Pontcanna () is a district and

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

in the city of

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 ...

, Wales. It is located a short distance to the west of the city centre, and its borders are approximately indicated by Western Avenue, 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 the R ...

, Cowbridge Road East, Llandaff Road and Cardiff Road.

Description

Cardiff Wales communities - Pontcanna post-2016 locator

Pontcanna is an area of wide tree-lined streets and large houses. It is a relatively wealthy area with numerous cafes and independent retailers centred on Pontcanna Street and Cathedral Road. There is both a large English-born population (roughly 25%) and a smaller Welsh-speaking population (roughly 20%). The area was formerly home to the television studios of TWW, Teledu Cymru, HTV and S4C's headquarters; the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

History

''The suburbs of Riverside and Pontcanna'' www.cardiffians.co.uk
/ref> a one-time tributary of the River Taff which ran between Llandaff Fields and

Riverside Riverside may refer to: Places Australia * Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania Canada * Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon * Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta * Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...

. The bridge is believed to have stood near the junction of what, today, are Teilo Street and Cathedral Road. The bridge was removed (and the brook covered up) in 1896. Saint Canna is said to have been a 6th-century saint, although there is little early evidence of her existence. What is nowadays Pontcanna was almost completely open farmland until the late nineteenth century. The main route, Cathedral Road, was previously known as Pontcanna Lane, running between Plasturton Farm in the south and Pontcanna Farm to the north. In 1854 Sophia, widow of the 2nd Marquess of Bute began to finance the creation of a 41-acre garden on the site of Plasturton Farm, next to the River Taff and Cardiff Bridge.Jones, Bryan ''"Canton"'' The Chalfont Publishing Company (1995) This is now a public amenity known as

Sophia Gardens Sophia Gardens ( cy, Gerddi Sophia) is a public park in Riverside, Cardiff, Wales, on the west bank of the River Taff. International test cricket matches and county cricket matches are held in the Sophia Gardens cricket ground, the home of ...

and was a catalyst for the development of Pontcanna. Between 1885 and 1900 the large villas along Cathedral Road were constructed. Plasturton Avenue and Plasturton Gardens were then added at the turn of the twentieth century. A large synagogue, designed by Delissa Joseph of London, was constructed and opened at the south end of Cathedral Road in 1896–7.Newman, J., ''The Buildings of Wales: Glamorgan'' University of Wales Press (1995) After Cardiff's Jewish community had largely moved to the suburbs, it was closed in 1989. It has been converted into luxury offices. A chapel belonging to the

Presbyterian Church of Wales The Presbyterian Church of Wales ( cy, Eglwys Bresbyteraidd Cymru), also known as Calvinistic Methodist Church (), is a denomination of Protestant Christianity in Wales. History The church was born out of the Welsh Methodist revival and the ...

, designed by Edgar G.C. Down of Cardiff, was built at the north end of Cathedral Road in 1903. It has since ceased to be a chapel and has been subdivided into office accommodation. In 1951 the

Sophia Gardens Pavilion Sophia Gardens Pavilion was a performance venue located in Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, Wales. It was built in 1951 for the Festival of Britain and was the boxing and wrestling venue for the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. History T ...

was opened. This was a major entertainment venue for the city, hosting top stars such as

Danny Kaye Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky; yi, דוד־דניאל קאַמינסקי; January 18, 1911 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, singer and dancer. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and ...

and

Tommy Steele Sir Thomas Hicks (born 17 December 1936), known professionally as Tommy Steele, is an English entertainer, regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star. After being discovered at the 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, London, Steele reco ...

. In 1982 the roof collapsed after a heavy snow storm and the Pavilion was closed. Some of the large villas along Cathedral Road have been replaced by modern office buildings. For example, No.8 Cathedral Road was rebuilt in the 1970s to create offices for Alex Gordon & Partners, architects of Transport House (see below). Transport House, prominently located at the south end of Cathedral Road, was designed by the Alex Gordon Partnership and opened in 1978. It is 5 storeys in height, constructed using pre-cast concrete panels. It is headquarters for the

Wales TUC The Wales TUC ( cy, TUC Cymru) is the co-ordinating body of trade unions in Wales. With 48 affiliated unions as of 2021, the Wales TUC represents nearly 400,000 workers. Activities The Wales TUC is an integral part of the Trades Union Congress ...

and other

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

organisations.

Parks and leisure facilities

Sophia Gardens and Pontcanna Fields form a large strip of parkland between Pontcanna and the River Taff. Pontcanna Fields were acquired by the Cardiff Council from the 5th Marquis of Bute in 1947. The parkland includes the Cardiff City Riding School, football pitches and allotments. Plasturton Gardens is a small public park between Plasturton Avenue and Plasturton Place. The

SWALEC Stadium The Cardiff Wales Stadium, which is part of Sophia Gardens Cardiff ( ; cy, Gerddi Soffia Caerdydd), is a cricket stadium in Cardiff, Wales. It is located in Sophia Gardens on the River Taff. It is home to Glamorgan County Cricket Club and is l ...

(home to

Glamorgan County Cricket Club Glamorgan County Cricket Club ( cy, Criced Morgannwg) is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Glamorgan ( cy, Morgannwg). Founded in 1888, ...

) and the

Sport Wales National Centre The Sport Wales National Centre ( cy, Canolfan Genedlaethol Chwaraeon Cymru) is a sports facility in Cardiff, Wales, set up to assist the development of elite athletes in Wales. The Centre, owned and operated by Sport Wales, was established by ...

are located on Sophia Close, just north of the Sophia Gardens park.

Government

Pontcanna is part of the Cardiff

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...

, and in the Cardiff West UK parliamentary constituency. In 2016 Pontcanna became a local government community in its own right, having previously been part of the

community. However, it does not have a community council.

References

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