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Pubocalypse 12
33 WINDSOR PLACEWindsor PlaceAn 1850 townhouse, used as offices for many years, was converted into the calculatedly posh Bar Essential by Brains in 1998 and all the corny trappings of …
Sorry, wrong number
All over Cardiff a not particularly important but still highly irritating misconception is rampant. The city’s area dialling code is 029, yet Cardiff phone numbers are incorrectly formatted everywhere you …
Cardiff’s lost buildings 7
Bute West DockThe idea of constructing a dock at Cardiff established itself in the materialistic mind of the 2nd Marquis of Bute (1793-1848) during the 1820s when his advisers persuaded …
What’s going on
The chaos capitalists in charge of Cardiff are wreaking havoc across the city. Here are some examples in a selection of areas – plus one or two instances of things …
Cardiff’s lost buildings 6
Printing WorksVarious locationsWhen London media giant Trinity Mirror closed its Cardiff printing operation in 2017, the event was largely ignored in the city. The state-of-the-art print works in Pacific Road, …
Pubocalypse 11
BUB’SChurch StreetThis effort from the Crafty Devil microbrewery didn’t even last four years, as I predicted with uncanny accuracy in Pubocalypse 7. Guess what? There’s no place for small independents …
Cardiff’s lost buildings 5
Guildford Crescent BathsGuildford CrescentThe 1846 Public Baths & Wash-Houses Act gave local authorities the power to raise money through rates to build much-needed public baths. But Cardiff’s councillors declined to …
Pubocalypse 10
CALLAGHANS Castle StreetThe plug-ugly Crest Hotel (later Posthouse, currently Holiday Inn) was built on the northern flank of the Arms Park in 1971. The dreadful development eradicated a leafy public …
Cardiff’s lost buildings 4
GreyfriarsGreyfriars RoadDuring the 13th century the Dominicans (Black Friars) and the Franciscans (Grey Friars) established religious houses just outside the town walls of Cardiff; the Black Friars near the West …
High tide
I first wrote about the Cardiff coast ten years ago, with a follow up piece a year later. In the process, I endowed a part of Cardiff with a semi-ironic …