Broadcasting House was the headquarters of
BBC Cymru Wales
BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Wales.
It is one of the four BBC national regions, alongside the BBC English Regions, BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Scotland. Established in 1964, BBC Cymru Wales is b ...
' radio, television and online services, situated in north
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
. The purpose-built facility opened in 1966 and consists of three blocks containing studios, offices and technical facilities. In 2020 the BBC moved out, transferring to
BBC Cymru Wales New Broadcasting House in
Central Square, Cardiff. The building was demolished in 2021 to 2022, with the site to be used for housing.
The building housed the national broadcaster for
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
, providing a range of
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and
Welsh language
Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). Historically, it has ...
content for audiences across Wales on television, radio and online.
History
Broadcasting House was designed by Welsh architect
Dale Owen
Ivan Dale Owen (2 August 1924 – 12 November 1997) was a Welsh architect in the modernist architectural style. The Glamorgan Archives and ''The Independent'' newspaper both described him as a 'leading figure in Welsh architecture'. He was ...
(1924–97).
Construction began in 1963. The BBC moved into the building in 1966, which housed production and technical facilities, and was the principal base for BBC Cymru Wales. It was officially opened by
Princess Margaret on St David's Day (1 March) 1967.
The building is located in the
Llandaff
Llandaff (; cy, Llandaf ; from 'church' and ''River Taff, Taf'') is a district, Community (Wales), community and coterminous electoral ward in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It was incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of ...
area of northern Cardiff, near the
River Taff
The River Taff ( cy, Afon Taf) is a river in Wales. It rises as two rivers in the Brecon Beacons; the Taf Fechan (''little Taff'') and the Taf Fawr (''great Taff'') before becoming one just north of Merthyr Tydfil. Its confluence with th ...
. It is close to
Danescourt railway station
Danescourt railway station is a railway station serving the Danescourt suburb of Cardiff, Wales.
The station is situated on the Cardiff City Line north of . The City Line was freight only from its opening (in 1859) until 1987, when British ...
and served by several
Cardiff Bus
Cardiff Bus ( cy, Bws Caerdydd) is the dominant operator of bus services in Cardiff, Wales and the surrounding area, including Barry and Penarth. The company is wholly owned by Cardiff Council and is one of the few municipal bus companies to ...
services.
The
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
The BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW) ( cy, Cerddorfa Genedlaethol Gymreig y BBC) is a Welsh symphony orchestra and one of the BBC's five professional radio orchestras. The BBC NOW is the only professional symphony orchestra organisatio ...
(BBC NOW) and the BBC National Chorus of Wales moved out of Studio 1 at Broadcasting House into a new facility,
BBC Hoddinott Hall at the
Wales Millennium Centre
Wales Millennium Centre ( cy, Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru) is an arts centre located in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff, Wales. The site covers a total area of . Phase 1 of the building was opened during the weekend of the 26–28 November 2004 an ...
in 2009. Much of the
BBC television drama
BBC television dramas have been produced and broadcast since even before the public service company had an officially established television broadcasting network in the United Kingdom. As with any major broadcast network, drama forms an importa ...
studio facilities moved out in 2011 to a new facility in
Roath Lock
BBC Roath Lock Studios is a television production studio that houses BBC drama productions including ''Doctor Who'', '' Casualty'', and . The centre topped out on 20 February 2011 and filming for such productions commenced in autumn of the sam ...
,
Cardiff Bay.
In August 2013, it was announced that Broadcasting House and Ty Oldfield (Oldfield House), which is opposite Broadcasting House, was for sale, with plans to move to a new a purpose-built headquarters in Cardiff by 2018. The BBC has said that the "ageing infrastructure at Llandaff is clearly reaching the end of the road and it is time to look to the future". It was said that they considered three possible sites in Cardiff;
*
Central Square, which is north of
Cardiff Central railway station
* Land south of the railway station
* Land between the
Senedd building
The Senedd building () in Cardiff houses the debating chamber and three committee rooms of the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; , formerly the National Assembly for Wales). The Senedd building was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 1 March 2006, Saint ...
and the UK headquarters of
Atradius
Atradius provides trade credit insurance, surety and collections services worldwide through a presence in more than 50 countries around the globe. It is the credit insurance arm of Grupo Catalana Occidente (GCO.MC). Credit insurance, bonding and c ...
.
The Welsh Government's historic environment service
Cadw advised that the building should be
Grade II listed, but in 2014
John Griffiths, the Welsh Minister for Culture and Sport, overrode the advice and decided not to list the building. The decision was criticised by
The Twentieth Century Society
The Twentieth Century Society (C20) is a British charity which campaigns for the preservation of architectural heritage from 1914 onwards. The society's interests embrace buildings and artefacts that characterise 20th-century Britain. It is for ...
, which described it as ''one of Wales' most outstanding and important post war buildings''. In 2014, it was confirmed that Broadcasting House and Ty Oldfield would be demolished and turned into 400 residential units.
The BBC confirmed in 2015 that Central Square would be the location of their
new headquarters building. The BBC began to move out of the Llandaff studios during 2019.
Wales Today
''BBC Wales Today'' is the BBC's national television news programme for Wales, broadcast on BBC One Wales from the headquarters of BBC Cymru Wales in Central Square, Cardiff. According to the BBC, it is the world's longest-running television ne ...
were the last to make the move on 25 September 2020. In September 2020, BBC Wales closed Broadcasting House and completed the move to Central Square.
The site was acquired by the development company
Taylor Wimpey
Taylor Wimpey plc (formerly Taylor Woodrow plc) is one of the largest home construction companies in the United Kingdom.
The company was created from the merger of rivals Taylor Woodrow and George Wimpey on 3 July 2007. It is listed on the Lo ...
for a housing development, and Broadcasting House was demolished in 2021 to 2022.
Architecture
The building was modernist in style, and aspects of Dale Owen's design reflected
Walter Gropius
Walter Adolph Georg Gropius (18 May 1883 – 5 July 1969) was a German-American architect and founder of the Bauhaus School, who, along with Alvar Aalto, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright, is widely regarded as one ...
's 1948 design of the
Graduate Center
The Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York (CUNY Graduate Center) is a public research institution and post-graduate university in New York City. Serving as the principal doctorate-granting institution of the ...
at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
in Massachusetts. Owen had studied at Harvard, and had spent a year working in Gropius's architectural practice,
The Architects Collaborative
The Architects Collaborative (TAC) was an American architectural firm formed by eight architects that operated between 1945 to 1995 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The founding members were Norman C. Fletcher (1917-2007), Jean B. Fletcher (1915-19 ...
. The design was also influenced by
Mies van der Rohe
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe ( ; ; born Maria Ludwig Michael Mies; March 27, 1886August 17, 1969) was a German-American architect. He was commonly referred to as Mies, his surname. Along with Alvar Aalto, Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius and Frank Lloyd ...
's 1949 design of the
Lake Shore Drive apartment buildings in Chicago.
The building incorporated a long low-rise section housing the studios and a tower for the administration offices. The use of a concrete structural frame enabled large areas of glazing, and the main Llantrisant Road elevation was partially glazed.
Programming
Television programmes produced at Broadcasting House Cardiff included ''
BBC Wales Today
''BBC Wales Today'' is the BBC's national television news programme for Wales, broadcast on BBC One Wales from the headquarters of BBC Cymru Wales in Central Square, Cardiff. According to the BBC, it is the world's longest-running television ne ...
'', ''
Newyddion
''Newyddion S4C'' (''S4C News'') is a Welsh-language news programme consisting of Welsh, UK, and international news, produced daily by BBC Cymru Wales and broadcast on S4C.
Overview
The main evening programme (branded ) is broadcast each wee ...
'', ''
Doctor Who Confidential
''Doctor Who Confidential'' is a documentary series created by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to complement the revival of the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Each episode was broadcast on BBC T ...
'', ''
The Chatterley Affair'', ''
Pobol y Cwm
''Pobol y Cwm'' (''People of the Valley''; ) is a Welsh-language soap opera produced by the BBC since October 1974. The longest-running television soap opera produced by the BBC, ''Pobol y Cwm'' was originally transmitted on BBC One Wales and l ...
'', ''
Belonging'', ''
High Hopes'', ''
Satellite City
Satellite cities or satellite towns are smaller municipalities that are adjacent to a principal city which is the core of a metropolitan area. They differ from mere suburbs, subdivisions and especially bedroom communities in that they have m ...
'' and ''
The District Nurse''.
It was announced in March 2009 that the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
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...
.