31 Amazing Cardiff Facts About The Capital City Of Wales

The lines from Brian Harris' 1967 poem 'In Passing' describe, if only partially, the identity of Wales' capital city, Cardiff.

However, Cardiff is not just a center for arts and culture. Before the coal industry completely changed the economic scenario of the city, Cardiff's population was just 1500-2000.

Today, Cardiff is the largest city in Wales and part of the Eurocities network of the largest cities in Europe. As a capital though, Cardiff is not just comparatively small but is also young, having only gained the capital status in 1955.

Cardiff was also the birthplace of world-famous children's author Roald Dahl. Dahl was born and raised in the Llandaff district of Cardiff, where he lived until he was sent to boarding school in England at the age of nine.

His father had been one of the many people who were attracted to the fast-growing city because of its unchallenged status as a coal port. The population of the city as of 2021 is approximately 481,000.

There is a lot more to learn about Cardiff other than it just being the capital of Wales. Read on to find out all about how the town became a city, and then a capital.

Also, learn about the wonderful customs and myths surrounding the area that are important to Welsh culture. For instance, why is the humble leek an important symbol of the country?

Geographic Location Of Cardiff

Cardiff's strategic proximity to the South Wales Valley coalfields has done a lot for its status as a major city. Here are some other fast facts about Cardiff's geography:

Cardiff takes up about 54 sq mi (140 sq km) of land. The highest point in the area is Garth Hill, standing at 1007 ft (307 m).

To the east of Cardiff is Newport, to the west the Vale of Glamorgan, the South Wales Valleys to the north, and the Bristol Channel to the south.

The city is located about 150 mi (240 km) west of London. Cardiff is part of Glamorgan, one of the thirteen historic counties in the country.

Situated in the Cardiff capital region, the city and county of Cardiff sit in Southeast Wales near the mouth of the River Taff. Roald Dahl Plass, a large public plaza named after the children's author, is also located in Cardiff Bay. It's a popular spot for hosting open-air concerts.

The Taff River holds an important historic position in the city of Cardiff. It winds through the city's heart and flows into Cardiff Bay, in South Cardiff. Other important rivers are the River Ely and the Rhymney. Cardiff Bay is one of Europe's largest waterfronts, and also home to the Welsh Parliament, the Senedd.

The Glamorgan Heritage Coast sits not too far from Cardiff. Historically, the coast has functioned as a ship graveyard and was a hostile area for merchant ships traveling to Cardiff. Now the coastline is dotted with little towns, villages, and country lanes.

History And Origin Of Cardiff

The European city has some pretty interesting origins. Find out how Cardiff evolved from a Roman fortification to the capital of Wales.

In the first century CE, the Romans built a small fort by the River Taff. The fort makes up part of the city's name, Caerdyf ('caer' meaning fort and Taf as in the river).

It is speculated that the reason behind the construction of Cardiff Castle was to control the Silures, a powerful tribe of ancient Britain and local inhabitants of the area.

The fall of the Roman Empire meant that the fort would be abandoned. Following the arrival of the Normans in the 11th century, expansions began to take place on the old Roman fort.

A keep was constructed on the site of the fort by the First Earl of Gloucester, Robert Fitzhamon. The keep became the foundation of what would be Cardiff Castle.

The castle became the heart of the town that would develop around it. The castle was an important center for trade and the town benefited from the privileges that came with this post.

The castle passed into the hands of many lords until Edward VI created the title of Lord of Cardiff in 1550. The title was given to William Herbert, the Earl of Pembroke, in 1551 and he became the Baron Herbert of Cardiff.

In 1766, the castle went to the Bute family and John Stuart, the first Marquess of Bute became Baron Cardiff. He added a racetrack, a coffee room, and even a stagecoach service to the castle grounds. Despite all these efforts and more, the town of Cardiff held a position of inferiority in the Welsh hierarchy.

John Crichton-Stuart, second Marquess of Bute, is responsible for turning Cardiff's fortune around by making it into a thriving coal exporting port. He dedicated much of his time to the construction of the Cardiff docks, and rightfully earned the name 'creator of modern Cardiff'.

After the death of the fourth Marquess of Bute, Cardiff Castle and the surrounding land was gifted to the city of Cardiff.

By the time the 1881 census was conducted, Cardiff had become the largest town in Wales. In 1893, Cardiff was chosen to be home to the esteemed University of Wales. This was one of the events that established Cardiff's status as a pre-eminent town.

In the 1880s, the Barry Railway Company surpassed Cardiff in terms of coal exports but the latter remained unchallenged as a primary administrative center.

Cardiff was officially made into a city in 1905 with the growing recognition that the town was one of Britain's most important commercial hubs. Finally, in 1955, Cardiff was recognized as the capital city of Wales through a written reply by Home Secretary, Gwilym Lloyd George.

Famous Tourist Spots Of Cardiff

The historic Cardiff Castle isn't Cardiff's only attraction. The city has many more recognizable landmarks, both new and old.

The Bute Park and Arboretum, or just Bute Park for short, is one of Cardiff's major parks. It is located behind Cardiff City Castle and was dedicated to John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, the third Marquess of Bute.

The person behind the park's design was English landscape architect Lancelot 'Capability' Brown (he earned that nickname because he constantly described his clients' gardens as possessing 'capability' for improvement).

Bute Park was once part of the castle's parklands and has been managed by Cardiff Council since it was presented to them in 1945 by the fifth Marquess of Bute. The park's 130 acres (53 hectares) showcase an impressive tree collection and nursery, along with refreshment areas for visitors.

Victoria Park is another well-loved public park in Cardiff, constructed in 1897 as a tribute to Queen Victoria to celebrate her 60 years of reign. The park provides a playground and splash area for children, a refreshment kiosk, and free-of-charge tennis courts.

Inside the park is a sculpture of a seal sitting on a rock, dedicated to Billy the seal who lived in the park until he passed away in 1939.

The Cardiff City Hall is a civic building in Cathays Park that functions as Cardiff's center of local government. The site once held a Georgian mansion belonging to the Bute family, the first Marquess of Bute particularly. Before Cardiff became the capital of Wales, the building was called Town Hall.

City Hall's clock tower is one of its distinguishable features and an important landmark in Cardiff. Other than City Hall, Cathays Park houses a number of 20th-century Edwardian-style buildings.

National Museum Cardiff is another notable building on Cathays Street. The museum is part of Amguedda Cymru or National Museum Wales, a government-sponsored body of seven major museums in the country.

Founded in 1907, the museum has become home to 7.5 million artifacts, including plant and animal species, and also displays prominent art pieces such as 'The Virgin and Child', and 'The Poulterer's Shop'. The archaeology section of the museum has been moved to St. Fagans National Museum of History, also part of National Museum Wales.

St. Fagans Museum, along with many other places in Cardiff, was also one of the filming locations of the popular BBC show 'Doctor Who'. In the show, The tenth doctor describes the city of Cardiff as 'a mecca for absent-minded aliens'.

Wales' Millennium Centre is the heart of the city's performing arts, housing the famed Donald Gordon Theatre, and two smaller halls. It is here that you will see the city's finest performances of dance, seater theatre, musicals, and more.

A striking feature of the Millenium Centre is the inscriptions above its main entrance. The Welsh writing reads 'Creu gwir fel gwdyr o fffwrnais awen' (Creating Truth Like Glass From Inspiration's Furnace). Next to that is a line in English that reads 'In these stones horizons sing'. Both lines were written by Gwyneth Lewis, an award-winning Welsh poet.

Cardiff is also known for its vigorous nightlife, and houses some of the U.K.'s liveliest bars and nightclubs clubs, mostly found in the city center. The Welsh capital is also a famous shopping destination with Queen Street and St Mary Street being the two major retail hubs.

The city has no shortage of sporting centers, with venues such as the Old National Stadium and the Principality Stadium hosting important sporting events at international levels, like Rugby World Cups and even a Grand Prix. Cardiff is also the home of Welsh rugby, with Rugby Union holding an important position in Wales' culture.

Westgate Street, a major street in Cardiff, was once part of the route of the River Taff until it was diverted to the west by English civil engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, to make a safe space for the Cardiff Central Railway Station. To the north of Westgate Street is where the Theatre Royal used to be.

Weather And Customs Of Cardiff

It might not be your first guess, but one thing the mild-weathered city is especially known for is its musical concerts.

Cardiff has a maritime climate, which means it is often windy, cloudy, and fairly humid. The weather is moderate and seasons are rarely experienced in extremes.

Rain is often unpredictable but not excessive. In fact, Cardiff experiences less rainfall than what is the average in Wales.

Though the temperatures aren't on the hotter side, Cardiff and most areas in South Wales get a lot of sunlight. The city experiences an average of 1549 hrs of sunlight a year.

Summers in Cardiff are comfortable, with temperatures rarely going above 78 F (25 C). The months of July to August are the warmest period experienced in the capital city. Winters are long, cold, and wet but temperatures very rarely go below zero.

St David's Day is celebrated each year on March 1 to honor the patron saint of Wales. The observations of the day include the national Saint David's Day parade, concerts, musical events, fireworks, and all kinds of festivities. The customary practices of the day involve wearing daffodils and leeks, plants that hold great significance in Welsh culture.

Traditional Welsh food such as rarebit, a toasted bread served with hot cheese sauce, is part of the menu. The flag of Saint David is flown on this important day. The black flag with a yellow cross also symbolizes Welsh nationalism.

The leek was believed to first have been associated with St David, under whose orders the Welsh soldiers pinned the vegetables to their helmets during the battle against Saxon invaders.

The story also tells us how the battle took place in a field of leeks. The leek is an important symbol in Welsh culture.

In some places, it has been substituted by the daffodil. The reason for this could be because the Welsh name for daffodil is Cenhinen Bedr (Peter's leek). The flower also may have just been mixed up with the vegetable over time, with the Welsh name for leek being Cenhinen or Cenin.

Cardiff was named the United Kingdom's first music city in 2017. The Welsh capital regularly hosts a variety of live music events, from small local gigs to global concerts.

In 2019, the music agency, Sound Diplomacy, began working on a tourism strategy to incorporate music into Cardiff's infrastructure.

Cardiff has birthed many famous bands such as the Manic Street Preachers and Super Furry Animals.

The world's oldest record shop, Spillers Records, can be found at Morgan Arcade in Cardiff. The shop sells records, and also tickets to the city's frequent music concerts.