Cardiff Walk and Bus Tour
06/07/2024
ENGLISH TEXT:
Cardiff Walk and Bus Tour
Saturday 6 July 2024
Start time/place: 2pm, Temple of Peace
End time/place: 6pm, Cardiff Central Railway Station or 6.15pm, Temple of Peace (these are the bus drop-off times)
Following on from the AGM, this walk and bus tour will visit a selection of the impressive C20 architecture around Cardiff.
2pm – 3.30pm: Meet at the Temple of Peace (1937-46) for a guided walk of this magnificent stripped-classical building by the celebrated Sir Percy Thomas, and then onwards around Cathays Park with Dr Elaine Davey. At the beginning of the 20th century Cardiff was a city of international importance at the peak of its economic power. Its Civic Centre, built over two phases in 1903-6 and 1924-28, incorporated some of the finest examples of early-20th century civic architecture in Britain, including the National Museum of Wales (1910 onwards), Cardiff City Hall (1901-04), National Memorial for The First World War (1928) and several Cardiff University Buildings. The rest of Cathays Park contains several later 20th century civic and university buildings of interest, including Cardiff Central Police Station (1966-68), Redwood Building (1961), and Cathays Park 1 and Cathays Park 2 (1934-38 and 1979) as well as magnificent statues and memorials.
3.30pm – 6.15pm: Bus tour of 20th century places of worship in Cardiff. We will be visiting a range of later 20th century faith buildings representing the lively religious diversity of the city. We’ll be visiting the Grade-I listed chapel designed by George Pace for St Michael’s theological college in Llandaff in the 1950s, the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir temple (1982), and the South Wales Islamic Centre (1984). The bus will make two drop-offs to end the tour, one at Cardiff Central Railway Station at 6pm and another back at the Temple of Peace at 6.15pm.
Dr Elaine Davey is an architectural historian and heritage campaigner based in Cardiff. Elaine originally qualified as a Building Surveyor, later completing an Honours Degree in the History of Art and Architecture and then a PhD with School of Planning and Geography at Cardiff University. The subject of her doctoral research was the role of Welsh architect Sir Percy Thomas (1883-1969) in the ‘building’ of modern urban Wales. As well as sitting on the committee for C20 Cymru, Elaine holds officer and trustee positions in many heritage societies including the Victorian Society Wales, The Welsh Historic Gardens Trust and the Ruperra Castle Preservation Trust.
If there is sufficient interest we will be running an informal trip to St Fagans National Museum of History on the outskirts of Cardiff the following morning, Sunday 7 July. St Fagans is an open-air museum of historic buildings brought from all over Wales. There are some 20th-century buildings of interest including the Oakdale Garden Village Workers Institute, a wonderful prefab, and the newly reconstructed Vulcan Pub with it’s 1915 (working!) interior. Current exhibitions, including the ‘Petitioning for Peace’, can be explored in the modernist entrance and galleries building, which was completed in 1976 to designs by Percy Thomas. Attendees will be required to pay for taxis or car parking, but entry to the museum is free.
C20 Members: £16
Click Here for our cancellation policy.
The Twentieth Century Society is an IHBC (Institute of Historic Building conservation) recognised CPD provider.
The Twentieth Century Society is a registered charity, no 1110244
Image: South Wales Islamic Centre. Crown Copyright. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Wales.
WELSH TEXT:
Dydd Sadwrn 6ed o Orffennaf 2024
2yh-6.15yh.
2yh – 3.30yh: Cyfarfod yn y Deml Heddwch (1937-46) am daith dywys o’r adeilad anhygoel hwn gydag Elaine Davey, yna ymlaen i Barc Cathays. Ar ddechrau’r ugeinfed ganrif roedd Caerdydd yn ddinas o bwysigrwydd rhyngwladol wrth frig ei grym economaidd. Roedd ei Chanolfan Ddinesig, adeiladwyd dros dau gyfnod ym 1903-6 a 1924-28, yn cynnwys rhai o’r enghreifftiau gorau o bensaernïaeth ddinesig ym Mhrydain o ddechrau’r 20fed ganrif, gan gynnwys Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Cymru (1910 ymlaen), Neuadd y Ddinas (1901-04), Cofeb Genedlaethol ar gyfer y Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf (1928) a nifer o Adeiladau Prifysgol Caerdydd. Mae gweddill Parc Cathays yn cynnwys nifer o adeiladau o ddiwedd yr 20fed ganrif, gan gynnwys Gorsaf Heddlu Canol Caerdydd (1966-68), Adeilad Redwood (1961), a Parc Cathays 1 a Pharc Cathays 2 (1934-38 and 1979) yn ogystal â cherfluniau a chofebion godidog.
3.30yh – 6.15yh: Taith fws o amgylch addoldai’r 20fed ganrif yng Nghaerdydd. Byddwn yn ymweld ag amrywiaeth o adeiladau ffydd o ddiwedd yr 20fed ganrif sy’n cynrychioli amrywiaeth grefyddol fywiog y ddinas. Yn ogystal ag enghreifftiau o bensaernïaeth eglwys a chapel, byddwn yn ymweld a’r deml Shri Swaminaryan Mandir (1982), a Chanolfan Islamaidd De Cymru (1984). Ar ddiwedd y daith bydd y bws yn stopio yng Ngorsaf Rheilffordd Caerdydd Canolog am 6yh a’r Deml Heddwch am 6.15yh.
Os oes digon o ddiddordeb byddwn yn rhedeg taith anffurfiol i Sain Ffagan Amgueddfa Werin Cymru ar gyrion Caerdydd y bore canlynol, dydd Sul 7fed Gorffennaf. Mae Sain Ffagan yn amgueddfa awyr agored llawn adeiladau hanesyddol o bob rhan o Gymru. Mae yna sawl adeilad 20fed ganrif gan gynnwys Sefydliad Gweithwyr Oakdale, ‘prefab’ bendigedig, a Tafarn y Vulcan ar ei newydd wedd (lle bydd modd cael peint!). Bydd modd ymweld a’r arddangosfeydd, gan gynnwys ‘Deiseb dros Heddwch’, yn y brif adeilad modernaidd a godwyd ym 1976 i ddyluniadau Percy Thomas. Bydd rhaid talu am tacsi neu cost parcio, ond mae mynediad i’r amgueddfa am ddim.
Image: Chanolfan Islamaidd De Cymru. Crown Copyright. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Wales.
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