LOCATION
Located on the south east coast of Wales on the west of the United Kingdom, 157 miles (235km) from London.
Cardiff boast over 1,200 hectares (12 km2, 4.6 square miles) of world famous park lands and leisure gardens some of which are
located within metres of the central shopping area.
Cardiff is twinned with six cities they are; Baltimore USA, Lugansk Ukraine, Stuttgart Germany, Hordaland Holland, Nantes France and Xiamen China.
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![[Cardiff Civic Centre]](civic.jpg) |
![[City Hall made from Portland stone]](cityhall.jpg) |
HISTORY
The Romans began the first Cardiff settlement in 55 AD. Cardiff only really began to grow in prosperity with the
onset of the industrial revolution (from the late 18th century onwards) as a major port shipping iron
ore and coal mined in the Welsh valleys to the north. The dock area was known as Tiger Bay and spawned
a famous film, of the same name, staring Haley Mills. On June 15 1910, Captain Robert Scott and his team
set sail from Cardiff docks on their ill-fated mission to the South Pole. As a major port, Cardiff was heavily bombed
during the Second World War resulting in the loss of many lives. Cardiff's unique vistas and atmosphere owe much to
the efforts of one man: The Third Marquis of Bute. He was the richest man in the world in the middle to
late 19th century and, indeed, the first £1,000,000 cheque was written by him in Cardiff Castle! His vast wealth
enabled him to renovate Cardiff Castle, situated in the centre of the city, producing a Victorian fantasy
home, complete with exotic fowl and splendid architecture. The Bute family lived in the castle until 1947,
when it was presented to the people of Cardiff. Cardiff
Castle today is a much loved site and visited by almost one million people annually. Peacocks still roam the grounds
and on occasions escape in to surrounding streets causing havoc and much amusement. The expansive Bute Park,
immediately to the north and east of the castle was sold to Cardiff Council in 1891 on the
condition that only public buildings should be built there and that they be made of white Portland stone.
As a consequence Cardiff is considered to have one of the most beautiful civic centre in Britain and probably
the world. Cardiff became the capital of Wales on December 20th, 1955.
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PRESENT DAY
Today Cardiff looks more to the future than the past- it is the fastest growing capital in Europe. In 1998
Cardiff hosted the European Council of Ministers and, in 1999, the Rugby World Cup, a tournament now only exceeded
in size by the Olympic Games and the soccer World Cup. The now completed £121 million Millennium Stadium replaces the famous
Cardiff Arms Park (despite only having been completed in 1984). It is not only the largest stadium in the world with a
retractable roof it is also one of Europe's largest covered arenas. With a population of 318,000, Cardiff offers
a quality of life that rates amongst the best of British cities. With new shopping malls and beautiful Edwardian
Arcades the city consistently proves to be one of the most popular retail centres outside London. Culturally Cardiff
leads the region. The annual Cardiff Singer of the World competition is regarded as one of the worlds finest musical
events. The popular local, Spillers Record Shop is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest recorded music shop in the World.
In 1987, as part of a £2,400,000,000 ($3,984,000,000) regeneration, an ambitious project began to build a barrage across Cardiff Bay fed
by the rivers Ely and Taff (hence the Welsh are called Taffy's).
The project was completed at the end of 1999 and it is now a freshwater lake many times larger than at Sidney Harbour
Australia or in Baltimore USA. The new Welsh Parliament is also located overlooking this fresh water lake.
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![[Home of Welsh rugby the Millennium Stadium]](stadium.jpg) |
![[Cad logo on the about Cardiff page]](logo1.jpg){kind=logo}
![[Cards]](cards1.gif){kind=small}
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![[Logo]](cardlog.gif)
![[UK Map]](ukmap.gif)
![[Flag]](walesfl.gif)
![[The Wales Millennium Stadium]](stadia1.jpg)
![[The Millennium Stadium with the retractable roof]](stadia2.jpg)
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Mains Cables |