The Corporation, also known as The Corp, is a

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

lic house on a prominent corner of the suburb of Canton in

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 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 ...

. Opened in 1889 it closed as a pub in 2016, re-opening in November 2021 as a space for independent businesses.

History and description

Dating from 1889 The Corporation was built on Cardiff Corporation land, hence the name. It is on a prominent corner of what was known as Canton Cross (and the site of Canton Market) but nowadays on the corner of Cowbridge Road East and Llandaff Road. The building is a generous two-storey building faced with dark grey rockfaced pennant sandstone rubble. It has a four storey tower above the main entrance. The Corporation received a Grade II

heritage listing This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and man-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In many ...

in 2001, being a "bold and unaltered piece of late 19th-century street architecture" and in close proximity to Canton Library.

21st century

Owned by Cardiff Council, the pub was leased to the

pubco A pub chain is a group of pubs or bars operating under a unified brand image. Pubs within a chain are tied houses and can, generally, only sell products which the chain owner sanctions. Pubs in a chain normally display their chain branding promi ...

Greene King Greene King is a large pub retailer and brewer. It is based in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England. The company owns pubs, restaurants and hotels. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until it was acquired by CK Assets in October 2019. H ...

, until March 2016 when they decided not to renew their tenancy. The leasehold was advertised on behalf of the Council, with its alcohol licence still valid for continued use as a pub. After reopening for a short period the pub closed again and was sold at auction in November 2018 for £810,000. The new owner had plans to rebrand and reopen it in 2019. In August 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the car park at the rear of The Corporation re-opened as an outdoor pop-up street food venue known as The Corporation Yard. In early 2021 it was announced that’s the venue would reopen later in the year. The venue would be an extension of the Corporation Yard, with and indoor market space and cafe bar. It be designed by Cardiff based designer Tim Rice divided up into 24 units with tables and chairs spread throughout The building was repurposed and opened in November 2021 as the "Corp Market", a location for independent retailers, a bar and coffee shop.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corporation, Cardiff Canton, Cardiff Grade II listed pubs in Wales Grade II listed buildings in Cardiff Commercial buildings completed in 1889 Pubs in Cardiff