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Butetown (or ''The Docks'', cy, Tre-biwt) is a district and community in the south of the city of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. It was originally a model housing estate built in the early 19th century by the 2nd Marquess of Bute, for whose title the area was named. Commonly known as "
Tiger Bay Tiger Bay ( cy, Bae Teigr) was the local name for an area of Cardiff which covered Butetown and Cardiff Docks. Following the building of the Cardiff Barrage, which dams the tidal rivers, Ely and Taff, to create a body of water, it is re ...
", this area became one of the UK's first multicultural communities with people from over 50 countries settled here by the outbreak of the First World War, working in the docks and allied industries. Some of the largest communities included the Somalis, Yemenis and Greeks, whose influence still lives on today. A Greek Orthodox church still stands at the top of Bute Street. It is known as one of the "five towns of Cardiff", the others being Crockherbtown, Grangetown, Newtown and Temperance Town. The population of the ward and community taken at the 2011 census was 10,125. It is estimated that the Butetown's population increased to 14,094 by 2019.


History

By 1911 the proportion of Cardiff's population that was black or Asian was second in the UK to London though, mainly concentrated to the dock areas such as Tiger Bay. The district was one of the epicentres of the
1919 South Wales race riots The 1919 South Wales race riots took place in the docks area of Newport and Barry, South Wales, as well as the Butetown district of Cardiff over a number of days in June 1919. Four men were killed during the disturbances. Similar riots took place ...
, with eyewitnesses reporting six deaths instead of the official accounts of three, and with nearly all arrests made by the Cardiff police targeted towards the local ethnic minority population instead of the white soldiers who had instigated the riots. During World War II, local authorities attempted to ban Black American G.I.s from mixing in the city's pubs, however the Butetown pub workers refused to follow the ban. In the 1960s, most of the original housing was demolished including the historic
Loudoun Square Loudoun Square is a residential square in Cardiff, Wales, described as "the heart of the old Tiger Bay". The square is the location of two of Cardiff's few residential tower blocks, as well as shops, a pub, church, health centre and community cent ...
, the original heart of Butetown. In its place was a typical 1960s housing estate of low-rise courts and alleys, and two high rise blocks of flats. In the 1980s, the new
Atlantic Wharf Atlantic Wharf ( cy, Glanfa Iwerydd) is a southern area of the city of Cardiff, Wales. It is primarily an area of new houses and apartments located on the west side of the disused Bute East Dock and to the east of Lloyd George Avenue. It also i ...
development was built on the reclaimed West Bute Dock, and has involved the construction of some 1,300 new houses. Together with the developments in the Inner Harbour and Roath Basin, it was hoped this would spur redevelopment and employment in Butetown, but it seems not to have. The divide between the wealthy
Cardiff Bay Cardiff Bay ( cy, Bae Caerdydd; historically Tiger Bay; colloquially "The Bay") is an area and freshwater lake in Cardiff, Wales. The site of a former tidal bay and estuary, it serves as the river mouth of the River Taff and Ely. The body of w ...
, and the poor Tiger Bay seems as wide as ever, although some of the surviving areas of historic Butetown are becoming prime office and retail locations. With the new Century Wharf development to the west on the banks of the
Taff Taff may refer to: * River Taff, a large river in Wales * Taff (TV series), ''Taff'' (TV series), a German tabloid news programme * Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund, an organisation for science fiction fandom People * a demonym for anyone from south Wale ...
, the housing estate is becoming a little 'boxed in', increasing feelings of exclusion. Over the next few decades, the 1960s housing will require renewal and it is hoped that new development will be more suitable of the urban context of the area and will provide a better mix of private and public housing to help fully integrate the community with the rest of the city. A three-year £13m project to redevelop a shopping parade, community hub, health centre and homes in Butetown began in 2010. The Loudoun Square development will include environmental aspects such as harvesting rain water. The project is a collaboration between Cardiff Community Housing Association (CCHA),
Cardiff Council Cardiff Council, formally the County Council of the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Cyngor Sir Dinas a Sir Caerdydd) is the governing body for Cardiff, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. The principal area and its council were established ...
and
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (CAVUHB) ( cy, Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Caerdydd a'r Fro) is the local health board of NHS Wales for Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan, in the south-east of Wales. Formed on 1 October 2009 through the amalgama ...
. The facilities and 62 new homes will follow four years of consultation with local residents. In 2022 a well known mural of Maimuna Yoncana on St James Street which celebrated Cardiff’s ethnic diversity was painted over with a McDonald's advert.


Demographics

The 2011 census included the following
demographic Demography () is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings. Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups defined by criteria such as edu ...
information: *Overall Population: 10,125 *White: 65.7% *Black: 11.3% *Asian: 9.7% *Mixed Ethnicity: 5.7% *Other Ethnic Groups: 7.7% People identifying themselves as
Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
: 42.8%


Welsh language

The growth of the docks in the mid 19th century attracted a significant Welsh-speaking community to the area. To serve this community three Welsh-language chapels were opened: Bethania, Loudon Square (
Calvinistic Methodist Calvinistic Methodists were born out of the 18th-century Welsh Methodist revival and survive as a body of Christians now forming the Presbyterian Church of Wales. Calvinistic Methodism became a major denomination in Wales, growing rapidly in the 1 ...
; opened 1853, closed 1937); Mount Stuart ( Congregationalist; opened 1858, relocated to Pomeroy Street in 1912); and Siloam, Mount Stuart Square ( Baptist; opened 1860, moved to Grangetown in 1902). A Welsh-speaking
Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
church also opened in the area in 1856 (All Saints on Tyndall Street; Welsh language services moved elsewhere in 1870). One of the members of Butetown’s Welsh-speaking community was
Evan Rees (Dyfed) Evan Rees (1 January 1850 – 19 March 1923), known by the bardic name Dyfed, was a Calvinistic Methodist minister, poet, and Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales. Life Rees was born at Puncheston, Pembrokeshire, the son of James and Eun ...
, a worker in the Bute Docks in the 1870s and a future Archdruid of Wales. The 1891 census showed that 15% of Butetown’s population could speak Welsh, significantly higher than the Cardiff average of 10.7%. Some parts had a particularly high percentage, such as the Loudon Square/James Street area (28%). During the 20th century, however, the percentage declined, although Welsh-speakers remained a recognised part of the local community. In the 2011 census it was recorded that 928 or 9.6% of Butetown residents (over 3 years old) could speak Welsh. This was a significant increase on the figures for the 2001 census, which were 356 and 8.3%.


Transport

The area is served by
Cardiff Bay railway station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Cardiff Bay Railway Station (geograph 6004274).jpg , caption = Cardiff Bay railway station (May 2018) , borough = Cardiff Bay, Cardiff , country = Wales , coordinates = , grid_name = Grid ...
with shuttle services every 12 minutes to
Cardiff Queen Street , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Cardiff Queen St. (19366639218).jpg , caption = Cardiff Queen Street seen from the north. , borough = Cardiff, City and County of Cardiff , country = Wales , coordinates = , grid_name = G ...
. Cardiff Bus operates the 11 service to Pengam Green via
Cardiff City Centre Cardiff city centre ( cy, Canol Dinas Caerdydd) is the city centre and central business district of Cardiff, Wales. The area is tightly bound by the River Taff to the west, the Civic Centre to the north and railway lines and two railway sta ...
, Splott and Tremorfa and the 35 service to Gabalfa via Central Stn and Cathays. It also on the 1/2 Bay Circle route connecting the area with Grangetown,
Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ent ...
, Fairwater, Llandaff, Gabalfa, Heath, Cathays, Roath, Tremorfa, Splott and the
City Centre A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...
. Butetown also enjoys the incorporating
Cardiff Bay Cardiff Bay ( cy, Bae Caerdydd; historically Tiger Bay; colloquially "The Bay") is an area and freshwater lake in Cardiff, Wales. The site of a former tidal bay and estuary, it serves as the river mouth of the River Taff and Ely. The body of w ...
, thus benefiting from its public transport opportunities such as the
Baycar Baycar (also styled as baycar) is a bus service in Cardiff, serving the city centre and Cardiff Bay. The service forms part of the wider Cardiff Bus network, but is unique in that the entire Baycar bus system includes its own branded vehicle ...
bus route. Bute Street and
Lloyd George Avenue Lloyd George Avenue ( cy, Rhodfa Lloyd George), originally known as Bute Avenue, is an avenue in Cardiff, Wales. Roughly one mile long, the road links the Inner Harbour of Cardiff Bay to Cardiff city centre and forms part of the A470 road. It ru ...
, running parallel, link the area to the
city centre A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...
. Also, the
A4232 The A4232, which is also known either as the Peripheral Distributor Road (PDR) ( cy, Ffordd Ddosbarthu Ymylol) or the Cardiff Link Road ( cy, Ffordd Gyswllt Caerdydd), is a distributor road in Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The first section ...
links it to
Culverhouse Cross Culverhouse Cross ( cy, Croes Cwrlwys) is a district straddling the boundary between Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, in the community of Wenvoe. The district is centred on a major traffic roundabout that links West Cardiff to the M4 mo ...
and the M4 J33 Cardiff West to the west and to Adamsdown in the east.


Government

Butetown is both an
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 a community of the City of Cardiff. There is no community council for the area. The electoral ward of Butetown is located in the parliamentary constituency of Cardiff South and Penarth. It is bounded by the wards of Cathays and Adamsdown to the north; Splott to the northeast; Severn estuary to the southeast; and Grangetown to the west. Since the
2022 Welsh local elections The 2022 Welsh local elections are due to be held on 5 May 2022 to elect members of all twenty-two local authorities in Wales. They are being held alongside other local elections in the United Kingdom. The last elections were held in 2017. Bac ...
, the Butetown ward has been represented by Labour councillors Saeed Ebrahim, Helen Gunter and Margaret Lewis.


Images of Butetown

File:Nelson House, Butetown.jpg, File:Loudoun House, Butetown.jpg, File:Cardiff Bay police station.jpg, File:Queen's Gate Tunnel.jpg, File:The A4232 road bridge over River Taff.jpg, File:HSBC Bank, Bute Street.jpg, File:ATW-153312-CardiffBay-02.jpg, File:Merchant Place (Cory’s Building).jpg, File:James Street, Cardiff.jpg,


See also

*
Butetown History and Art Centre Butetown History & Arts Centre (BHAC) was a historical archive, educational centre and art gallery located in the Butetown area of Cardiff, Wales. BHAC was founded by Glenn Jordan as a non-profiting organisation with the aim to involve the loca ...
* Listed buildings in Butetown * Sailortown (dockland)


External links

*


Notes

{{Communities of Cardiff Districts of Cardiff Communities in Cardiff Populated places established in the 19th century