The history of the suburbs of Fairwater and Pentrebane- Cardiffians.co.uk

View a map of Fairwater from 1940

The farming lands of Fairwater were originally owned by the Bishop of Llandaff. In 1553 the lands were sold to Miles Mathew (whom owned many acres in and around the area). A few centuries later Fairwater was passed on to the Romilly family, and then in 1852 to William Cartwright (from which Cartwright Lane takes its name).

In the early 1900's, just over 100 people lived in the rural hamlet, mainly centred around Fairwater Green. One particular building which stood out was the Swiss Cottage, on St Fagans Road. Built in the late 1890's, it was an Edwardian, half-timbered house with uniquely twisted chimneys. Near Swiss Cottage (which was unfortunately demolished in 1972) was the 18th-century Brook Farmhouse. On the opposite side of the Green stood a number of very old trees and a thatched cottage. In the late 1930's the trees were felled to make room for a small shopping centre and the cottage (which had burned down at roughly the same time) was replaced by the Fairwater Hotel.

There were many grand houses built in the Fairwater and Pentrebane area. Ty Gwyn in Fairwater Road was owned by a gentleman called Harold Dahl, and his son Roald, soon to be the famous author, was born in 1916. Possibly the most impressive residence in the district was a house on designed by John Prichard (a Welsh architect, most famous for the restoration of Llandaf Cathedral) at Ely Rise. The Gothic style of the house with its steep roofs and tall chimney stacks still dominates the street today.

The house was used by the Royal Observer Corps to plot the course of enemy aircraft during the Second World War. After the war, the Fairwater Conservative Club purchased the property.

Another Edwardian inspired property was Ty Bronnau on St Fagans Road, which was built by was built by Charles Voysey. In the early 1920's the property was converted into part of a TB Hospital. Later Ty Bronnau was used as the headquarters of the South Glamorgan Ambulance Service but when the building was unoccupied in the mid 1990's, it was frequently vandalised and destroyed by a fire in 1998.

Fairwater became a suburb of Cardiff in 1922 and by 1939 new houses covered the area. Since World War Two most of the countryside to the north and west of Fairwater has been urbanised. Brook Farmhouse was bulldozed in 1957, and the farms around Plasmawr Road began to disappear. In the 1960's, agricultural land at Pentrebane was bought by the local authority and used for the construction of another housing estate.

By the 21st century, very few parts of the suburb have been left untouched by progression. However, a few remaining gems have managed to prevail, including 'The Dell', a small pond fed by the ancient brook which runs through the suburb, and feeds Brook. Fairwater also provides Cardiff with it's only dry ski slope.

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