Pontcanna
Encyclopedia
Pontcanna is a western
district of the city
of Cardiff
, Wales
. Its area is bounded approximately by Llandaff Fields
to the north, the Riverside
district and Cowbridge Road to the south, the River Taff
to the west and the district of Canton
to the east.
Pontcanna is a very well to do area of wide tree-lined streets and large houses. It is a gentrified "media Village" with a cafe culture-lifestyle centred around Pontcanna Street and Cathedral Road
. There is both a large English born population and large Welsh language
speaking political and media class. The area was formerly home to the Welsh studios of TWW, Teledu Cymru, HTV
and S4C
's headquarters; the BBC
's Broadcasting House is still nearby in Llandaff
.
The suburb has become increasingly affluent from the early 1990s onwards.
Pontcanna is a popular area for flats within Cardiff. Many of the larger villas (as seen on Cathedral Road) have been converted into flats, guest houses or business premises. Located on the edge of Cardiff City Centre, Pontcanna gives easy access to the centre for professionals, as well as easy access via the Gabalfa roundabout to the A48M.
which ran between Llandaff Fields
and Riverside
. The bridge is believed to have stood near the junction of what, today, are Teilo Street and Cathedral Road. It was removed (and the brook covered up) in 1896. St Canna was a 6th century female saint.
What is nowadays Pontcanna was almost completely open farmland until the late nineteenth century. The main route, Cathedral Road, was previously known as Pontcanna Lane, running between Plasturton Farm in the south and Pontcanna Farm to the north. In 1854 Sophia, widow of the 2nd Marquess of Bute began to finance the creation of a 41 acre garden on the site of Plasturton Farm, next to the River Taff
and Cardiff Bridge. This is now a public amenity known as Sophia Gardens
and was a catalyst for the development of Pontcanna.
Between 1885 and 1900 the large villas along Cathedral Road were constructed. They were occupied by the very wealthiest families of Cardiff
. Plasturton Avenue and Plasturton Gardens were then added at the turn of the twentieth century.
A large synagogue, designed by Delissa Joseph of London, was constructed and opened at the south end of Cathedral Road in 1896-7. After Cardiff's Jewish community had largely moved to the suburbs, it was closed in 1989. It has been converted into luxury offices.
A Presbyterian Church of Wales, designed by Edgar G.C. Down of Cardiff, was built at the north end of Cathedral Road in 1903. It has since ceased to be a church and has been subdivided into office accommodation.
In 1951 the Sophia Gardens Pavilion was opened. This was a major entertainment venue for the city, hosting top stars such as Danny Kaye
and Tommy Steele
. In 1982 the roof collapsed after a heavy show storm and the Pavillion was closed.
Some of the large villas along Cathedral Road have been replaced by modern office buildings. For example No.8 Cathedral Road was rebuilt in the 1970s to create offices for Alex Gordon & Partners, architects of Transport House (see below).
Transport House, prominently located at the south end of Cathedral Road, was designed by Alex Gordon Partnership and opened in 1978. It is 5-storeys in height , constructed using pre-cast concrete panels. It is headquarters for the Wales TUC
and other trade union
organisations.
electoral ward of Riverside
. The Riverside
electoral ward falls into the parliamentary constituency of Cardiff West
.
and Pontcanna Fields form a large strip of parkland between Pontcanna and the River Taff
. Pontcanna Fields were acquired by the Cardiff Council from the Marquis of Bute in 1947. The parkland includes the Cardiff City Riding School, football pitches and allotments.
Plasturton Gardens is a small public park between Plasturton Avenue and Plasturton Place.
)and the Sport Wales National Centre are located on Sophia Close, just north of the Sophia Gardens
park.
Cardiff West
Cardiff West or West Cardiff refers to the collection of communities in the west of Cardiff, Wales. Also the usage is unofficial and boundaries are only ambiguously defined, they generally share the postcodes CF5 or CF15, and the telephone code 029...
district of the city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
of Cardiff
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...
. Its area is bounded approximately by Llandaff Fields
Llandaff Fields
Llandaff Fields is a large parkland spanning parts of central and northern Cardiff, Wales.The park is owned by Cardiff Council and managed by its Parks department. The parkland is highly visible and accessed from local communities. The parkland is lined with avenues of trees and large grassed areas...
to the north, the Riverside
Riverside, Cardiff
Riverside is an inner-city southern area of Cardiff, capital of Wales. Riverside is also the name of the electoral ward, which can be split into two very different parts, Riverside and Pontcanna...
district and Cowbridge Road to the south, 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...
to the west and the district of Canton
Canton, Cardiff
Canton is an inner-city district and community in the west of Cardiff, capital of Wales, lying west of the city's civic centre. One of the most ethnically diverse of Cardiff's suburbs, with a significant Asian population such as Pakistanis and Indians, Canton has a population just in excess of...
to the east.
Pontcanna is a very well to do area of wide tree-lined streets and large houses. It is a gentrified "media Village" with a cafe culture-lifestyle centred around Pontcanna Street and Cathedral Road
Cathedral Road
Cathedral Road is one of the major roads of western Cardiff, Wales. It forms part of the A4119 road from Cardiff Bay to Tonypandy and houses which are not lived in have been converted to professional businesses specialising in dentistry, psychotherapy, medicine and solicitors. It connects the...
. There is both a large English born population and large Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
speaking political and media class. The area was formerly home to the Welsh studios of TWW, Teledu Cymru, HTV
HTV
HTV, now legally known as ITV Wales & West, is the ITV contractor for Wales and the West of England, which operated from studios in Cardiff and Bristol. The company provided commercial television for the dual-region 'Wales and West' franchise, which it won from TWW in 1968...
and S4C
S4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
's headquarters; the BBC
BBC Wales
BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation for Wales. Based at Broadcasting House in the Llandaff area of Cardiff, it directly employs over 1200 people, and produces a broad range of television, radio and online services in both the Welsh and English languages.Outside...
's Broadcasting House is still nearby in Llandaff
Llandaff
Llandaff is a district in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales, having been incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of the Church in Wales Bishop of Llandaff, whose diocese covers the most populous area of South Wales. Much of the district is covered by parkland known as Llandaff...
.
The suburb has become increasingly affluent from the early 1990s onwards.
Pontcanna is a popular area for flats within Cardiff. Many of the larger villas (as seen on Cathedral Road) have been converted into flats, guest houses or business premises. Located on the edge of Cardiff City Centre, Pontcanna gives easy access to the centre for professionals, as well as easy access via the Gabalfa roundabout to the A48M.
History
The name Pontcanna stems from Pont Canna Farm, which in turn was named after a bridge across the Whitehouse Brook, a one-time tributary of the River TaffRiver 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...
which ran between Llandaff Fields
Llandaff Fields
Llandaff Fields is a large parkland spanning parts of central and northern Cardiff, Wales.The park is owned by Cardiff Council and managed by its Parks department. The parkland is highly visible and accessed from local communities. The parkland is lined with avenues of trees and large grassed areas...
and Riverside
Riverside, Cardiff
Riverside is an inner-city southern area of Cardiff, capital of Wales. Riverside is also the name of the electoral ward, which can be split into two very different parts, Riverside and Pontcanna...
. The bridge is believed to have stood near the junction of what, today, are Teilo Street and Cathedral Road. It was removed (and the brook covered up) in 1896. St Canna was a 6th century female saint.
What is nowadays Pontcanna was almost completely open farmland until the late nineteenth century. The main route, Cathedral Road, was previously known as Pontcanna Lane, running between Plasturton Farm in the south and Pontcanna Farm to the north. In 1854 Sophia, widow of the 2nd Marquess of Bute began to finance the creation of a 41 acre garden on the site of Plasturton Farm, next to 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...
and Cardiff Bridge. This is now a public amenity known as 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...
and was a catalyst for the development of Pontcanna.
Between 1885 and 1900 the large villas along Cathedral Road were constructed. They were occupied by the very wealthiest families of Cardiff
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...
. Plasturton Avenue and Plasturton Gardens were then added at the turn of the twentieth century.
A large synagogue, designed by Delissa Joseph of London, was constructed and opened at the south end of Cathedral Road in 1896-7. After Cardiff's Jewish community had largely moved to the suburbs, it was closed in 1989. It has been converted into luxury offices.
A Presbyterian Church of Wales, designed by Edgar G.C. Down of Cardiff, was built at the north end of Cathedral Road in 1903. It has since ceased to be a church and has been subdivided into office accommodation.
In 1951 the Sophia Gardens Pavilion was opened. This was a major entertainment venue for the city, hosting top stars such as Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian...
and Tommy Steele
Tommy Steele
Tommy Steele OBE , is an English entertainer. Steele is widely regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star.-Singer:...
. In 1982 the roof collapsed after a heavy show storm and the Pavillion was closed.
Some of the large villas along Cathedral Road have been replaced by modern office buildings. For example No.8 Cathedral Road was rebuilt in the 1970s to create offices for Alex Gordon & Partners, architects of Transport House (see below).
Transport House, prominently located at the south end of Cathedral Road, was designed by Alex Gordon Partnership and opened in 1978. It is 5-storeys in height , constructed using pre-cast concrete panels. It is headquarters for the Wales TUC
Wales TUC
The Wales TUC is the co-ordinating body of trade unions in Wales. With over 50 affiliated unions as of 2006, the Wales TUC represents nearly half a million workers trade unionists....
and other trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
organisations.
Government
Pontcanna is part of the CardiffCardiff
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...
electoral ward of Riverside
Riverside, Cardiff
Riverside is an inner-city southern area of Cardiff, capital of Wales. Riverside is also the name of the electoral ward, which can be split into two very different parts, Riverside and Pontcanna...
. The Riverside
Riverside, Cardiff
Riverside is an inner-city southern area of Cardiff, capital of Wales. Riverside is also the name of the electoral ward, which can be split into two very different parts, Riverside and Pontcanna...
electoral ward falls into the parliamentary constituency of Cardiff West
Cardiff West (UK Parliament constituency)
Cardiff West is a borough constituency in the city of Cardiff. It returns one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system...
.
Parks & Leisure Facilities
Sophia GardensSophia 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...
and Pontcanna Fields form a large strip of parkland between Pontcanna and 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...
. Pontcanna Fields were acquired by the Cardiff Council from the Marquis of Bute in 1947. The parkland includes the Cardiff City Riding School, football pitches and allotments.
Plasturton Gardens is a small public park between Plasturton Avenue and Plasturton Place.
Sport
The SWALEC Stadium (home to Glamorgan County Cricket ClubGlamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
)and the Sport Wales National Centre are located on Sophia Close, just north of the 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...
park.