Cardiff
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Cardiff
(kär`dĭf), Welsh Caerdydd, city and county (1998 est. pop. 320,900), S Wales, on the Taff River near its mouth on the Bristol Channel. Cardiff is the capital of WalesWales,Welsh Cymru, western peninsula and political division (principality) of Great Britain (2011 pop. 3,063,456), 8,016 sq mi (20,761 sq km), west of England; politically united with England since 1536. The capital is Cardiff.
..... Click the link for more information. and an important port. Until the early 20th cent. it was one of the greatest coal-shipping ports in the world. Modern industries include retailing, services, engineering, oil and gasoline distribution, and food processing. Studios of the British Broadcasting Corp. are located in Cardiff, which is also the center of the Welsh-language broadcasting industry. The construction of docks by the 5th marquess of Bute in 1839 stimulated the city's growth. The port includes the docks at PenarthPenarth
, town (1991 pop. 20,545), Vale of Glamorgan, S Wales. It is a suburb of Cardiff and a seaside resort. Turner House Art Gallery is in Penarth.
..... Click the link for more information. and BarryBarry,
Welsh Barri, town (1991 pop. 45,053) and port, Vale of Glamorgan, S Wales, on the Bristol Channel. Once a major coal-exporting port, its more diversified export products include cement, flour, and steel products.
..... Click the link for more information. . There is also a canal to Merthyr TydfilMerthyr Tydfil
, town (1981 pop. 38,893) and county borough, 43 sq mi (111 sq km), S Wales. Located on the Taff River, the town is connected to Cardiff by canal. It has ironworks and steelworks. After World War II, light industries were stressed to revive the economy.
..... Click the link for more information. (opened 1794), with a branch to AberdareAberdare
, Welsh Aberdâr, town (1991 pop. 31,619), Rhondda Cynon Taff, S Wales. Originally a processing center for iron and coal, Aberdare has become the service center and purchasing hub of the Cynon Valley. Industries include the production of cable and electrical goods.
..... Click the link for more information. .
Cardiff Castle, the residence of the marquess of Bute until 1947, was first built in 1090 on the site of a Roman fort. Robert, duke of Normandy, was imprisoned (1126–34) in the castle. Owen GlendowerOwen Glendower
, Welsh Owain Glyndwr, 1359?–1416?, Welsh national leader. A scion of the princes of Powys, he was also claimant through his mother to the lands of Rhys ap Gruffydd; he was thus one of the most powerful lords in Wales.
..... Click the link for more information. partly destroyed it in 1404. In Cathays Park the group of public buildings includes the National Museum of Wales, the law courts, and the city hall. Cardiff Univ., Cardiff Metropolitan Univ., and a campus of the Univ. of South Wales are there. The former docklands of Cardiff Bay are now the site of the new Senedd (National Assembly) building and a multipurpose cultural center. The city also has a botanic garden. LlandaffLlandaff
or Llandaf
, section of Cardiff, S Wales, on the Taff River. According to tradition, St. Teilo founded a church there in the late 6th or early 7th cent. The present cathedral, the oldest parts of which date from 1120, was restored in the 19th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. , which has a notable medieval cathedral, has been incorporated in Cardiff since 1922. The parish church of St. John dates partly from the 13th and 15th cent., and the Museum of Welsh Life, on the city's outskirts, groups buildings from throughout Wales.
Cardiff
a city in Great Britain; capital of Wales. Situated on Bristol Bay, at the mouth of the Taff River. Population, 278, 200 (1971). It is part of the conurbation of southeast Wales. An important industrial center and transportation hub.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Cardiff’s advantageous position made it a major port in Britain for the export of bunker coal from the coalfields of South Wales, peaking in 1913, when it exported 36 million tons, or two-fifths of the total British export. Today, coal shipments are nonexistent for all practical purposes, and Cardiff now serves as a port for importing iron ore, other raw materials, and food supplies. Its industry includes ferrous metallurgy and various forms of machine building (including auto manufacture and ship repair); food processing and printing are highly developed.
Several colleges of the University of Wales are located in Cardiff. The castle (c. 1090), Llandaff Cathedral (12th-15th centuries), and the Church of St. John (15th century) are of historical and architectural interest. The city has grown intensely since the 19th century; new industrial and port structures and workers’ residential areas with characteristically clustered houses have been built. The Civic Center in Cathays Park (planned 1924–46) creates a large verdant area; the city hall (1904; architect, H. Lanchester) and the National Temple of Peace (1938; architect, P. Thomas) are part of the complex. The National Museum of Wales and the Welsh Folk Museum, with collections of folk art, are also located in Cardiff. Cumbran, a companion city designed by the architect J. West, was built in the 1950’s.