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Thread: Has the city centre lost its charm?

  1. #1

    Has the city centre lost its charm?

    I'm on a three day course in Newport but decided to stay overnight in Cardiff city centre. After today's session in Nyoops I got back to the hotel an hour before the shops closed and walked my colleague around the arcades, the market and St Mary Street to give her a feel of the place.
    I still like to old market but everywhere else seems to dominated by gentrified shops and cafés (in the case of the arcades) and national restaurant/bar chains elsewhere.
    Call me an old out-of-touch curmudgeon but I feel that the place has lost a lot of charm and character.
    Yours,
    TBG
    Wearing a tin foil hat and eating powdered egg.
    P. S. Discovering the stuffed bear in the tobacconist's (that I remember from my childhood) was a treat!

  2. #2

    Re: Has the city centre lost its charm?

    It’s turned into just another city.

    I don’t think it ever really had ‘charm’ though.

    It’s quite a good place for a shop, some food and some entertainment

  3. #3

    Re: Has the city centre lost its charm?

    No charm? It's always had the arcades, loads of pubs, a huge rugby stadium, a compact shopping area, the museum and gardens and a giant ****ing castle. All within one square mile. What more do you want?

  4. #4

    Re: Has the city centre lost its charm?

    And the pubs have reasonable prices, you can still get a pint for £2 in town, that’s very rare in many other UK cities.

  5. #5

    Re: Has the city centre lost its charm?

    Quote Originally Posted by NYCBlue View Post
    No charm? It's always had the arcades, loads of pubs, a huge rugby stadium, a compact shopping area, the museum and gardens and a giant ****ing castle. All within one square mile. What more do you want?
    Must be the only city with a stadium, castle and a fecking prison in its centre.

  6. #6

    Re: Has the city centre lost its charm?

    Quote Originally Posted by NYCBlue View Post
    No charm? It's always had the arcades, loads of pubs, a huge rugby stadium, a compact shopping area, the museum and gardens and a giant ****ing castle. All within one square mile. What more do you want?
    very true

  7. #7

    Re: Has the city centre lost its charm?

    Quote Originally Posted by ToTaL ITK View Post
    very true
    Well, st Mary Street hasn’t really changed and neither have the arcades, the Hayes is nicer as is mill lane. In fact most streets have improved I think, park place, cathedral rd, we got the castle grounds and of course the bay. What more does one need in a city of 400,000.....

  8. #8

    Re: Has the city centre lost its charm?

    Quote Originally Posted by splott parker View Post
    And the pubs have reasonable prices, you can still get a pint for £2 in town, that’s very rare in many other UK cities.
    How charming.

  9. #9

    Re: Has the city centre lost its charm?

    Quote Originally Posted by NYCBlue View Post
    No charm? It's always had the arcades, loads of pubs, a huge rugby stadium, a compact shopping area, the museum and gardens and a giant ****ing castle. All within one square mile. What more do you want?
    thats what i was thinking when i read the OP.
    Cast your mind back to what The Hayes looked like not even ten years ago, it was a right shithole.
    Same with Wood Street.
    What I don't like though is the fact that much of town has gone through another major redevelopment, the last one being only a few (well 3 or 4) decades ago.
    These new buildings will be around a fraction of the time that the older ones have, the majority of which I'm glad to say have been preserved.

    Still plenty of charm but depressing seeing all the homeless lining the streets mind.

  10. #10

    Re: Has the city centre lost its charm?

    Quote Originally Posted by Taunton Blue Genie View Post
    How charming.
    C’mon now TBG it’s common knowledge that the price of a pint is the international yardstick for any red blooded male 🍺🍺🍺🤪🤪🤪

  11. #11

    Re: Has the city centre lost its charm?

    Quote Originally Posted by goats View Post
    Well, st Mary Street hasn’t really changed and neither have the arcades, the Hayes is nicer as is mill lane. In fact most streets have improved I think, park place, cathedral rd, we got the castle grounds and of course the bay. What more does one need in a city of 400,000.....
    yes! i'm agreeing with NYC and with you too :D

  12. #12

    Re: Has the city centre lost its charm?

    Quote Originally Posted by splott parker View Post
    C’mon now TBG it’s common knowledge that the price of a pint is the international yardstick for any red blooded male ������������
    I'm off for a couple of sweet sherries now...

  13. #13

    Re: Has the city centre lost its charm?

    Quote Originally Posted by Taunton Blue Genie View Post
    I'm off for a couple of sweet sherries now...
    Pints of I trust👍 Might be a touch more than £2 though.🤪🤪

  14. #14

    Re: Has the city centre lost its charm?

    Should've taken her for a brekkie at The Hollybush!

  15. #15
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    Re: Has the city centre lost its charm?

    Quote Originally Posted by NYCBlue View Post
    No charm? It's always had the arcades, loads of pubs, a huge rugby stadium, a compact shopping area, the museum and gardens and a giant ****ing castle. All within one square mile. What more do you want?
    Sydney opera house....herds of wildebeest etc

  16. #16

    Re: Has the city centre lost its charm?

    Not so much lost it's charm as sold it to high rises billed as student flats but really cheap builds, poorly regulated and ultimately empty. That Zenith building in behind the station is extremely ugly but the one behind the chapel restaurant/pub is also bad.

  17. #17

    Re: Has the city centre lost its charm?

    I must agree with TBG, to a certain extent.

    Yes there are a few pubs, but they’re soulless, no personalities (can’t spell characters )

    Town has become a concrete jungle, unlike YORK, which has charm in abundance.

    Bring back the Taff Vale, The Griffin, The Prince Albert , The Glendower, The White House, oh we can’t, they’ve shut um all down

  18. #18

    Re: Has the city centre lost its charm?

    Quote Originally Posted by light up the darkness View Post
    Sydney opera house....herds of wildebeest etc
    That's exactly what I was thinking when I when I was typing that.

  19. #19
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    Re: Has the city centre lost its charm?

    Quote Originally Posted by Taunton Blue Genie View Post
    I'm on a three day course in Newport but decided to stay overnight in Cardiff city centre. After today's session in Nyoops I got back to the hotel an hour before the shops closed and walked my colleague around the arcades, the market and St Mary Street to give her a feel of the place.
    I still like to old market but everywhere else seems to dominated by gentrified shops and cafés (in the case of the arcades) and national restaurant/bar chains elsewhere.
    Call me an old out-of-touch curmudgeon but I feel that the place has lost a lot of charm and character.
    Yours,
    TBG
    Wearing a tin foil hat and eating powdered egg.
    P. S. Discovering the stuffed bear in the tobacconist's (that I remember from my childhood) was a treat!
    Whilst I understand where you are coming from I am afraid that the national brands are probably the only ones who can afford the rents and the cheap student mini tower blocks the only growth industry.
    I am, sadly, old enough to remember Cardiff city centre in the 70’s where there was still car parking on rough ground where the St David’s centre now is and the Lious represented fine dining and Pillars was considered exciting.
    Whilst the modern city may have changed it retains the Castle, old University buildings and the arcades and the modern stuff may be identikit building but in the main it is an improvement on the centre of my youth.

  20. #20

    Re: Has the city centre lost its charm?

    And Barry on its doorstep. What more do you want?

  21. #21

    Re: Has the city centre lost its charm?

    Pity the Wynford wasn't bang in the city centre.

  22. #22

    Re: Has the city centre lost its charm?

    Quote Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee View Post
    Pity the Wynford wasn't bang in the city centre.
    It’s closed down

  23. #23

    Re: Has the city centre lost its charm?

    For me the city centre lost its charm when The Albert, and its piano, on St Mary Street became something else, another characterless, poncy monstrosity just as The Duke of Wellington on one end of Chippy Lane did years before. The long gone Glendower and Custom House were full of great local eccentrics with backgrounds from all over the globe.

  24. #24

    Re: Has the city centre lost its charm?

    Quite simply a wonderful city, as previous posters have mentioned a world class stadium a castle, a beautiful civic centre, loads of pubs and restaurants, arcades all within minutes walk of each other. 10 minutes to cardiff bay with all it's charms.
    What more can you want?
    Just ask anybody coming to cardiff for the first time for a match concert etc.

  25. #25

    Re: Has the city centre lost its charm?

    Quote Originally Posted by simonp_ccfc View Post
    And Barry on its doorstep. What more do you want?

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