The history of the suburbs of Llanishen and Thornhill- Cardiffians.co.uk

Llanishen is named after St Isan who founded a Christian community in the sixth century. St. Isan and a fellow monk, St. Edeyrn were given the task of spreading the faith and establishing places of worship. The first location chosen by the two monks was Llanishen, and it is understood that St. Edeyrn also established Llanedeyrn Church nearby.

After the Norman Conquest, the Abbey of eynsham was awarded land in Llanishen, increasing it's inventory of its many estates in and around Cardiff. The Normans built the present St Isan’s Church, which probably dates from the middle of the 12th century. Following Henry VIII's Suppression of the Monasteries in the 16th century, St Isan’s became the parish church of Llanishen. In 1872, the church was enlarged and most of its stained glass dates from this time. During the Suppression, the monastic properties were distributed among a number of high status and powerful families, including the Kemys' and Lewises.

The original home of the Lewises was near the church at Llanishen House (now fallen to decay) and for more than two centuries, the Lewis family conducted their affairs from here. They later moved to a mansion built in the 18th century on Thornhill known as 'New House' which is now a hotel. In the early 1870's, navvies from Llanishen formed part of the workforce that constructed the Rhymney Railway link from Caerphilly to the docks in Cardiff. The work included tunneling through Caerphilly Mountain, and as was common at the time, there were frequent accidents and many workers were killed. They now lie buried in Llanishen churchyard. Many of the farms at that time bore names that are still familiar in the district, such as Fidlas and Ty-Glas. There were only a few roads leading to the village, which steered you to the village pub, the blacksmith’s and a school. This school was built on land donated by the Marquis of Bute in 1867, and remained in use for nearly a century before it was converted into the church hall for community use.

At the rear of what was Fidlas Farm, are Llanishen and Lisvane reservoirs. Constructed in 1884, the Llanishen reservoir was completed just in time to see Cardiff through a severe drought which occurred a few years later. Just before the first World War, large properties were being constructed in Fidlas Road and Station Road. Originally, the gardens were grand in design, however as the 20th Century progressed, many roads were widened to accommodated increasing volumes of traffic, and the gardens were reduced in size. One property, Bridge Cottage managed to avoid losing it's garden. Surrounded by trees near the railway viaduct, the cottage is reputed to be 300 years old. Llanishen became a suburb of Cardiff in 1922, and within 20 years, urbanisation took hold in a major way. In 1939, the Royal Ordnance Factory was constructed on Caerphilly Road.

By 1940 the factory was producing anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns. After World War Two, the factory became an Atomic Weapons Establishment. It continued to make nuclear warheads until 1997 when the factory was closed down. The site has since been cleared and decontaminated, and is now a mixed office and housing development. In 1968 the Inland Revenue offices in Ty-Glas Road were under construction. Although there were concerns at the time about the imposing structure, and its proximity to local housing, the offices have since served the community well by providing employment opportunities over the years. Since the 1970's, Llanishen has experienced radical change. Ty-Glas Road and Ty-Glas Avenue have become hubs of housing and commercial development, while superstores and business parks sprang up on the few former industrial sites. In 2002, Western Power Distribution acquired Llanishen and Lisvane reservoirs from Welsh Water, and submitted plans to fill in and build a housing estate on them.

The plans were rejected after many residents came together to form the Reservoir Action Group (RAG), who campaigned against WPD's proposal. In 2008, WPD attempted to resubmit the plans, however; the credit crunch may prove to be beneficial in saving the reservoir from development, when a final decision is made in late 2009.

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