rogers, was opened.
The city was county town of Glamorgan until the council reorganisation in 1974 paired Cardiff and the now Vale of Glamorgan together as the new county of South Glamorgan. Further local government restructuring in 1996 resulted in Cardiff city's district council becoming a unitary authority, the City and County of Cardiff, with the addition of Creigiau and Pentyrch.
So, thousands of years of history have made Cardiff the place that it is today and it was into this backdrop that we eagerly flung ourselves. With Matt being in Bristol and myself in Nottingham, we agreed to meet in Cardiff. 3 train journeys and 2 changes later and I was stepping out into bright Spring sunshine in the land of the dragon. As much as that sounded like a Hawkwind lyric, it really was that kind of day, the clouds of England parting into bright sunshine as my train left the tunnel that runs under the River Severn. Matt is familiar with the Cardiff area as his sister lives there and so had planned a rough itinerary for the afternoon. Our first move was to jump on yet another train and make the short hop to Cardiff Bay. This relatively newly developed area is a haven of pubs and shops and it was to one of these pubs that we quickly ventured. Venue number one for the day was a Wetherspoons overlooking the entrance to Cardiff Bay, The Mount Stuart.
Opened in July 2014 in what was previously a Harry Ramsden's restaurant, The Mount Stuart is a 2 storey glass building with extensive seating both inside and out, including an upstairs terrace with telescopes for those wanting to admire the impressive views. The building originally dates from the 1880s and was the long time offices of Mount Stuart Dry Docks Ltd. There are bars upstairs and downstairs and these are well stocked as you would expect from a Spoons. Amongst the usual offerings such as Abbot Ale, Ruddles and Adnams Broadside, there were also a couple of guest ales, featured as part of the recent international brewery collaboration event. The two available on our visit were Celt Experience Chieftain and Norwegian Brewery Nogne O Wit. We decided on a pint of Chieftain to start the day and this proved to be a good plan. Brewed with Amarillo hops, this is a lovely aromatic ale of 4.1% ABV. This is a pale, fruity single hopped session ale full of fresh berry, floral and spice aromas. We decided to make the most of the excellent weather and sit in the outdoor seating area overlooking both the entrance to the Bay and the nearby Doctor Who Experience, sadly closed during our visit. The beer went down very quickly so we decided that a second pint was in order. It made sense to try the 2nd guest beer, which was again an excellent move. At 4.5 %, Wit is a Belgian style ale with generous contributions of orange peel and coriander giving it a fruity palate and a spicy finish. I thought that food would be a good idea at this stage so we moved to the upstairs seating area whilst I inhaled a very good Panini. The area is certainly very picturesque and has an intriguing atmosphere. The nearby docks were the scene of a ghostly sighting in 1962 when a teenager who was fishing encountered a man who was smoking a pipe and wearing a trilby hat and either a trench coat or overcoat. The figure swiftly vanished into a nearby field of flat prairie grass.
We took our leave of this location and headed a few yards away to our next destination, Terra Nova.
This impressive looking building is yet another addition to the area following the recent redevelopment. The interior includes some traditional looking features such as exposed beams and period wall designs. This was the scene of our first encounter for the day with Brains Brewery as they are based in the city and feature in quite a significant number of the pubs. Terra Nova features the whole range of Brains beers. With quite a range to choose from, we went for a pint each of Brains Gold. This is a full-flavoured, hoppy and refreshing golden ale. There is a satisfying bitterness, balanced by vibrant citrus aromas and complex hop flavours from late hopping with Cascade and Styrian Goldings, all for a strength of 4.3%. We again made use of the sunshine and selected a table outside where Matt exposed me to some treats from the world of music on YouTube. After a few minutes, the breeze had begun to pick up so we decided to finish our pints and venture elsewhere.
Our next destination was a heritage pub a short walk from the bay area on Bute Street.
Known as The Packet after a type of steamer vessel that used to frequent the nearby docks, this is a spacious pub that has retained its heritage look with fabulous mahogany construction behind the bar, consisting of columns and arches and 2 rope clad original pillars. The bar takes up much of the central space with seating around the edges into a series of alcoves. The pub was built in 1864 as a hotel mainly for sailors. There is an unwritten rule that a sailor caught with the tide out must be given boarding. In 1985, the building was extended, consuming the house next door. The stained glass windows were replaced in 2004. Brains beers were again in evidence here and this time we decided on a pint of Rev. James (4.5%). Full bodied and warming, this is rich in palate, spicy and aromatic with a deeply satisfying finish.
We enjoyed our time at The Packet and then decided that we would venture back into Cardiff city centre. Opting not to jump back onto the train with the weather still good, we decided to walk back into the centre seeing as it was really only a few minutes away. On our way we passed the Oasis Dental Care practice which led to us attempting to make some puns combining dentistry with a legendary Britpop band. The winner: Don't Look Plaque In Anger......... I'm truly sorry. What happened next was pure comedy gold. Approaching the city centre, we spied a nice looking pub that we decided to investigate further. I needed the loo if nothing else. The pub in question was the Golden Cross.
This famous listed building is a perfect example of an old Cardiff pub and the exterior retains its historic glazed tiles. We entered the pub to the sight of 4 handpulls, all out of use but Brains Gold was available on Smooth flow. Matt ordered whilst I went to the loo. Upon my return, we quickly realised what was unusual about the pub. The posters advertising performances by drag acts and the look we were given by the barman gave away that we were in a gay pub. This isn't so much of an issue but was a good indication that in future we need to make sure we research places properly. The Brains Smooth itself was very good. At 3.7%, it's easy drinking and very light and went down very easily indeed.
Next up was somewhere that we had definitely planned as part of the days activities, The Cottage.
This is yet another Brains pub, in the heart of the city centre on St. Mary's Street. The setting inside is very relaxed and traditional with a good range of cask ales. As well as the normal beer range, the bar also featured a beer from the brewery's cask beer range, Gin Lane (5%). This seemed like an excellent choice after our good experiences with their beers so far and we were proven correct. This ale was brewed especially for the Wales Beer Festival and is due to reappear at the Great British Beer Festival. Lemon and lime aromas give way to herbal, spicy hop flavours and a dry, pleasantly bitter aftertaste. This concoction also benefits from the addition of ground juniper berries and crushed coriander seeds creating an overall distinctive gin flavour. The pub is quite long and narrow and we pulled up a table in the back to enjoy our delicious pints. Matt took this time to outline the general plan for the rest of the day which would ultimately culminate in meeting up with his sister and her boyfriend.
I was heartened by the potential delights to come and before long it was time for a wander to our next destination, the Queen's Vaults.
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Probably later Victorian, this grade 2 listed building had a structural refurbishment in 1996, making it cavernous and open plan. It is not completely clear when the pub was extended to consume the 2 adjacent properties. The pub was previously known as the Flyhalf and Firkin until taking its present name in 2002. The pub is a stone's throw from the Millennium Stadium and inside it contains 3 pool tables, situated underneath a high beamed, pitched ceiling, like a barn. The bar was well stocked with 6 handpulls, most of which featured the now familiar site of Brains Beers. Additional to this though was Grog y Vog from the Vale of Glamorgan Brewery up the road in Barry. At 4.3%, this is a golden pale ale late hopped with whole Styrian Goldings for a fresh aroma and flavour. It was certainly refreshing and I was thoroughly enjoying my first ever trip to Wales. The beer was definitely starting to have an effect by this stage but more fun was still to come.
Next up, in the shadow of Cardiff Castle, was Dempsey's.
Situated opposite the main entrance of Cardiff Castle, Dempsey's is a traditional Irish bar operated by Brains (them again). The bar is well stocked with the Brains range and this time we opted for the SA (4.2%), whilst admiring the many gig posters dotted across the walls. The SA is copper coloured with a full flavour. A nutty richness comes from a blend of fine pale and crystal malts and this balanced with a satisfying dryness from the use of Challenger, Fuggles and Goldings. There is a pleasant hint of spirit in the aroma. I took some time here to admire the nearby castle, both impressive and imposing in the afternoon Welsh sunshine. As the history section above makes clear, the castle dates back to 1070. This area of the city is renowned for its extensive hauntings and the local ghost walk starts from the main entrance of the castle. The castle is believed to be the haunt of a phantom coach which heard when a member of the Hastings is about to die. It was heard by John Boyle on the night his cousin the Marquis Hastings died. Other ghosts reputed to haunt the castle include the second Marquess of Bute who walks through several walls, a faceless woman in a long skirt known as Sarah and a 3 metre tall giant who walks around the park. A couple of streets nearby also have accompanying spirits. Nearby Cowbridge Road is haunted by the ghost of a young boy and Queen Street, at the other end of Castle Road, is home to sightings of a phantom grey female figure who walks along the street until reaching the bridge where she turns and waves in the direction of the castle. These tales sound spooky in the bright daylight so it's easy to imagine how sinister this can seem when the sun goes down.
It was soon time to move again, this time for a rendezvous with Matt's sister Becca and her boyfriend Rich. The venue for this meet up was the City Arms.
Locally renowned for its impressive and ever-changing range of beers, the pub was constructed in the 1880s, the same decade that Brains was founded, and was known as the Cattle Market Tavern. It was later renamed the Dover Arms and became the City Arms in 1905 in recognition of Cardiff's new City status. The pub specialises in serving high quality ales and ciders straight from the cask, on tap and in bottles. The pub was voted CAMRA Cardiff Pub of the Year in 2012 and was highly commended in 2013 and 2014. The bar is crammed with handpulls featuring Brains SA and Dark as it regulars and a myriad of ever changing guests. Catching my particular attention was East Street Cream (5%), courtesy of RCH Brewery. This is a full bodied beer which combines malty, hoppy and fruit bitterness with a sweet taste, which all vie for dominance in what is a complex chestnut coloured ale. The pub sits almost opposite the main entrance to the Millennium Stadium, leading to some excellent photo opportunities. As I supped my very nice pint, Becca and Rich soon arrived accompanied by Rich's friend Kit. With our gang now complete for the evening, we finished our drinks and nipped across the road to our next destination, conveniently located opposite.
Urban Taphouse, pictured above, is a local outlet for the Newport based Tiny Rebel brewery. The bar has built a reputation for excellent beer and excellent food. As well as a selection of Tiny Rebel beers, the bar also features a changing selection of guest beers. Being a big fan of Tiny Rebel beers, I decided on a pint of Goldie Lookin' Ale (4.5%). This beer is a collaboration between the brewery and local novelty rap group Goldie Lookin' Chain. This is a golden and very tasty beer with a heavy smattering of American hops adding to the aroma and a tang on the palate. As well as beer, Matt and I had decided to sample one of the renowned burgers and this was another excellent decision. The food was amazing and I can recommend it to any visitors to this fine city. Another feature of Urban Taphouse is it's regular weekly board games night on a Monday. Matt and I, very much beer addled by now struggled to understand the rules of a game called Epidemic, which was essentially Risk with added disease. The others seemed to be enjoying it though! It was at this point that we randomly bumped into David, a friend of ours from Nottingham who has now relocated to Cardiff. This was completely unexpected but very nice all the same.
Sadly, our day in Cardiff was almost over so it wasn't long before we had to bid our farewells and head off to the station for the train back to Bristol. We did have time to pop into another Wetherspoons near the station for a very quick pint but, due largely to the sheer amount of beer and the length of the day, neither of us paid much attention to the beer that we drank. The train journey to Bristol was a brief one but it gave us both a chance to reflect on our day. I was very impressed by what Cardiff had to offer, even with the preponderance of Brains in many of the establishments. The beer they offer is of excellent quality and there are many other pubs that we had no time to visit. Cardiff is definitely worth a visit for any fan of real ale. The Welsh certainly know what they're doing and this is reflected in the care and quality provided in the beers. I would fully recommend a trip across the border. The Dragon is waking and it's waiting for you.
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