Презентація "Cardiff as the capital of Wales".

Cardiff as the capital of Wales

Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales. 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. 

History of Cardiff

THE ROMAN FORT AT CARDIFF Cardiff began as a Roman fort. The Romans invaded Wales about 50 AD and about 55 AD they built a fort on the site of Cardiff. In the late 1st century the fort was reduced in size as Wales was now at peace. However in the mid-3rd century the fort was rebuilt and strengthened to defend South Wales against Irish raiders. Yet in the fourth century Roman civilisation declined. Towards the end of the century the Romans abandoned the fort at Cardiff.

CARDIFF IN THE MIDDLE AGES The town of Cardiff was founded when the Normans conquered Glamorgan. A Norman called Robert Fitz Hamon conquered the area. He built a wooden castle within the walls of the old Roman fort. (The castle was rebuilt in stone in the early 12th century). Soon a little town grew up in the shadow of Cardiff castle. That often happened in the Middle Ages as the castle's garrison provided a market for the goods made by the craftsmen of the town. Cardiff had a population of between 1,500 and 2,000 in the Middle Ages. Towns were very small in those days, especially Welsh towns.

More about castles In Cardiff there were weekly markets. After 1340 Cardiff also had 2 annual fairs. In the Middle Ages the fairs were like markets but they were held only once a year and they lasted a fortnight. Buyers and sellers would come from all over Glamorgan and even further away to attend a Cardiff fair. In Medieval Cardiff there were the same craftsmen you would find in any Medieval town like butchers, bakers, brewers, carpenters and blacksmiths. There were also leather workers like shoemakers and glovers. Medieval Cardiff was also a busy port. Ships were loaded and unloaded at a town quay.

In the early 12th century a wooden palisade was erected around Cardiff to protect it. In the late 13th century this was replaced by a stone wall. Then in the 13th century the friars arrived in Cardiff. Friars were like monks but instead of withdrawing from the world they went out to preach. There were 2 orders of friars in Cardiff. The Dominicans were called black friars because of their black costumes. The Franciscans were known as grey friars because of their grey costumes. Although they have long since disappeared from Cardiff the grey friars live on in the street name Greyfriars Road.

In 1404 Owain Glendower burned Cardiff. That was an easy task as most of the buildings were made of wood with thatched roofs. However Cardiff was soon rebuilt and it flourished once again.

CARDIFF IN THE 16th CENTURY In the 16th century Cardiff remained a small and quiet town. In 1538 Henry VIII closed the two friaries in Cardiff. They were cannibalized for building materials.

A writer described Tudor Cardiff: 'The river Taff runs near the town walls in the west part of the town and washes the walls but somewhat too hard for part of it is thereby overturned (undermined) and the sea flows to the walls where, at the west angle, is a fair quay to which both ships and boats resort'. Another writer said: 'The River Taff runs under the walls of his honor's castle and from the north part of the town to the south part where there is a fair quay and a safe harbor for shipping'. In the 16th century, for the purpose of collecting customs, the port of Cardiff officially extended from Chepstow to Worms Head. In those days there were many pirates operating from Cardiff often with the connivance of local officials. The navy finally took decisive action to suppress piracy in the early 17th century.

From the late 18th century Wales was transformed by the industrial revolution. At that time increasing amounts of iron were exported from Cardiff. However it was difficult to transport iron to the port by land so in 1794 a canal was built. In 1798 a sea basin was created with a sea lock to allow ships in where they could be loaded or unloaded from barges or from the wharf. In 1796 a writer said of Cardiff: 'The inhabitants of this town and neighborhood carry on a considerable trade to Bristol and send thither great quantities of oats, barley, salt butter and poultry of all kinds and from this town there are not less than 8,780 tons of cast and wrought iron shipped annually to London and other places'.

The first public library in Cardiff opened in 1861. The University of South Wales was founded in 1893. Roath Park opened in 1894. It was followed by Victoria Park in 1897 and Cathays Park in 1898.

Origins of the Name. There are two rival theories regarding the precise origins of the name Cardiff or Caerdydd in Welsh. Some believe that “Dydd ” or “Diff” was a corruption of “Taff”, the river on which Cardiff Castle stands, in which case “Cardiff” would mean “the fort on the river Taff” (in Welsh the T mutates to D). A rival theory favours a link with Aulus Didius Gallus who was a Roman governor in the region at the time the fort was established. The name may have originated as Caer Didius – The Fort of Didius.

In 1794, the ironmasters of Merthyr Tydfil opened the Glamorganshire Canal, which linked Merthyr Tydfil with Cardiff for the transport of iron and then later used to transport the huge amounts of coal for export following the opening of the West Bute Dock in 1839 by the 2nd Marquess of Bute. This saw Cardiff become the biggest coal exporting port in the world, resulting in Edward VII granting Cardiff city status. 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

Welsh National War Memorial, Cathays Park. The National Museum Cardiff, next to City Hall

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 Senedd building, home to the Welsh Assembly and the Wales Millennium Centre arts complex.

The National Assembly for Wales has been based in Cardiff Bay since its formation in 1999. The building, known as the Senedd (which translates into English as Legislature, Parliament or Senate) was opened on 1 March 2006, by The Queen.

According to recent estimates, the population of the unitary authority area is 324,800, while the wider metropolitan area has a population of nearly 1.1 million, more than a third of the total Welsh population. 

Geography The centre of Cardiff is relatively flat and is bounded by hills on the outskirts to the east, north and west. Its geographic features were influential in its development as the world's largest coal port, most notably its proximity and easy access to the coal fields of the south Wales valleys.

Cardiff is bordered to the west by the rural district of the Vale of Glamorgan—also known as The Garden of Cardiff— to the east by the city of Newport, to the north by the South Wales Valleys and to the south by the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel. The River Taff winds through the centre of the city and together with the River Ely flows into the freshwater lake of Cardiff Bay. A third river, the Rhymney flows through the east of the city entering directly into the Severn Estuary.

Landmarks and attractions Cardiff has many landmark buildings such as the Millennium Stadium, Pierhead Building and the Senedd, the home of the National Assembly for Wales. However Cardiff is also famous for Cardiff Castle, St David's Hall, Llandaff Cathedral and the Wales Millennium Centre.

Cardiff Castle is a major tourist attraction in the city and is situated in the heart of the city centre.

The National History Museum at St Fagans in Cardiff is a large open air museum housing dozens of buildings from throughout Welsh history that have been moved to the site in Cardiff.

The Civic Centre in Cathays Park comprises a collection of Edwardian buildings such as the City Hall, National Museum and Gallery of Wales, Cardiff Crown Court, and buildings forming part of Cardiff University, together with more modern civic buildings.

In addition to Cardiff Castle, Castell Coch (English: Red Castle) is located in Tongwynlais, in the north of the city. The current castle is an elaborately decorated Victorian folly designed by William Burges for the Marquess and built in the 1870s, as an occasional retreat.

Other major tourist attractions are the Cardiff Bay regeneration sites which include the recently opened Wales Millennium Centre and the Senedd.

Education Cardiff is home to four major institutions of higher education: Cardiff University, University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, University of Glamorgan and the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.

Cardiff is a significant tourist centre and the most popular visitor destination in Wales with 18.3 million visitors in 2010. In 2011, Cardiff was ranked sixth in the world in National Geographic's alternative tourist destinations.