Sophia Crichton-Stuart, Marchioness of Bute

Sophia Gardens ( cy, Gerddi Sophia) is a public park in Riverside,

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a ...

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 ...

, on the west bank of the River Taff. International

test cricket Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last f ...

matches and

county cricket Inter-county cricket matches are known to have been played since the early 18th century, involving teams that are representative of the historic counties of England and Wales. Since the late 19th century, there have been two county championship ...

matches are held in the Sophia Gardens cricket ground, the home of

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, ...

. Sophia Gardens is located close to

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 st ...

and is adjacent to

Bute Park Bute Park and Arboretum () is a park in Cardiff, Wales. It comprises of landscaped gardens and parkland that once formed the grounds of Cardiff Castle. The park is named after the 3rd Marquess of Bute, whose family owned the castle. History an ...

and Pontcanna Fields. It is linked to Bute Park by the Millennium footbridge over the River Taff (1999). In addition to the Glamorgan County Cricket Ground, the park contains 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 b ...

, Brewhouse & Kitchen public house, an exhibition area and a car and coach park, and the former warden's house.

History

The park is named after

Sophia Crichton-Stuart, Marchioness of Bute Sophia Crichton-Stuart, Marchioness of Bute (1 February 1809 – 28 December 1859), formerly Lady Sophia Frederica Christina Rawdon-Hastings, was a Scottish noblewoman. She was the second wife of John Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marquess of Bute, an ...

(1809–1859), the widow of the second Marquess of Bute. Lady Sophia was concerned to provide open space for recreation in the rapidly expanding town in the late 19th century, in which her husband was heavily involved. The gardens were laid out in 1854 on the site of Plasturton Farm by the architect Alexander Roos. They were opened to the public by Lady Sophia in 1858, to compensate for the closure of Cardiff Castle grounds. The park was extended northwards by 28 acres in about 1879. The park was acquired by

Cardiff City Council Cardiff City Council was the local government district authority that administered the city of Cardiff, capital of Wales, from 1974 until 1996. The district council replaced the pre-1974 county borough council. It was succeeded in 1996 by Car ...

, then the Cardiff Corporation, from the 5th Marquess of Bute in 1947. In the late 19th and early 20th century the Cardiff Horse Show was held in the park. In 1891 the park was home to Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show during his tour of British provincial towns. Sophia Gardens Pavilion was built in 1951 for the

Festival of Britain The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition and fair that reached millions of visitors throughout the United Kingdom in the summer of 1951. Historian Kenneth O. Morgan says the Festival was a "triumphant success" during which people: ...

, and was used as a concert venue until it collapsed under heavy snowfall in 1982. Following the closure of Cardiff Central bus station in 2015,

National Express National Express Group is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Birmingham, England. It operates bus, coach, train and tram services in the United Kingdom, Ireland (National Express operates Eurolines in conjunction ...

long-distance coach services depart and arrive at Sophia Gardens.

References

{{reflist Parks in Cardiff World's fair sites in the United Kingdom