THE HISTORY OF CARDIFF'S SUBURBS

Lots of questions?

I think it is safe to say that most people generally don't give much thought to the origins of where they live.

It can't be helped - people have busy lives and it's a 24-hour non-stop world!   But if you're reading this, then maybe curiosity has brought you here.

Have you ever queried why a group of street names in Cardiff have a recurring theme?  Perhaps you've spotted a strange looking building, or a plaque on a wall, and been curious about what the story behind it is?

Ever wondered where Temperance Town used to be?  If Cardiff Castle is 2,000 years old, why doesn't it look its age?

Maybe you want to know where Adamsdown got its name, or wondered why there are random stretches of water around the city center - seemingly cut off and irrelevant?

Cardiffians enjoy living in one of the greenest cities in the UK - but why is there such an abundance of parkland?

So much insight can be gleaned from these reminders of long ago.  Unfortunately, the reminders are slowly vanishing - either being demolished, covered up, built on, or just fading away into history.

Introduction to the suburb history pages.

Using a mixture of books, video, images, maps and online resources, I have compiled a brief history page for each of the major suburbs in Cardiff.

It's easy to take one author's research as read. But if you spend time digging deeper into history books, documents and manuscripts, you may have encountered many non-specific generalisations of Cardiff's history, with conflicting facts and figures.

In writing these pages I've strived to take into account the different versions of Cardiff's history that are available on and off-line.  It has been my aim to provide information that is referenced and correct, and present it in a style that is easy to read and navigate.

I wanted to give my own take on the history of Cardiff, but I have tried to remain objective.

Details about smaller areas are contained within their 'parent' suburb.  e.g.  Lakeside is covered in Cyncoed, which slightly overlaps a small part of Roath, whilst Danescourt is part of Llandaf, even though it was built on land in Radyr.  Complicated isn't it!?

As you browse, you will begin to learn about the smaller districts in the bigger suburbs.  To view a summary of the area's history, please select it from the list below.

Whether you're a fellow historian, or you just have a passing interest, I truly hope that you find the pages interesting and informative.

PAGE UPDATE HISTORY

03 April 2024 (Content updates)
02 July 2020 (Coding updates)
15 January 2015 (Coding updates)
30 December 2014 (Site rebuilt and new design launched)
July 2005 (Page Created)