Roath
Encyclopedia
Cardiff North
Cardiff North or North Cardiff can refer to the collections of mainly middle class suburban communities in the north of Cardiff, Wales. The population of the north of Cardiff is around 85,000 and is represented by the Conservative Party on most levels of government...
-east of the city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
of Cardiff
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 lies just east/north east of the city centre, stretching from Adamsdown
Adamsdown
Adamsdown is an inner city area and community in the south of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales.-History:In mediaeval times, Adamsdown lay just outside the east walls of Cardiff and was owned by the lords of Glamorgan. The area may be named after an Adam Kygnot, a porter at Cardiff Castle around...
in the south to Roath Park
Roath Park
Roath Park Cardiff, Wales, is one of Cardiff's most popular parks, owned by Cardiff County Council and managed by the Parks Section. It retains a classic Victorian atmosphere and has many facilities. The park has recently been awarded the prestigious Green Flag award to recognise its high quality...
in the north. Roath contains the Plasnewydd
Plasnewydd
Plasnewydd is an electoral ward of Cardiff, Wales. It falls within the parliamentary constituency of Cardiff Central. It is bounded by the wards of Cyncoed to the north; Penylan to the northeast; Adamsdown to the southwest; and Cathays to the west. It mainly covers the district of Roath.-External...
electoral ward. The name is believed to originate from Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
ráth, 'fort'. Alternatively, it could derive from the name given to the Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
settlement in Cardiff, Ratostabius.
Its main shopping streets are Albany Road, City Road, and Wellfield Road. It is characterised by its several tree-lined avenues
Avenue (landscape)
__notoc__In landscaping, an avenue or allée is traditionally a straight route with a line of trees or large shrubs running along each, which is used, as its French source venir indicates, to emphasize the "coming to," or arrival at a landscape or architectural feature...
and Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
terraced streets. Roath houses a very diverse population including a large number of students, being very close to the main university campuses, a large ethnic minority population and many young professionals. Parts of Roath are among the most affluent districts of Cardiff, although subdivision of the large Victorian properties is starting to occur in the areas at the south end of the district.
Its close proximity to the city centre and large number of local amenities makes it known for its very strong sense of community, encouraged largely due to the parks, road layouts, churches, and local post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
s and newsagent
Newsagent
A newsagent's shop , newsagency or newsstand is a business that sells newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, snacks and often items of local interest. In Britain and Australia, these businesses are termed newsagents...
s, therefore Roath a very popular area to live. There are a number of restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s and public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s, a variety of shops, an outdoor tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
centre and the famous Roath Park
Roath Park
Roath Park Cardiff, Wales, is one of Cardiff's most popular parks, owned by Cardiff County Council and managed by the Parks Section. It retains a classic Victorian atmosphere and has many facilities. The park has recently been awarded the prestigious Green Flag award to recognise its high quality...
making it one of the greenest areas in Cardiff.
Roath contains the Church of St Margaret of Antioch, built in 1870 on the site of an earlier Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
chapel and the new Gothic revival church. Designed by 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...
architect John Prichard
John Prichard
John Prichard was a Welsh architect of the neo-Gothic style. John Prichard was the son of Richard Prichard a rector from Llangan, Glamorgan and was born on 6 May 1817. He established a practice in Llandaff, Cardiff where he became the diocesan architect. Between 1852 and 1863 he set up a...
on a Greek Cross plan, the latter was financed totally by the third Marquess of Bute
John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute
John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute KT, KSG, KGCHS was a landed aristocrat, industrial magnate, antiquarian, scholar, philanthropist and architectural patron.-Early life:...
, in spite of his conversion to Catholicism in 1868. Inside is an opulent mausoleum housing tombs of nine members of the Bute
Bute
- People :* John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute , British Prime Minister in office between 1762 and 1763* Marquess of Bute, a peerage title in the Peerage of Great Britain* Lucian Bute , Romanian boxer...
family, including the First Marquess and his wives. The tower of St Margaret's was finally completed in 1926.
Roath court, a Georgian era
Georgian era
The Georgian era is a period of British history which takes its name from, and is normally defined as spanning the reigns of, the first four Hanoverian kings of Great Britain : George I, George II, George III and George IV...
manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
, is also found near Saint Margaret's Church.
| Heath | Roath Park Roath Park Roath Park Cardiff, Wales, is one of Cardiff's most popular parks, owned by Cardiff County Council and managed by the Parks Section. It retains a classic Victorian atmosphere and has many facilities. The park has recently been awarded the prestigious Green Flag award to recognise its high quality... |
Penylan Penylan Penylan is a district in the east of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, known for its Victorian era period houses and spacious tree lined roads and avenues.... |
| Cathays Cathays Cathays 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... |
Roath | Tremorfa Tremorfa Tremorfa is a district of the city of Cardiff, Wales. It falls into the Splott ward of Cardiff.-Transport:Tremorfa is the terminus of the 12/13 routes operating to Culverhouse Cross via Splott, Central Stn, Canton and Ely... |
| 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... |
Adamsdown Adamsdown Adamsdown is an inner city area and community in the south of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales.-History:In mediaeval times, Adamsdown lay just outside the east walls of Cardiff and was owned by the lords of Glamorgan. The area may be named after an Adam Kygnot, a porter at Cardiff Castle around... |
Splott Splott Splott is a district in the south of the city of Cardiff, capital of Wales, just east of the city centre. It was built up in the late 19th century on the land of two farms of the same name: Upper Splott and Lower Splott Farms. Splott is characterised by its once vast steelworks and rows of tightly... |
Amenities
- Cardiff UniversityCardiff UniversityCardiff University is a leading research university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing high quality research-based...
, Engineering Building - Roath Library
- Monumental Inscriptions for St. Margarets
- Mackintosh Sports Institute (formerly Plasnewydd)
- The Gate, arts centre
- James Summers Funeral Home, Roath Court
- Shah Jalal Mosque, Crwys Road (formerly Capel Crwys)
- Trinity Methodist Church
- St. Martin's Church, Albany Road
- Hodges' Residence and the Dewmisters Crib
- St. Edward's Church, Blenheim Road
- Roath ParkRoath ParkRoath Park Cardiff, Wales, is one of Cardiff's most popular parks, owned by Cardiff County Council and managed by the Parks Section. It retains a classic Victorian atmosphere and has many facilities. The park has recently been awarded the prestigious Green Flag award to recognise its high quality...
- St. Peters RFCSt. Peters RFCSt Peters Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from the district of Roath, in Cardiff, South Wales. The club plays their home games at the Harlequins Playing Field, located off Newport Road...
Notable people
- William Cope, 1st Baron CopeWilliam Cope, 1st Baron CopeWilliam Cope, 1st Baron Cope , known as Sir William Cope, Bt, between 1928 and 1945, was a Welsh Conservative Party politician, who was also notable as an international rugby union player for Wales...
, politician and international rugby player - Lionel FanthorpeLionel FanthorpeThe Reverend Robert Lionel Fanthorpe is a British priest and entertainer, and has at various times worked as a journalist, teacher, television presenter, author and lecturer...
- Boyd ClackBoyd ClackBoyd Clack is a Welsh writer, actor, and musician.He was born in Vancouver, Canada but grew up in Tonyrefail in Wales. His acting credits include Twin Town, High Hopes and Satellite City. He also co-wrote both High Hopes and Satellite City...
Writer, actor and playwrite - Brian HibbardBrian HibbardBrian Hibbard is a Welsh actor and singer, best remembered as the lead vocalist in the original Flying Pickets.Hibbard was born in Ebbw Vale, and after various job including teacher, steel worker, barman and chimney sweep, he formed the Flying Pickets with a group of other actors who had practised...
Musician
External links
- Geograph.co.uk, photos of Roath and surrounding area
- Roathcardiff.com, History and photos of Roath
- Madeinroath.com, Arts festival and community project in Roath