Temperance Town, Cardiff
Encyclopedia
Temperance Town, Cardiff
, was the unofficial name for a working-class inner-city suburb established on reclaimed land next to the River Taff
. The land was owned by Colonel Edward Wood, a teetotaller, who imposed a condition on the developer that the sale of alcohol would be not be allowed - hence the district's name.
Development took place in the early 1860s. Schools were opened in January, 1879 and a church, St Dyfrig's, was built in 1888. The main street, Wood Street was filled with shops and other businesses. The large Temperance Hall was eventually converted to a Congregational church
.
In the years up to the 1930s, Cardiff's prosperity had been reduced by the decline in coal exports and conditions in Temperance Town had deteriorated, with resultant poverty and over-crowding. In 1930, the Great Western Railway
built a new station on the edge of the district and the railway company was concerned that a clearly poor district would affect its business. It persuaded the Cardiff Corporation (the local authority) to improve the area and, albeit without consultation with the inhabitants, the Cardiff Corporation Act 1934 provided the necessary powers. The redevelopment plans included new public facilities such as a bus station.
The Corporation rehoused Temperance Town's residents elsewhere in better housing elsewhere in the city and the district's demolition started in late 1937.
In the event, World War II
delayed redevelopment. The bus station opened in 1954 and a widened Wood Street was lined with offices and shops. In 1958, a swimming pool, the Empire Pool, was built for the British Empire and Commonwealth Games, in the same year.
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...
, was the unofficial name for a working-class inner-city suburb established on reclaimed land 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...
. The land was owned by Colonel Edward Wood, a teetotaller, who imposed a condition on the developer that the sale of alcohol would be not be allowed - hence the district's name.
Development took place in the early 1860s. Schools were opened in January, 1879 and a church, St Dyfrig's, was built in 1888. The main street, Wood Street was filled with shops and other businesses. The large Temperance Hall was eventually converted to a Congregational church
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
.
In the years up to the 1930s, Cardiff's prosperity had been reduced by the decline in coal exports and conditions in Temperance Town had deteriorated, with resultant poverty and over-crowding. In 1930, the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
built a new station on the edge of the district and the railway company was concerned that a clearly poor district would affect its business. It persuaded the Cardiff Corporation (the local authority) to improve the area and, albeit without consultation with the inhabitants, the Cardiff Corporation Act 1934 provided the necessary powers. The redevelopment plans included new public facilities such as a bus station.
The Corporation rehoused Temperance Town's residents elsewhere in better housing elsewhere in the city and the district's demolition started in late 1937.
In the event, World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
delayed redevelopment. The bus station opened in 1954 and a widened Wood Street was lined with offices and shops. In 1958, a swimming pool, the Empire Pool, was built for the British Empire and Commonwealth Games, in the same year.