Leisure
Theatre
The first purpose built theatre in Cardiff, the Theatre Royal, opened in 1826, on the site of what is now the Park Hotel. It was destroyed by fire in 1877, by which time another, wooden, theatre had been erected in Westgate Street. This was called the Circus Theatre because it had been built on the site of a wooden circus. This survived until 1896 when it was taken down to make room for the new post office.
The New Theatre Royal on the corner of St Mary Street and Wood Street was also built on the site of a circus in 1878 and designed by the architect WD Blessley. When it was gutted by fire in 1899 it was completely rebuilt. Its fortune fluctuated: in 1920 it was renamed the Playhouse, and in 1935 the Prince of Wales. It has kept the name the Prince of Wales in its current role as a public house.
The Empire Palace, Queen Street, 1895. Designed by Frank Matcham, probably the most prolific theatre architect of all time.
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The Empire Theatre, built in 1887, was able to accomodate 2000 people in the audience. It became a cinema in 1933 and remained so until its demolition in 1962. New Theatre |
The New Theatre was designed by Messrs Rutz and Ford who were responsible for the Adelphi and Gaiety theatres in London. Built in 1906 the stage was the largest in the country. |
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Cinema
The birth of cinema took place in 1895 when Louis Lumiere first projected moving photographic images for paying audiences in Paris. Motion pictures soon became a popular form of entertainment. After the First World War cinema developed rapidly into a major form of mass entertainment. By 1934 there was one cinema seat for every 10 persons in South Wales.
The music hall was the first home of the commercial cinema. Programmes would consist of several short, assorted films, and would be changed twice weekly. They were aimed at attracting an urban working class audience. By 1912 films had gradually developed to feature length.
With the demise of the music hall, films were shown in fairgrounds. One local travelling fairground exhibitor William Haggar began to make films himself. By 1910 films were being shown in the more respectable picture houses. Programmes gradually changed to include two feature films, accompanied by newsreels, organ music and advertisements. Variety acts filled in time between films, and sometimes lectures were given in local cinemas. Programmes later changed to the single feature with a short showing for a week, then to the modern multi screen complex.
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Cinema in Woodville Road, Cathays, 1913
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Parks and Gardens
Green spaces are a feature of Cardiff, and it is possible to walk through the centre of the city from the castle to Llandaff cathedral on park land.
The Improvement Act of 1875 gave the Corporation power to provide spaces for recreation. Landowners saw the advantages of giving the borough poor land for the authority to bear the cost of drainage, landscaping and roadbuilding. Neighbouring estate lands would benefit from the work and the pleasant surroundings.
In 1888 the Marquess of Bute gave the city 80 acres in Roath that would become Roath Park. A competition was held to landscape the park, but although seven designs were submitted, none was chosen. William Harpur, the borough surveyor laid out the park and the corporation appointed William Wallace Pettigrew as head gardener. |
Part of a design for the park, submitted for the competition. |
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Roath Park.
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Boating on Roath Lake. [DXGC20/158] |
Ordnance Survey plan of Roath Park
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Other landowners followed this lead. Lord Tredegar offered Waterloo Gardens and Roath Mill Gardens. Both areas were also landscaped by William Pettigrew.
Sporting Venues
Cardiff Arms Park was a swampy meadow behind the Cardiff Arms Hotel and was owned by the Marquess of Bute. He stated that the ground could only be used for recreation. In 1845 it became the home of the Cardiff Cricket Club.
Cardiff Rugby Football Club was formed in 1876 and it too used the park. Some members of the club played their first game in top hats and evening dress.
As the popularity of spectator sports grew, the Rugby Football Club developed a stand. In 1884 the first international match was played when Wales beat Ireland, and in 1905 continued the strong tradition by beating the New Zealand All Blacks.
In 1922 Lord Bute decided to sell the land. The stadium was bought by the Cardiff Athletic Club and the Welsh Rugby Union. To help pay for the upkeep of the site a greyhound track opened in 1927. In 1958 the VI British and Empire Commonwealth Games were held in Cardiff. The track and field events took place at the Arms Park on the former greyhound track.
Cardiff Arms Park
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Greyhound Identity Card
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In 1934 a new double decker stand was erected on the north side of the rugby pitch.
Plan for a double decker stand at Arms Park, 1934.
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In the late 1960s a National Stadium was built at the Arms Park to host international fixtures. This was replaced in 1999 by the Millennium Stadium.
The Riverside Football Club, founded in 1899, played matches at the Arms Park until 1910. Once the club began signing professional players in 1908 it needed a suitable pitch. Ninian Park was provided by the Corporation, and called after Lord Ninian Stuart who agreed to act as a guarantor.
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Inns
Inns and alehouses provided a regular form of etertainment for many people. Skittles, bowls and billiards were all played there. Ale and beer were staples for most people in the 16th and 17th centuries. By the 18th century porter was growing in popularity. It was a heavier drink, named after the workers it was brewed for. It kept for longer than other ales, and was of a more consistent quality. It contributed to the expansion of the brewing industry. The oldest brewery in Cardiff was William's Malthouse, built in 1713 on St Mary's Street. This was taken over by Samuel Brain in 1882 and the business rapidly expanded. Hancocks opened a main office in Crawshay Street in 1894. |
Four Elms Hotel, Elm Street, 1899.
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Brewers House, 1899.
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Section through Brewer's House, 1899. [BC/S1/7437] |
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Copper tank for brewing, 1907.
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Temperance Town was the one place in Cardiff where the sale of alcoholic refreshment was strictly forbidden. In 1850 Jacob Scott Matthews, a market gardener and strict teetotaller leased land from Colonel E. R. Wood, pioneer of the temperance movement. The land had been a mud pit, but once it was filled and levelled for building purposes, homes were constructed on the strict condition that no public houses were to be erected there. Temperance town was eventually demolished to make way for the new bus terminal. |
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