Adamsdown
Coordinates: 51°29′07″N 3°09′33″W / 51.48531°N 3.15929°W
| Adamsdown | |
| Welsh: Waunadda | |
 Adamsdown
Adamsdown shown within Cardiff |
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| Population | 6,850 (2001) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | ST196769 |
| Community | Adamsdown |
| Principal area | Cardiff |
| Ceremonial county | South Glamorgan |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CARDIFF |
| Postcode district | CF24 |
| Dialling code | 029 |
| Police | South Wales |
| Fire | South Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| EU Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament | Cardiff Central |
| List of places: UK • Wales • Cardiff | |
Adamsdown (Welsh: Waunadda) is an inner city area and community in the south of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales.
Contents |
[edit] 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 1330 AD.
According to an 1824 map, Adamsdown was largely a 270-acre (1.1 km2) farm. A replacement for a prison which was located on St Mary Street opened in the area in 1832, and a cemetery in 1848. In the following year, an outbreak of cholera affected the area. As the cemetery became full, it was converted into a park. In 1883 the "South Wales and Mounmouthsire Infirmary" was opened at a cost of £23,000. Many were refused from the hospital, such as those with infectious diseases and women in the advanced stages of pregnancy. In 1923, the hospital became the Cardiff Royal Infirmary.
The Newtown area of Adamsdown was the first area to be developed, where many Irish immmigrants settled. Streets built in the period had their names drawm from astronomy (such as Star, Constellation, Planet and Eclipse Streets) or precious metals and stones (suc as Gold, Copper, Topaz and Diamond Streets). Cardiff's first municipal secondary school was established at Howard Gardens in 1884, which became a Grammar School in 1941 and was subsequently destroyed by bombing in World War II, where a UWIC campus now stands.
Until the 1970s, Roath Cattle Market and Slaughterhouse were located in Adamsdown where one could obtain meats off the ration during World War II. Regeneration of Adamsdown in the 20th century saw Victorian buildings demolished for 1960s and 70s tower blocks, the highest of which is Brunel House, at the eastern gateway to Cardiff city centre.[1]
[edit] Today
Cardiff Magistrates' Court, Cardiff Prison, Cardiff Royal Infirmary, the Cardiff School of Creative and Cultural Industries of the University of Glamorgan, the Howard Gardens campus of the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, a Reform Synagogue, several Sikh temples can be found in this district and a mosque which is under construction.
Adamsdown is one of the older, traditional, working class suburbs of Cardiff. It is about 10 minutes' walk from the commercial Cardiff city centre. It is largely a residential area. There are leisure facilities such as the Rubicon dance centre, the Star Centre in nearby Splott and an Esporta Health Club. Adamsdown is undergoing regeneration, in particular the shopping area of Clifton Street, where the traditional stone buildings such as Roath Police station have been sandblasted and renovated, all of the shop fronts are being replaced and updated, the pavements are being widened and a new one-way traffic system has been introduced. The aim is to attract greater numbers of traders and shoppers to the area.
[edit] Adamsdown electoral ward
The Adamsdown electoral ward falls within the parliamentary constituency of Cardiff Central. It is bounded by the wards of Penylan to the north east; Splott to the south east; Butetown to the south; Cathays to the west; and Plasnewydd to the north. It is currently represented on Cardiff Council by two Liberal Democrat councillors, John Dixon[2] and Nigel Howells.[3]
The candidates for the May 2008 local elections with the party represented number of votes were: Nigel Howells (Lib Dem, 925, Elected), John Dixon (Lib Dem, 891, Elected), Sarah Merry (Labour, 431), Peter Payne (Labour, 383), Julie Jenkins (Con, 160), Mary Newman (Con, 151), David Bartlett (Socialist, 98), and Fran Rawlings (Communist, 66). The turnout was 27.2%.
Lib Dem councillors Nigel Howells and John Dixon hold advice surgeries on the first and third Saturday of every month at 11am in Roath Library.
[edit] Transport
Cardiff Queen Street station is on the western fringe of Adamsdown. The station is on the Valley Lines urban rail network.
The area is also served by Cardiff Bus. Services stopping outside the Cardiff Royal Infirmary, which all go to Central Station in the reverse direction are:
- 11/12/13 (Tremorfa or Cardiff Bay/Drope)
- 30 (Newport)
- 44/45 (St. Mellons via Rumney)
- 49/50 (Llanrumney)
The 11/12/13 routes run through the heart of the area connecting it with Tremorfa/Splott to the east and Culverhouse Cross/Ely/Canton/City Centre to the west. The 1/2 Bay Circle route also serves some parts of the area.[4]
The busy and commercial Newport Road (A4161) runs through northern Adamsdown, leading towards the M4 motorway to the east and the city centre to the west. City Road leads to northern districts of Cardiff.
[edit] References
- ^ Morgan, Dennis (2003). The Illustrated History of Cardiff's Suburbs. Derby: Breedon Books Publishing. ISBN 1-85983-354-3.
- ^ Cardiff Council | John Dixon
- ^ Cardiff Council | Nigel Howells
- ^ Cardiff Bus|Network Map
[edit] External links
| Cathays | Plasnewydd | Roath |
| City centre | Adamsdown | Tremorfa |
| Grangetown | Butetown | Splott |
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