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An Introduction to Cardiff

Cardiff is the largest city in Wales and its capital. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media and the seat of the National Assembly for Wales. Cardiff is a significant tourism centre and the most popular visitor destination in Wales.

The city of Cardiff is the county town of the historic county of Glamorgan. A small town until the early 19th century, its prominence as a major port for the transport of coal following the arrival of industry in the region, contributed to its rise as a major city.
Cardiff was made a city in 1905, and proclaimed capital of Wales in 1955.

Since the 1990s Cardiff has seen significant development with a new waterfront area at Cardiff Bay which contains the new Welsh Assembly Building and the Wales Millennium Centre arts complex. International sporting venues in the city include the Millennium Stadium (rugby union and football), SWALEC Stadium (cricket) and the newly opened Cardiff City Stadium. The city was awarded the European City Of Sport in 2009 due to its role in hosting major international sporting events.

Activities of interest in Cardiff

Cardiff is a lively and modern capital city, gaining popularity with tourists interested in its history and culture. With sport, culture and entertainment, there are many reasons to visit this vibrant city.

Designated a City of Sport for 2009, Cardiff offers world-class stadiums for rugby, football, cricket and athletics and an International Sports Village offering an Olympic size swimming pool, ice rink and an Olympic-standard Canoe Slalom.

There is a lively entertainment scene in and around Cardiff, with opera, ballet, musicals, and live music. Across the city, there are a range of theatres, galleries, museums, arts and live music venues.

Getting to Cardiff

Cardiff is easy to reach from all parts of the UK and beyond due to good road, rail, bus and air links. Located on the M4 corridor, Cardiff is easily accessible by car and is well-served by rail services too, with frequent services to and from London as well as regular links to the rest of the UK. Regular bus and rail services link the centre of Cardiff to the valleys and South East Wales.

By Road: Travelling east on the M4. Leave the motorway at Junction 33 or 32 and follow signs. Travelling west on the M4. Leave the motorway at Junction 29, follow the A48(M)/A48 then follow signs.

By Rail: Cardiff Central Rail Station is situated next to the Central Bus/Coach Station.
For rail services throughout Wales - Arriva Trains Wales. Customer Relations: tel 0845 60 61 60. For all rail services throughout the UK - National Rail Enquiries. Tel. 08457 48 49 50 (24 Hours). www.nationalrail.co.uk

By Coach: National Express provide an extensive network of coach services. Telephone 08705 808080 for information. Coaches depart from Stand B2/B3 from Central Bus Station close to Cardiff Central Rail Station. www.nationalexpress.com

By Air: Cardiff Airport is situated at Rhoose, 12 miles south-west of Cardiff city centre and 10 miles from Junction 33 on the M4. For details of airport facilities, flights and travel to and from the airport you may wish to visit the official web site of Cardiff Airport - www.cwlfly.com.
 

Archaeological evidence from sites in and around Cardiff shows that Neolithic people had settled in the area by at least around 6,000 BP (Before Present), about 1,500 years before either Stonehenge or the Great Pyramid of Giza was completed. A group of five Bronze Age tumuli is at the summit of The Garth within the county's northern boundary. Four Iron Age hillfort and enclosure sites have been identified within Cardiff's present-day county boundaries, including Caerau Hillfort, an enclosed area of 51,000 m2.

King Edward VII granted Cardiff city status on 28 October 1905, and the city acquired a Roman Catholic Cathedral in 1916. In subsequent years an increasing number of national institutions were located in the city, including the National Museum of Wales, Welsh National War Memorial, and the University of Wales Registry Building—however, it was denied the National Library of Wales, partly because the library's founder, Sir John Williams, considered Cardiff to have "a non-Welsh population".

Cardiff: the university

Cardiff University is located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing the best university education in Wales. Cardiff University celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2008.

In 1931, the School of Medicine, which had been founded as part of the College in 1893 when the Departments of Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Pharmacology were founded, was split off to form the University of Wales College of Medicine. In 1972, the College was renamed University College, Cardiff.

On 1 August 2004 the University of Wales, Cardiff merged with the University of Wales College of Medicine. The merged institution separated from the collegiate University of Wales and officially took the name Cardiff University.

Famous Alumni

Faisal al-Fayez (former Prime Minister of Jordan), Paul Atherton (television/film producer), Professor Robin Attfield (philosopher), The Rt Revd Gregory Cameron (Bishop of St Asaph), Dr Sheila Cameron QC (lawyer and ecclesiastical judge), Philip Cashian (composer), Gillian Clarke (poet), William Gareth Davies (Rugby footballer and chief executiveof Cardiff Rugby Football Club), Huw Edwards (journalist), Professor Sir Martin Evans (Nobel Prize for Medicine 2007), Glenys Kinnock (politician), Neil Kinnock (politician), Bernard Knight (crime writer).