Cardiff the capital city of Wales

Cardiff hasn’t always been a city or a capital city for Wales.

At the start of the 1800s Cardiff town had only a few thousand people living in a few different areas of terraced housing such as Splott, Canton, Crockherbtown, Newtown, Temperance Town, Butetown and Grangetown. With the coming of steam railways and the rise in importance of Welsh coal exports at the end of the Victorian era the town grew very rapidly. 

King Edward VII granted Cardiff city status on 28 October 1905. If you had been in school at that time you would have been invited with all the other school children of the town to the official opening of the City Hall. Schools from all over Cardiff marched their pupils to the new Civic Centre and each child was given a medallion to remember the special day that Cardiff became a city! Can you imagine being in the crowd cheering on His Majesty in his top hat! Little did those children think that within ten years many of the boys in the crowd would have to go off to fight in the First World War and sadly many not coming back.

Later, despite discussion and arguments that went on before and after the Second World War, the government decided that Cardiff was to be the capital city of Wales in December 1955 when Gwilym Lloyd George the Home Secretary at that time made the announcement in the United Kingdom Parliament in London.

In 1924 The South Wales Daily News ran a poll asking local authorities to vote for their preferred capital city. However, places like Aberystwyth and Caernarfon who also thought they should be the capital city for Wales as it was said they were more “Welsh” in language and character than Cardiff were disappointed when they lost the vote.

Cardiff has weathered many changes for over two hundred years to become the important fast growing thriving Capital City that it is today.

News article

Cardiff Bugle

Cardiff Declared a City and beats both Caernarfon or Aberystwyth!

December 21st 1955

Good news for all of us living in Cardiff!

After many years of discussion and after polls taken by other newspapers across Wales starting in 1951, it was announced today in Cardiff that our City has at last been chosen over all other cities and towns across Wales to become the “Capital City of the Principality of Wales”!

This is despite the fact that not many people living here are Welsh speakers. It is despite the fact that there are people living here who moved in from over fifty different countries to make up this relatively “new” community, many of whom still speak their mother tongue as well as English.

After years of discussion and argument, the city has today been recognised by Parliament with supporting evidence from polls carried out across the Local Authorities of Wales as the city that deserves to be called the Capital of Wales.

The BBC have already set up their radio broadcast studios and a number of companies have their Welsh headquarters here. It is where the National Museum of Wales is situated as well as important law courts. Over the past 150 years Cardiff has grown in population, in economy and in self-confidence.

The Lord Mayor’s spokesman made a statement; “ I have the honour to inform you that on 20th December 1955 the Home Secretary and Minister for Welsh Affairs, Gwilym Lloyd George MP was told by Parliament that the Association of Welsh Authorities had agreed that Cardiff should be recognised as the capital city of Wales and that the UK government has been impressed by the volume of support from Wales that it should become the capital.”

Well done Cardiff. We are proud to serve you as your newspaper.

Image & text

Aerial photograph of Cardiff, Capital City of Wales

Cardiff is not just the capital of Wales, it is also the home of the Senedd, the magnificent Principality Stadium, The Wales Millennium Centre and is said to be the largest waterfront development in Europe.

The modern name Cardiff comes from the old Welsh form Caerdyf. The first part of the name (‘caer’) is the Welsh word for fort, and the second part is a form of the name of the river Taff. Experts have shown that the name — 'the fort on the river Taff' — came from the Brythonic language, at the time when the Romans inhabited Cardiff.

It is known that the Romans came to the area around 50 AD and built a fort on the banks of the Taff where the current castle now stands. They were able to base a fleet of boats here in order to protect the Severn Estuary.

The Normans arrived in 1081 and built a castle within the walls of the old Roman fort. This Castle was then restored and upgraded by the Marquis of Bute and his architect William Burges at the end of the 19th century. The remains of the old Norman keep can still be seen today inside the newer castle walls at the top of St Mary's Street.

In the Middle Ages Cardiff was a port and trading centre, with a population of about 1,500.

In 1404 Owain Glyndwr burned the town and castle during his rebellion against the English crown but the wooden houses were soon replaced.

To begin with Cardiff was overshadowed by the growing iron town of Merthyr Tydfil and it was only when the Marquis of Bute built his first dock in the 1830s that the place really began to develop and expand. By the time of the 1881 census Cardiff had overtaken both Merthyr and Swansea in terms of population.

A university college was established in the in 1883 called University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire. Now it is called Cardiff University.

Edward VII gave city status to Cardiff in 1905 in recognition of the fact that it was one of the great economic and industrial successes of the age.

In 1958 Cardiff hosted the Empire Games which is now called the Commonwealth Games.

Now one of the fastest growing economic communities in the country it remains a vibrant and welcoming environment, of which all Wales should be proud even though some people were against Cardiff becoming the Capital.

These days Cardiff has a population in excess of 360,000 and is seen as the 11th largest city in the UK.

Diary entry

July 13th 1907

The Day I saw the King and Queen

Dear Diary,

It has been rather a special day for all of us here at Park School today, we have had the day with no lessons, no handwriting, no canes and no prayers. Instead we all walked down Bute Street to the Docks holding on to a thick rope, making sure that when we crossed the roads we didn’t tread in horse manure (Alan didn’t look where he was going and got it all over his feet as he couldn’t afford shoes – Pooh!).

We went to see King George and Queen Alexandra to whom God had given the right to be our monarchs and to gloriously rule over us. They brought Princess Victoria with them who was named after her grandmother Queen Victoria who has passed away only six years ago.

The streets were lined with people shouting and cheering and waving the Union Jack. Britain will always be called Great Britain! It was the official opening of another huge docks called “Queen Alexandra Docks”. My teacher said that Wales has so much coal that it is a proof that there is a God and he is smiling on our King and Empire. He says it will never run out there is so much underground!

We are so fortunate to live here in Cardiff where such a lot of things are going on and it gets busier and noisier each year. Two years ago we were on another day off. King George had come to visit on the Royal Train from Paddington (It only takes two hours to get here now) to open the City Hall and declare that our Cardiff, with people from all the world living here, was to be made into a City!

God save the King! I am so glad that he is able to rule so wisely over our wonderful British Empire. Our teacher showed us a globe of the world, all the parts that are pink belong to us isn’t that amazing!

And guess what, just like when the City Hall was opened, we were given a medallion each! I am going to keep it until I grow up. Then when I am old I will give it to my grandchildren!

Here it is kept safely in my diary until then. I really hope the words don’t fade so that in years to come people will still remember my special day when I saw the King!

Alice Brown July 1907

sofiab@calon.cymru

01/11/2020

My day out in Cardiff

Well Sara,

I thought that I would update you on my latest little adventure! Still don’t have that new mobile, though Mum has promised me. I still can’t decide whether I want a brand new one (a cheaper one) or a second hand one which would mean I might able to get a higher specification. Anyway, I will let you know!

Yesterday Mum took me to Cardiff. My great nan used to live in Cardiff, in the Docks in a place she called “Rat Island” where she helped her mother to run a little corner shop during the war. Mum always likes talking about her family in the past!

Anyway, we got into town as she calls it. Mum had arranged for us to get an open topped bus for a trip around the sights of Cardiff. We walked from Queen Street station and caught the bus outside the front of the Castle. Do you know anything about the history of the castle?

From the castle bus stop we went all around the “town” part of Cardiff and then we were taken down to “The Bay” as Mum calls it! This is where the docks used to be. There are new buildings now to such as a concert hall, shops, restaurants, and the Welsh Government parliament.

The Wales Millennium Centre was an amazing building. The outside of the building has massive words cut out of the clad steel saying, “In these stones horizons sing”.

Mum says the Cardiffians called it the “giant slug” when it was being built as that is what it looked like from far away!

We saw the Pierhead Building (you can’t miss it – its red brick!) and the Senedd where the Welsh parliament for Wales. What a fantastic building constructed from sourced Welsh materials.

Well I have so much to tell you about how Cardiff has changed since my great nan’s time, Mum said she wouldn’t recognise it!

We got off and walked down the street to my great nan’s old home. Many of the houses have been demolished, but great nan’s home is still standing! It’s no longer a corner shop though.

Anyhow, Cardiff is a brilliant city and I will come again soon!

Sofia x

Cardiff Bay at dusk, the Pierhead building (1897) and the Senedd over the water.

City Hall which is a civic building serving as the centre of local government and a popular tourist attraction.

The Victorian hall of Cardiff Market. Grade 2 listed building in the Castle Quarter of the City of Cardiff.

Cardiff Castle, the Norman Keep.

Principality Stadium, National Stadium of Wales and the home of the Welsh Rugby Team.

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