Bute Park
Encyclopedia
Bute Park in Cardiff
, Wales
, is an extensive area of mature parkland easily accessible from the city centre. Flanked by the River Taff
, Sophia Gardens
, Pontcanna Fields and Cardiff Castle
, Bute Park is a very popular 'green lung' full of historic and wildlife interest. Few cities have such a spacious green area in the heart of the city. The Taff Trail
can be accessed at the northern end of Blackweir Fields. A water bus
stop is located adjacent to Canton Bridge at the southern end of the park offering trips to Cardiff Bay
, Penarth
and the barrage.
, the famous Animal Wall
, the Gorsedd stones
and the Blackfriars site are just a sample of the park’s rich history. The Castle Green was landscaped in the late eighteenth century by Capability Brown
, but the park itself was laid out from 1873 on by Andrew Pettigrew, Head Gardener to the 3rd Marquess of Bute
. In 1947, the 5th Marquess of Bute presented the park to the Council. Today the park is still owned and managed by Cardiff Council.
s, kingfisher
s, egret
s, bat
s and grey squirrel
s. The woodlands adjoining the River Taff contain an excellent spring flora and there is an interesting range of wax cap fungi within sections of closely mown lawn in the arboretum
. Salmon
and sea trout can be viewed on Blackweir.
Many of the trees are known to be Champion Trees
, the biggest examples of their species anywhere in the UK.
flanks the path running alongside the River Taff, the plants coming from the Parks Nursery located in the park. See the Parks Website, Illustrated Plant Guide for more information.
The River Taff runs along the western edge of the park providing great visual and wildlife interest. Each autumn, salmon and sea trout can be seen jumping up the weir below the footbridge at Blackweir, and herons and cormorants have been observed fishing in this area.
, an annual Guy Fawkes Night
firework display, the profits from which are distributed to charity. This event is organised every year by Cardiff's local branch of Round Table
. Historically, the event was held for many years in Cooper's Field, the southernmost part of the park, and nearest to the city centre. Then, in the early Noughties, Cardiff Council had the event moved to Blackweir Field, further north. This change, however, had a negative effect both on attendance and on costs, and Cardiff Round Table successfully campaigned to move the event back to Cooper's Field in 2009.
On June 10, 2010, Cooper's Field hosted a concert by Florence and the Machine
.
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' 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
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, is an extensive area of mature parkland easily accessible from the city centre. Flanked by the River Taff
River Taff
The River Taff is a large river in Wales. It rises as two rivers in the Brecon Beacons — the Taf Fechan and the Taf Fawr — before joining to form the Taff north of Merthyr Tydfil...
, Sophia Gardens
Sophia Gardens
Sophia Gardens , currently known as SWALEC Stadium under a naming rights deal, is a cricket stadium on the west bank of the River Taff in Cardiff, 1.6 kilometres north of Cardiff Arms Park. It was named after Lady Sophia Rawdon-Hastings...
, Pontcanna Fields and Cardiff Castle
Cardiff Castle
Cardiff Castle is a medieval castle and Victorian architecture Gothic revival mansion, transformed from a Norman keep erected over a Roman fort in the Castle Quarter of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The Castle is a Grade I Listed Building.-The Roman fort:...
, Bute Park is a very popular 'green lung' full of historic and wildlife interest. Few cities have such a spacious green area in the heart of the city. The Taff Trail
Taff Trail
The Taff Trail is a popular walking and cycle path that runs for between Cardiff Bay and Brecon in Wales. It is named so because it follows the course of the River Taff...
can be accessed at the northern end of Blackweir Fields. A water bus
Water taxi
A water taxi or water bus, also known as a commuter boat, is a watercraft used to provide public transport, usually but not always in an urban environment. Service may be scheduled with multiple stops, operating in a similar manner to a bus, or on demand to many locations, operating in a similar...
stop is located adjacent to Canton Bridge at the southern end of the park offering trips to Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay is the area created by the Cardiff Barrage in South Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The regeneration of Cardiff Bay is now widely regarded as one of the most successful regeneration projects in the United Kingdom. The Bay is supplied by two rivers to form a freshwater lake round the...
, Penarth
Penarth
Penarth is a town and seaside resort in the Vale of Glamorgan , Wales, 5.2 miles south west from the city centre of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff and lying on the north shore of the Severn Estuary at the southern end of Cardiff Bay...
and the barrage.
History
Due to its location at the historic core of Cardiff, Bute Park contains a wealth of historic interest dating back to Roman and medieval times. Cardiff CastleCardiff Castle
Cardiff Castle is a medieval castle and Victorian architecture Gothic revival mansion, transformed from a Norman keep erected over a Roman fort in the Castle Quarter of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The Castle is a Grade I Listed Building.-The Roman fort:...
, the famous Animal Wall
Animal Wall
The Animal Wall is a sculptured wall depicting 15 animals in the Castle Quarter of the city centre of Cardiff, Wales. It is a Grade I listed structure.-History:...
, the Gorsedd stones
Gorsedd stones
Gorsedd Stones are groups of standing stones constructed for the National Eisteddfod of Wales. They form an integral part of the druidic Gorsedd ceremonies of the Eisteddfod...
and the Blackfriars site are just a sample of the park’s rich history. The Castle Green was landscaped in the late eighteenth century by Capability Brown
Capability Brown
Lancelot Brown , more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English landscape architect. He is remembered as "the last of the great English eighteenth-century artists to be accorded his due", and "England's greatest gardener". He designed over 170 parks, many of which still endure...
, but the park itself was laid out from 1873 on by Andrew Pettigrew, Head Gardener to the 3rd Marquess of Bute
John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute
John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute KT, KSG, KGCHS was a landed aristocrat, industrial magnate, antiquarian, scholar, philanthropist and architectural patron.-Early life:...
. In 1947, the 5th Marquess of Bute presented the park to the Council. Today the park is still owned and managed by Cardiff Council.
Nature
The 130 acres of the park and its variety of habitats make Bute Park a haven for wildlife. It is possible to see a great variety of wildlife including woodpeckerWoodpecker
Woodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....
s, kingfisher
Kingfisher
Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...
s, egret
Egret
An egret is any of several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season. Many egrets are members of the genera Egretta or Ardea which contain other species named as herons rather than egrets...
s, bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s and grey squirrel
Eastern Gray Squirrel
The eastern gray squirrel is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus native to the eastern and midwestern United States, and to the southerly portions of the eastern provinces of Canada...
s. The woodlands adjoining the River Taff contain an excellent spring flora and there is an interesting range of wax cap fungi within sections of closely mown lawn in the arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
. Salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
and sea trout can be viewed on Blackweir.
Recreation
Football, rugby and cricket pitches are provided at Blackweir Fields to the north of the park. A 'Trim Trail' loops around the southern part of the park. Large grassed areas are used for informal recreation- a great place for a picnic. Very close at hand are the SWALEC Stadium and the Sport Wales National Centre: both of these organisations are developments in Sophia Gardens, named after the Marchioness of Bute, itself a registered park and part of the collection of 'Bute Parks'.Arboretum
An interesting mix of rare and ornamental trees have been planted since 1947 to complement some excellent specimens that formed part of the original park design.Many of the trees are known to be Champion Trees
National Register of Big Trees
The National Register of Big Trees is a list of the largest living specimens of each tree variety found in the continental United States. A tree on this list is often called a National Champion Tree....
, the biggest examples of their species anywhere in the UK.
Ornamental features
A well stocked herbaceous borderHerbaceous border
A herbaceous border is a collection of perennial herbaceous plants arranged closely together, usually to create a dramatic effect through colour, shape or large scale. The term herbaceous border is mostly in use in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth...
flanks the path running alongside the River Taff, the plants coming from the Parks Nursery located in the park. See the Parks Website, Illustrated Plant Guide for more information.
Public art
The park hosts a number of interesting artworks and sculptures including wood carvings formed from retained tree stumps in the park. An ironwork sundial, originally placed in the park in 1990 after a Festival of Iron event, was removed in 2006 and replaced by a small round formal garden to honour Stuttgart (Cardiff's German twin-town.) This feature was designed by the Parks Service in Stuttgart and planted by horticultural apprentices from both cities as part of a programme of exchange visits between the two parks departments.Waterways
The dock feeder canal forms a tranquil corridor along the eastern edge of the park. Its origins go back to medieval times when it was a millstream, constructed to feed the Lord's Mill, situated below the western walls of Cardiff Castle. This line is clearly seen on the Bute Estate Maps of 1824. In 1833, the line of the mill stream was incorporated as a water source for the development of the Cardiff Docks by the 2nd Marquess of Bute and was reformed as the dock feeder when the docks were constructed 1836-1841. The dock feeder is still the main water supply to the port of Cardiff.The River Taff runs along the western edge of the park providing great visual and wildlife interest. Each autumn, salmon and sea trout can be seen jumping up the weir below the footbridge at Blackweir, and herons and cormorants have been observed fishing in this area.
Events
Since 1981, the park has hosted what is now Sparks in the ParkSparks in the Park
Sparks in the Park is an annual fireworks display held each year on or around Guy Fawkes Night in Cardiff, Wales.The event takes place in Cooper's Field in Bute Park, behind Cardiff Castle...
, an annual Guy Fawkes Night
Guy Fawkes Night
Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Firework Night, is an annual commemoration observed on 5 November, primarily in England. Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605, when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding...
firework display, the profits from which are distributed to charity. This event is organised every year by Cardiff's local branch of Round Table
Round Table (club)
Round Table is a social networking and charitable organisation for men in their 20s, 30s and early 40s, founded in Norwich, England, in 1927. It is open to all men aged between 18 and 45...
. Historically, the event was held for many years in Cooper's Field, the southernmost part of the park, and nearest to the city centre. Then, in the early Noughties, Cardiff Council had the event moved to Blackweir Field, further north. This change, however, had a negative effect both on attendance and on costs, and Cardiff Round Table successfully campaigned to move the event back to Cooper's Field in 2009.
On June 10, 2010, Cooper's Field hosted a concert by Florence and the Machine
Florence and the Machine
Florence and the Machine is the recording name of English musician Florence Welch and a collaboration of other artists who provide music for her voice. Florence and the Machine's sound has been described as a combination of various genres, including rock and soul...
.