Monthly Archives: September 2020

New Baltic House, Cardiff, Under Construction

New Baltic House, a six storey office block which has also been known as ‘Plas Glyndwr’, was developed in the late 1980s by property investment group, Helical Bar. 

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It stands on a site previously occupied by the garage business of E R Forse – and even earlier, by the Glamorganshire Canal.  The building’s first tenant was the Bank of Wales, which housed its head office here from 1989 until 2001.  Subsequently, it became the Welsh Development Agency’s headquarters.  In 2006, the Agency’s functions were transferred to the Welsh Assembly Government, who remained in Plas Glyndwr until 2011.

In 2014, it was reported that the freehold interest in New Baltic House had been acquired by Ardstone Capital.  They subsequently refurbished the building, renaming it ‘2 Kingsway’.

Originally, the building incorporated public conveniences at basement level.  They were accessed via the ramp and steps leading to the pedestrian (formerly canal) subway under Kingsway.  However, the toilets were closed several years ago.

David Webb, Glamorgan Archives Volunteer

Sources consulted:

Nazareth House, Cardiff

Founded in 1861 to care for the elderly poor and for destitute and orphan children, the Sisters of Nazareth are an order of Roman Catholic nuns.  Located throughout the English-speaking world, their premises are generally named ‘Nazareth House’.  The order arrived in Cardiff around 1870, initially based at 36 Tyndall Street.  Shortly, though, the third Marquess of Bute offered them a site on North Road, as well as a contribution towards building costs.

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In 1874, approval was granted for the erection of a new convent.  Designed by the Llandaff Diocesan Architect, John Prichard, it made separate provision (sitting rooms and dormitories) for girls, boys, old women and old men, as well as accommodation for the sisters.  In practice, the children’s home seems to have accommodated only girls during most of its history.

The 1901 census return for Nazareth House lists the Superior and 16 sister assistants, along with 196 female and 16 male inmates.  The 16 men were aged between 54 and 95, with most in their 60s or 70s.  The females’ ages ranged from 2 to 85.  More than 160 of these were under 20, and most of the remainder over 60.

Nazareth House was frequently extended to accommodate larger numbers and it is a 1907 extension which appears in Mary Traynor’s sketch.  Designed by Edwin Wortley Montague Corbett, and running parallel with North Road, it was built as a school, with classrooms on the ground and first floors as well as further dormitory accommodation on the second floor.  Since Blackweir Farmhouse appears in the foreground, the artist’s viewpoint was clearly in Bute Park on the opposite side of North Road.

With declining demand from the 1950s onwards, Cardiff’s Nazareth House reduced its provision for children but continues to provide residential care for the elderly.

David Webb, Glamorgan Archives Volunteer

Sources consulted:

Lightship 2000 (Helwick), Britannia Quay, Cardiff Bay

Trinity House Light Vessel 14 (LV14) was launched on 22 September 1953.  Weighing 550 tons and with an overall length of 137 feet, it took 11 people to crew the vessel with seven on board at any one time.  During the succeeding decades, she served at several different stations in UK coastal waters, the last being Helwick sandbank, some six miles south-west of Rhossili on the Gower Peninsular.

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Decommissioned in 1991, the lightship was subsequently purchased by a charity and, with help from Cardiff Bay Development Corporation, was restored to create a floating Christian Centre in the former Roath Dock basin.  Known as ‘Goleulong (or Lightship) 2000’, she became a base for Cardiff Bay chaplains, as well as operating a galley cafe and providing rooms for meetings or quiet contemplation.

In 2013, funding from local churches was withdrawn and the centre closed.  The ship was subsequently sold and towed to Newnham, on the Severn estuary in Gloucestershire, with the hope of establishing it as a floating museum.

David Webb, Glamorgan Archives Volunteer

Sources consulted:

Time and Tide: Revealing the History of Cardiff Bay

The current cataloguing project ‘Time and Tide: Revealing the History of Cardiff Bay’ has been made possible by a grant from the ‘Archives Revealed’ programme, funded by the National Archives, the Pilgrims Trust, and the Wolfson Foundation. The project aims to make accessible the records of Cardiff Bay Development Corporation (CBDC) and Associated British Ports (ABP) South Wales. Cataloguing of the CBDC records is now complete and the catalogue is available to view at http://calmview.cardiff.gov.uk/ under the reference DCBDC. In this article Project Archivist, Katie Finn, discusses the collection and what can be found within it.

The work of CBDC was a monumental part of the redevelopment of Cardiff into the city it is today. The Corporation was established on 3 April 1987 by The Cardiff Bay Development Corporation (Area and Constitution) Order 1987. This designated an area of over 1000 hectares in South Cardiff and Penarth to be developed to encourage private investment in the area. The areas covered by the order were considered ones of urban decay and under-employment, seen as growing problems throughout the United Kingdom.  Urban Development Corporations were established in a range of towns and cities by Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative Government to improve these areas. Their aim, as in Cardiff, was to use wide reaching planning and compulsory purchase powers to redevelop areas of urban dereliction. Other UDC areas included London Docklands, Bristol, Merseyside, and Teesside. As the corporations were non-governmental bodies, they had boards comprised of members from private industry. This included Sir Geoffrey Inkin, Chairman of CBDC.

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Cardiff Bay before the creation of the Barrage and redevelopment (DCBDC/12/1/85)

CBDC had a wide remit to develop the former industrial areas of Cardiff. Key projects included the creation of an inland bay through building a barrage; linking the city centre to the waterfront; the creation of jobs for local people; and the creation of an attractive area for people to work, live and socialise. The aim of CBDC was to manage the redevelopment of the area in order to ensure it was of high quality and standardised throughout the bay and in commercial and housing developments. As such, there’s a large collection of committee minutes and papers within the CBDC records. Numerous committees were established to make decisions and advise on various aspects of their work. These committees ranged from the Board, Managers Team, Project Appraisal Group and Directors who discussed all projects, policies, and reports, to the Staff Liaison Group, Grant Appraisal Group, and Planning Committee, whose remit was limited. These papers include all decisions with details of discussions. They also provide information on all projects that were funded by the Corporation, big or small.

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Some of the papers of CBDC Board meetings (DCBDC/1/2)

The large variety of committees reflects the reliance of the organisation on consultants. They advised on all aspects of the work of CBDC. This included the creation of development briefs to provide guidance to investors and contractors on the urban design and aesthetic standards of developments. They also carried out scientific studies on ground water levels, contaminated land and soil samples of proposed development areas. Additionally the Corporation employed consultants to value land and properties to inform the compensation of compulsory purchase orders and complaints. The consultant’s reports also provide valuable information on the people and demographics of the Cardiff Bay area. This is due to market research carried out to inform marketing and development decisions. In addition, CBDC commissioned reports on the communities in Cardiff Bay to understand and improve community relations. The consultants also produced a range of plans showing the Cardiff Bay development area, landscaping plans, and detailed plans of projects including Cardiff Bay Barrage.

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One of the largest items Katie came across while cataloguing the collection – a volume of plans submitted to the House of Commons (DCBDC/11/21)

The redevelopment of Cardiff Bay was not without controversy. One of the most prominent projects, the Cardiff Bay Barrage, did not receive universal support. The Cardiff Bay Barrage Bill and Barrage Reports series include evidence of the issues with the barrage, along with the multiple attempts to pass the Barrage Bill through Parliament. It includes reports on environmental issues including the effects on shorebirds and groundwater levels. Another controversy addressed in the collection is the rejection of Zaha Hadid’s winning design for Cardiff Bay Opera House. There is also a series on CBDC’s involvement in the Exchange Building, Mount Stuart Square, and its suggested redevelopment.

In addition to the building and redevelopment work carried out by CBDC, the organisation also promoted Cardiff Bay as an area to relax and socialise. The marketing team was heavily involved in this work and their papers include background information on a range of events, including the Regatta, Power Speedboat Championship, and CBDC’s contribution to the Garden Festival of Wales. In addition to this, the photographic collection includes a range of images highlighting events held in the Bay. Photographs of street performers, attendees, and Butetown Carnival can be seen alongside aerial photographs and photographs of building works.

Whether the eventual development of Cardiff Bay and its surrounding areas is seen as a success or failure, the massive impact made on Cardiff by CBDC cannot be dismissed.  This collection includes information on all aspects of the redevelopment of Cardiff Bay through the gaze of CBDC, as well as providing information on a range of social and environmental issues impacting Cardiff at the time.

The Time and Tide project is not finished yet. Katie has now moved on to address the records of ABP. Work will also continue on the CBDC collection as our Trainee Rasheed progresses the digitisation of the photographic collection so that the images can be made available online.

Katie Finn, Archives Revealed Project Archivist

Guildford Crescent Baths, Cardiff

The middle years of the 19th century saw improved understanding of the health benefits of good personal hygiene.  The Public Baths and Wash-Houses Act 1846 gave local authorities the power to raise money through rates to build public baths.  However, Cardiff’s councillors were reluctant to exercise this function and it was left to a group of public-spirited private individuals to take matters forward in the town.  That having been said, one of the prime movers – and the architect of the building – was the Council’s own surveyor, Thomas Waring.

In 1861, the Cardiff Baths Company Limited announced its intention to construct public baths on a piece of vacant ground at the bottom of Edward Street, between the Taff Vale Railway embankment and the Bute Dock feeder.  A contemporary newspaper report described the proposal as including first and second-class swimming pools, dressing rooms and other conveniences, a Turkish Bath, and also first and second-class hot and shower baths.

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What later came to be known as the Guildford Crescent Baths opened on 22 April 1862.  Admission charges were sixpence for the first class pool and threepence (reduced to tuppence on Saturdays) for second class.  The Turkish bath cost two shillings.  Incentives were, however, offered to employers, who could buy tickets in bulk, at a reduced rate, for distribution to their workers.

The Baths Company’s shareholders had acted out of a sense of public spirit, so were not seeking to make a profit, but it became apparent that the Baths were struggling even to cover their costs.  Accordingly, the Borough Council was asked to consider taking over the facility.  The company’s first approach, in 1871, was rejected.  In February 1873, though, the Council accepted the company’s offer to sell the premises for £2,200.

While the opening of the Wales Empire Pool in 1958 might have been seen as rendering Guildford Crescent redundant, the Baths remained open until 1984.  The building was subsequently demolished and the site is now occupied by the Ibis Hotel.

David Webb, Glamorgan Archives Volunteer

Sources consulted: