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PRESENTING UNIQUE PHOTOS OF OLD CARDIFF FOR OVER 15 YEARS!

THE HISTORY OF CARDIFF'S SUBURBS

PENYLAN AND ROATH
Incorporating part of Plasnewydd

Roath Tram Sheds
Roath Tram Sheds - 1970.
© Matthew Witty

Roman Settlement

Roath is a large sprawling estate near the centre of the City, which contains the electoral wards of Plasnewydd and Penylan, in addition to overlapping part of Cyncoed to the North, and Adamsdown to the South (Newport Road is generally considered to be the modern boundary).

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MAGNIFYmapofroath
Map of Roath in 1886.  Plasnewydd (the New House) can be seen to the left, while Penylan had yet to undergo development
Source: OS

There are a number of theories about the origin of the name Roath.  It may be translated from the Gaelic Irish term ráth (fort), or Y Rhâth possibly named after an ancient Roman settlement.

Penylan, meaning "the summit", lies within the parish and ancient manor of Roath.

St. Margaret's Church and the 1st Marquis of Bute

After the Norman Conquest in the 11th Century, Keynsham Abbey (in Somerset, England) was granted the lands of what would become known as Roath-Keynsham, Penylan, along with most of Cardiff.

The church of St Margaret's, on the corner of Albany Road and Newport Road, was built in the 12th century.  Originally, it was a chapel of Tewkesbury Abbey, and for over 700 years it served the small community well.

Little more is known about Penylan and Roath's history during this time, however; it is understood that the lands in Penylan passed into the possession of the Morgan family of Tredegar (Monmouth) after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 14th Century.

For the next 350 years, the lands were mainly devoted to pastoral farming, with farms such as Ty-Gwyn, Ty-Mawr and Roath Court owning the largest tracts of land.

In 1793, the 1st Marquis of Bute acquired the lands of Roath, including St. Margaret's Church. Seven years later, the same year as the passing of his wife, he built a family vault to the north of the chancel.

When the church was demolished in 1869, the 3rd Marquis of Bute funded the construction of the present structure, which utilised part of the  original Norman foundations.

The vault was reconstructed as an mausoleum, with seven sarcophagi in red granite.  The mausoleum was incorporated into the new Church, which was designed by John Pritchard (of Cardiff Castle, and Castell Coch fame) and opened in 1870.  The 1st Marquis, his two wives and his eldest son are all buried here.

Grand Houses

When Roath became a suburb of Cardiff in 1875, Penylan Hill was just dirt track leading to Cyncoed, but grand houses were being built on the sites of the old farms off Ty-Gwyn and Penylan roads.

Unfortunately most of them did not survive to the present day.  For example, 'Bronwydd' was a large villa built for Alfred Thomas, the 1st Baron of Pontypridd who was born in Penylan.

The villa was demolished as part of the construction of Eastern Avenue, but a 'Bonwydd Close' nearby recalls its location.  Another large house, 'Oldwell' was pulled down in 1987 to make way for the housing association flats at Oldwell Court.

Penylan Farm House became part of the Covent of the Good Shepherd, built by the 3rd Marquis of Bute in 1872, and St David's Sixth-Form College now stands on this site.

William Richards, Alderman of Cardiff in the late 17th century had two sons, William and Michael. Michael's grandson, John Matthews Richards, built a house called Plasnewydd (The New Place) in Roath where much of the family estate was located.

When he died the estate passed to a relation Edward Priest Richards, whose daughter and heiress Harriet Diana Arabella married The Mackintosh of Mackintosh.

Much of the Roath area of Cardiff formed this estate - street names like Mackintosh Place, Inverness Place, Arran Street, Argyle Street, Keppoch Street all show the Scottish Mackintosh link.

Plasnewydd later became the Mackintosh Institute, which is adjacent to the Plasnewydd English Chapel, which was constructed in 1886.

Lord Tredegar's Gift of Land

Birchwood Grange is now a University Hall of Residence for Cardiff University, and is found on the aptly named Birchwood Lane.

Many of the roads in Penylan and Roath bear the names of battles such as Kimberley, Mafeking. Blenheim and Trafalgar.

Lord Tredegar, who donated huge tracts of land to the City of Cardiff, offered five acres towards the creation of Roath Park and surrounding gardens.

In addition to this already generous gesture, he donated land in Penylan which became Waterloo and Mill Gardens  - both extremely beautiful and tranquil parks just a stones throw from Albany Road.

The Harlequins Recreation Ground near Newport Road, which is still in use today, was also sited on Tredegar land.

Colchester Avenue and Local Industry

The Roath Power Station on Newport Road began supplying electricity in 1902 and was serviced by the railway line and goods yard which used to occupy the land where Argos and Mothercare now stand.

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Some of the old Roath Branch railway route superimposed on a modern map of the area.  Part of the original section between Penylan Road Bridge and Roath Brook bridge, is still used as a pedestrian crossing.
Source: Google ⁄ Matthew Witty

The railway, part of the Taff Vale, ran from Roath Station across Roath Brook, and parralel to Ty Draw Road.  There is nothing remaining of the line these days, but older residents vivdly recall the sounds of wagons being shunted all day and night.

Also in 1902, the transport depot next to the Power Station took delivery of its first batch of electric trams, which ran in the City until 1950.

Across the road, where the Lidl Superstore now stands, was a pottery and brickworks, which most likely sourced clay from the banks of the nearby River Rhymney.

The huge cooling towers in Colchester Avenue, which dominated the skyline, were demolished in 1972 along with the Power Station and Depot.  In their place, a trading estate, a small sub-station and Sainsburys supermarket were built.

The small industries on the Colchester Trading Estate still continue to provide local specialist services.  The cable television provider CableTel had its humble beginnings in Colchester Avenue. CableTel expanded rapidly and over the years underwent several rebrands after being bought out, first by NTL and then Virgin Media.

After World War Two, the Howardian and Lady Margaret high schools were built in Colchester Avenue to replace the school in Adamsdown which had been damaged in the Blitz.  When these schools closed in 1990, this site too was allocated to housing, and many of the roads are named after former teachers.

Newport Road

Newport Road itself is a historically significant part of Cardiff.  Otherwise known as part of the 'Via Julia Maritima', it was the main military route from Gloucester to Neath in Roman times, and for most of it's length, still closely follows the original route some 2,000 years later.

The Roath end of Newport Road has seen massive changes during the 21st Century.  Long established engineering firms and the British Telecom Switchboard house have been demolished to make way for small housing schemes.

A number of modern retail parks line both sides of the Road leading up to the bottom of Rumney Hill, taking the place of the many industrial workshops and garages that once stood here.

Page Updated: 01 December 2014