Fairwater, Cardiff
Encyclopedia
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, capital of Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It is located a few miles from Culverhouse Cross
Culverhouse Cross
Culverhouse Cross is suburban district in the west of Cardiff, capital of Wales, lying on the border with the Vale of Glamorgan.The busy Culverhouse Cross roundabout is an important part of the primary road network to the west of the city and connects the A4232 , the A4050 , and...
which connects Cardiff to the M4 motorway
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
.
History
The name Tyllgoed, meaning "dark wood" goes back to the 15th century. This leafy district is divided between the mainly privately owned 1930s semi-detachedSemi-detached
Semi-detached housing consists of pairs of houses built side by side as units sharing a party wall and usually in such a way that each house's layout is a mirror image of its twin...
housing developments at the southern end, and more 1950s public housing stock towards the northern end closer to neighbouring Pentrebane
Pentrebane
Pentrebane is a district in the west of Cardiff, capital of Wales.Pentrebane sits on the top of the hill overlooking the adjacent suburbs of Fairwater and Llandaff, and on the cusp of St. Fagans and the Vale of Glamorgan...
. It is the site of the Dell, Fairwater Leisure Centre, a skatepark
Skatepark
A skatepark is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, aggressive inline skating and scooters. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, quarter pipes, spine transfers, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, pyramids, banked ramps, full pipes, pools, bowls, snake runs stairsets,...
and numerous playing fields.
Fairwater is the historic name of one of the canons' stalls at nearby Llandaff Cathedral
Llandaff Cathedral
Llandaff Cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Llandaff, head of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. It is situated in the district of Llandaff in the city of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The current building was constructed in the 12th century over the site of an earlier church...
.
Amenities
Cantonian High School is a large secondary schoolSecondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
in Fairwater. The area also incorporates a Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
medium school, Ysgol Gymraeg Plasmawr, and is smaller than Cantonian currently educating around 800 pupils compared to Cantonian's which is around 900. The building in which Plasmawr stands was originally opened in 1959 as Waterhall Secondary Modern School. Pupils at the school included Martyn Woodroffe
Martyn Woodroffe
Martyn J. Woodroffe is a Welsh swimmer who won a Silver medal at the 1968 Olympic Games.Woodroffe represented Wales at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica, and 1970 British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland, winning one silver and two bronze medals at the...
an Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
swimming Silver Medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
ist in 1968 Summer Olympics
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It is on the grounds of old Cantonian lower school, but in recent times has had many new developments built on the site. Peter Lea Primary and Fairwater Primary schools are in the area. Cantonian has produced several Welsh international football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
players. In recent times Ryan Green
Ryan Green
Ryan Michael Green is a Wales international footballer who plays as a defender for Hereford United. He is perhaps best known for breaking Ryan Giggs's record as the youngest player to be capped for the Wales national football team, a record which has since been surpassed.-Career:Born in Cardiff,...
(once Wales' youngest international), Jermaine Easter
Jermaine Easter
Jermaine Maurice Easter is a Welsh international footballer currently playing as a striker for Crystal Palace.-Early career:...
and Joe Ledley
Joe Ledley
Joseph Christopher Ledley is a Welsh footballer who plays for Scottish Premier League club Celtic and the Welsh national team as a central or left midfielder....
and, a little further back, John Toshack
John Toshack
John Benjamin Toshack OBE is a Welsh former footballer and manager. He is currently the manager of Macedonia. He has also managed several others clubs including Swansea City, who he took from the Fourth Division to the First in four seasons.As a player, he is remembered for being part of the...
. Famous former pupils also include the model and Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
's wife Danielle Bux and film director of Human Traffic
Human Traffic
Human Traffic is a British independent film written and directed by Welsh filmmaker Justin Kerrigan. The film explores themes of coming of age, drug and club cultures, as well as relationships. It includes scenes provoking social commentary and the use of archive footage to provide political...
, Justin Kerrigan.
Fairwater Brook was a childhood haunt of Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, fighter pilot and screenwriter.Born in Wales to Norwegian parents, he served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence agent, rising to the rank of Wing Commander...
, who lived in Radyr
Radyr
Radyr is an outer suburb of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The suburb is situated in the west of the city, although it was originally a separate village, and is located around 5 miles north west of Cardiff city centre. According to 2009 estimates, the suburb has a population of 6,000...
and studied in nearby Llandaff
Llandaff
Llandaff is a district in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales, having been incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of the Church in Wales Bishop of Llandaff, whose diocese covers the most populous area of South Wales. Much of the district is covered by parkland known as Llandaff...
.
Fairwater Park, known locally as "The Dell" is the site of one of Britain's first artificial ski slopes
Artificial ski slopes
A dry ski slope or artificial ski slope is a ski slope that mimics the attributes of snow using materials that are stable at room temperature, to enable people to ski where natural slopes are inconvenient or unavailable....
, and is still a pleasant recreational area.
Fairwater Green is a local area of shops, supposedly named for the area of grass nearby.
Electoral ward
The electoral ward of Fairwater falls within the parliamentary constituency of Cardiff WestCardiff West (UK Parliament constituency)
Cardiff West is a borough constituency in the city of Cardiff. It returns one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system...
. It is bounded by Creigiau & St. Fagans
Creigiau & St. Fagans
Creigiau & St. Fagans is an electoral ward of Cardiff, Wales.The ward covers the village of St. Fagans and a part of the village of Pentyrch and the surrounding rural areas.The ward falls within the parliamentary constituency of Cardiff West...
to the west; Llandaff
Llandaff
Llandaff is a district in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales, having been incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of the Church in Wales Bishop of Llandaff, whose diocese covers the most populous area of South Wales. Much of the district is covered by parkland known as Llandaff...
to the east; Canton
Canton, Cardiff
Canton is an inner-city district and community in the west of Cardiff, capital of Wales, lying west of the city's civic centre. One of the most ethnically diverse of Cardiff's suburbs, with a significant Asian population such as Pakistanis and Indians, Canton has a population just in excess of...
to the southeast; and Ely
Ely, Cardiff
Ely is a community primarily dominated by council housing in western Cardiff, capital of Wales.-The Roman era:In Roman times, Ely was the site of a Roman villa, near the old racecourse...
to the south.
Transport
Fairwater is well served by public transport with three railway stations - FairwaterFairwater railway station
Fairwater railway station is a railway station serving the Fairwater area of Cardiff, Wales. The station was built when the City Line west of Cardiff Central reopened to passenger services in 1987....
in the heart of the area, Danescourt
Danescourt railway station
Danescourt railway station is a railway station serving Danescourt, which is a suburban area of Cardiff, Wales.The station is the first stop after Radyr on the City Line north of Cardiff Central. The City Line was originally a freight only line...
in the north and Waun-Gron Park
Waun-Gron Park railway station
Waun-Gron Park railway station is a railway station serving the Fairwater area of Cardiff, Wales. The station was built when the City Line 4 km west of Cardiff Central reopened to passenger services in 1987....
in the south. All 3 stations are on the Cardiff City Line
Cardiff City Line
The City Line is a commuter railway line in Cardiff that runs from Coryton to Radyr via Cardiff Central. Regular passenger services on this route started in 1987. Passenger trains run from Monday to Saturday. The line is also used as a diversionary route for trains to Merthyr, Aberdare and...
with services northbound to Radyr
Radyr railway station
Radyr railway station is a railway station serving the Radyr area of Cardiff. It is located at the foot of the hill at the eastern edge of the village, alongside the River Taff and adjacent to the Taff Trail.-History:...
and southbound to Cardiff Central
Cardiff Central railway station
Cardiff Central railway station is a major railway station on the South Wales Main Line in Cardiff, Wales.It is the largest and busiest station in Wales and one of the major stations of the British rail network, the tenth busiest station in the United Kingdom outside of London , based on 2007/08...
via Ninian Park
Ninian Park railway station
Ninian Park railway station serves the Leckwith and South Canton areas of Cardiff, which lies just outside Cardiff city centre.The station, which is situated west of Cardiff Central, was opened when the City Line reopened to passenger services in 1987, using platforms previously used only for...
.
Cardiff Bus
Cardiff Bus
Cardiff Bus is the dominant operator of bus services in Cardiff, Wales and the surrounding area, including Barry and Penarth. Its hub is Cardiff central bus station...
operates the following bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
services through the area:
- 1 Bay Circle from Western Avenue (LlandaffLlandaffLlandaff is a district in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales, having been incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of the Church in Wales Bishop of Llandaff, whose diocese covers the most populous area of South Wales. Much of the district is covered by parkland known as Llandaff...
-GabalfaGabalfaGabalfa is a district in the north of the city of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It is characterised by an enormous fly over road which is part of the large Gabalfa Interchange, and crosses the A48 road in a north-south direction. The area is also the site of the All Nations Centre.The name is derived...
-Heath, CardiffHeath, CardiffHeath is a community in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales, originally called the Great Heath and named as a result of the large park and woodland that it once contained. It should be distinguished from the Little Heath which lies to the south of the Great Heath, in the vicinity of Crwys Road...
-CathaysCathaysCathays is a district in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It is an old suburb of Cardiff established in 1875. It is very densely populated and contains many older terraced houses giving it a Victorian era atmosphere...
-RoathRoathRoath is a district in the east/north-east of the city of Cardiff, capital of Wales.It lies just east/north east of the city centre, stretching from Adamsdown in the south to Roath Park in the north. Roath contains the Plasnewydd electoral ward. The name is believed to originate from Irish ráth,...
-Centre-Cardiff BayCardiff BayCardiff Bay is the area created by the Cardiff Barrage in South Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The regeneration of Cardiff Bay is now widely regarded as one of the most successful regeneration projects in the United Kingdom. The Bay is supplied by two rivers to form a freshwater lake round the...
-GrangetownGrangetown, CardiffGrangetown is a community in the south of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It is one of the largest districts in the south of the city and is bordered by Riverside, Canton and Butetown. The River Taff winds its way through the area...
-Canton, CardiffCanton, CardiffCanton is an inner-city district and community in the west of Cardiff, capital of Wales, lying west of the city's civic centre. One of the most ethnically diverse of Cardiff's suburbs, with a significant Asian population such as Pakistanis and Indians, Canton has a population just in excess of...
) - 2 Bay Circle from Western Avenue (Canton-Grangetown-Bay-Centre-Roath-Cathays-Heath-Gabalfa-Llandaff)
- 33B (RadyrRadyrRadyr is an outer suburb of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The suburb is situated in the west of the city, although it was originally a separate village, and is located around 5 miles north west of Cardiff city centre. According to 2009 estimates, the suburb has a population of 6,000...
- Morganstown) - 60 (PentrebanePentrebanePentrebane is a district in the west of Cardiff, capital of Wales.Pentrebane sits on the top of the hill overlooking the adjacent suburbs of Fairwater and Llandaff, and on the cusp of St. Fagans and the Vale of Glamorgan...
-Llandaff) - 61 (Pentrebane)
- 62 (Canton- Cardiff central bus stationCardiff Central bus stationCardiff Central bus station is the main bus transport interchange in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. With 34 stands, it is the largest bus station in the city and in Wales. It is located adjacent to Cardiff Central railway station forming a major bus-rail-cycle-taxi interchange.The station used...
)
The main road running through the east of the area is Western Avenue (A48
A48 road
The A48 is a major trunk road in Great Britain. It runs from the A40 at Highnam west of Gloucester to the A40 at Carmarthen. Before the construction of the M4 motorway and the first Severn Bridge in the mid 1960s it was the principal route into South Wales. For most of its journey through Wales,...
) linking it to Ely Bridge, Ely
Ely, Cardiff
Ely is a community primarily dominated by council housing in western Cardiff, capital of Wales.-The Roman era:In Roman times, Ely was the site of a Roman villa, near the old racecourse...
, Canton
Canton, Cardiff
Canton is an inner-city district and community in the west of Cardiff, capital of Wales, lying west of the city's civic centre. One of the most ethnically diverse of Cardiff's suburbs, with a significant Asian population such as Pakistanis and Indians, Canton has a population just in excess of...
and the city centre
Cardiff city centre
Cardiff city centre is the central business district of Cardiff, Wales. The area is tightly bounded by the River Taff to the west, the Civic centre to the north and railway lines and two railway stations - Central and Queen Street - to the south and east respectively...
to the south and Gabalfa
Gabalfa
Gabalfa is a district in the north of the city of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It is characterised by an enormous fly over road which is part of the large Gabalfa Interchange, and crosses the A48 road in a north-south direction. The area is also the site of the All Nations Centre.The name is derived...
, eastern districts and the M4 J30 Cardiff East
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
to the north. St Fagans Road is a country road leading west out of Fairwater to St. Fagans
St. Fagans
St Fagans is an area in the west of the city of Cardiff, capital of Wales.To the south lies the village of Michaelston-super-Ely, and to the east the suburb of Fairwater. St Fagans lies on the River Ely, and previously had a railway station on the South Wales Main Line, and currently there is a...
, Ely, Culverhouse Cross
Culverhouse Cross
Culverhouse Cross is suburban district in the west of Cardiff, capital of Wales, lying on the border with the Vale of Glamorgan.The busy Culverhouse Cross roundabout is an important part of the primary road network to the west of the city and connects the A4232 , the A4050 , and...
and M4 J33 Cardiff West
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
Notable people from Fairwater
- John ToshackJohn ToshackJohn Benjamin Toshack OBE is a Welsh former footballer and manager. He is currently the manager of Macedonia. He has also managed several others clubs including Swansea City, who he took from the Fourth Division to the First in four seasons.As a player, he is remembered for being part of the...
football player, current Welsh football manager, attended Cantonian High School. - Terry HolmesTerry HolmesTerence David Holmes is a Welsh former dual-code international rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who won 25 caps for as a scrum-half and later played rugby league for Bradford Northern....
Wales and British LionsBritish and Irish LionsThe British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
international rugby unionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player - Joe LedleyJoe LedleyJoseph Christopher Ledley is a Welsh footballer who plays for Scottish Premier League club Celtic and the Welsh national team as a central or left midfielder....
Wales football (soccer)Football (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
international, who attended Cantonian High School. - Martyn WoodroffeMartyn WoodroffeMartyn J. Woodroffe is a Welsh swimmer who won a Silver medal at the 1968 Olympic Games.Woodroffe represented Wales at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica, and 1970 British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland, winning one silver and two bronze medals at the...
OlympicOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
swimming silver medalist at the MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
1968 Summer Olympics1968 Summer OlympicsThe 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country... - Nesta Wyn Jones, PoetPoetA poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
a former teacher at Peter Lea Primary School