An astonishing aerial view of central Cardiff from 1923

A few weeks ago I posted a view of the Maindy area of Cardiff which sparked some interest, so I'm posting another view. I say it's 'astonishing' partly because of the course of a canal through the centre of the city less than a century ago.

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(The photo is of sufficient quality to download and increase in size)

What’s that circular thing just to the right of the canal near the top of the picture? Cardiff didn’t have an amphitheatre once did it?

As a kid, I used to think my parents were having me on when we’d be going along some street in the centre of Cardiff and they’d say the canal used to run along here.

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Originally Posted by the other bob wilson

What’s that circular thing just to the right of the canal near the top of the picture? Cardiff didn’t have an amphitheatre once did it?

As a kid, I used to think my parents were having me on when we’d be going along some street in the centre of Cardiff and they’d say the canal used to run along here.

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Looks like a gas holder.

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Originally Posted by cyril evans awaydays

Looks like a gas holder.

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Yeah, that’s what I thought, like the one at the Oval - a colosseum would have been far more interesting though.

I can't work out any bearings from that picture. Is anyone able to shed light on what they see?

trying to work out where that is in relation to the modern city centre, and I'm struggling

When I looked at the triangular configuration of buildings near the bottom left, and just to the right of the canal, I thought it was the Angel hotel location and Westgate street, but that simply can't be...

is that gas holder roughly where the Motorpoint is now

The white building on the far left, a third of the way up the pic is Sam’s Bar/Peppermint/Zync

It’s Queen Street; Principality Building is bottom left. The gas holder is where the Capital Shopping Centre is.

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Originally Posted by fingers

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I don’t think that’s right. I’m seeing Mill Lane and the crossroads at the end of St Mary’s street at the bottom left and the railway lines are headed towards Central station just out of picture at the bottom.

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Originally Posted by Canton Kev

I don’t think that’s right. I’m seeing Mill Lane and the crossroads at the end of St Mary’s street at the bottom left and the railway lines are headed towards Central station just out of picture at the bottom.

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Yeah that's what I see. You can actually see the start of Central Station platforms bottom left if you blow-up the photo. The bridge at the north end of Bute Street is plainly visible. I first thought there had been a flood, but it's obvious that it's smoke giving that impression.

I was researching that canal and Dumballs Road seems to have built on top of it.

Here’s the same view today

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Originally Posted by fingers

It’s Queen Street; Principality Building is bottom left. The gas holder is where the Capital Shopping Centre is.

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Wouldn’t think so, there’s no Blackfriars ruins and this picture shows a railway opposite. The York pub is alongside the railway line in East Canal Wharf and the gas holder is more or less where the gas board building is on Bute Terrace at the bottom of Churchill Way which is now a hotel.

I think it's Newtown top right, central station bottom left

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Originally Posted by splott parker

Wouldn’t think so, there’s no Blackfriars ruins and this picture shows a railway opposite. The York pub is alongside the railway line in East Canal Wharf and the gas holder is more or less where the gas board building is on Bute Terrace at the bottom of Churchill Way which is now a hotel.

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Although the gas board building/hotel is further up near the railway bridge leading to Adam St.

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Originally Posted by Rjk

I think it's Newtown top right, central station bottom left

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Correct, I still call it Cardiff General though:hehe:

What you see here is the canal on the left and, on the right, the straight run of Bute Street with the railway beside. To the left of it is Butetown, with Loudon Square, Frederica and Christina Streets plainly visible - part of these still stand. Canal Parade is there - an echo of the past.

I'm researching Sophia and Frances Street for a client - they are to the left of Loudon Square. These may have been terraced houses, but they had seven rooms including three bedrooms and several were multi-tenancy occupations. They were owned by the Marquess of Bute and the rent was 11/6d in around 1900 - which was relatively expensive.

It's worth copying and pasting these photos for the detail they give.

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The small white building, right on the left hand side, about a third of the way up is still there. It's at the top of Mill Lane.

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Originally Posted by majorlookagain

The small white building, right on the left hand side, about a third of the way up is still there. It's at the top of Mill Lane.

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yes I think you're right, I think I can just about make out the golden cross as well

Fascinating, bet in 100 years it woukd be almost as unrecognisable. Maccies and Starbucks will remain though

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Originally Posted by Cyclops

What you see here is the canal on the left and, on the right, the straight run of Bute Street with the railway beside. To the left of it is Butetown, with Loudon Square, Frederica and Christina Streets plainly visible - part of these still stand. Canal Parade is there - an echo of the past.

I'm researching Sophia and Frances Street for a client - they are to the left of Loudon Square. These may have been terraced houses, but they had seven rooms including three bedrooms and several were multi-tenancy occupations. They were owned by the Marquess of Bute and the rent was 11/6d in around 1900 - which was relatively expensive.

It's worth copying and pasting these photos for the detail they give.

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Thanks for posting the pic. My mother was born in Loudon Square in 1925. Family moved upmarket to Splott, then Adamsdown (but they called it Roath), a few years in Nottingham then 50 plus years in Rhiwbina. How Cardiff has changed in a relatively short space of time.

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Originally Posted by Cyclops

What you see here is the canal on the left and, on the right, the straight run of Bute Street with the railway beside. To the left of it is Butetown, with Loudon Square, Frederica and Christina Streets plainly visible - part of these still stand. Canal Parade is there - an echo of the past.

I'm researching Sophia and Frances Street for a client - they are to the left of Loudon Square. These may have been terraced houses, but they had seven rooms including three bedrooms and several were multi-tenancy occupations. They were owned by the Marquess of Bute and the rent was 11/6d in around 1900 - which was relatively expensive.

It's worth copying and pasting these photos for the detail they give.

Attachment 4861

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That is a great photo of Tiger Bay:thumbup:

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Originally Posted by Rjk

trying to work out where that is in relation to the modern city centre, and I'm struggling

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The building at the bottom left is the old Central Hotel. The canal snaking up the left side is where Mill Lane is now. The gas holder is where the British Gas building was (now The Big Sleep Hotel or Citrus Hotel or something), at the very bottom of Churchill Way. It looks like a canal running from top centre to bottom left (past the gas holder) but it's not - it's a road - it's Bute terrace, with the Raddison Blue, Altolusso on the gas holder side, and on the other, John Lewis and Motorpoint Arena. Once you've got that fixed, it's easy to work out the remainder.

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Originally Posted by Cyclops

What you see here is the canal on the left and, on the right, the straight run of Bute Street with the railway beside. To the left of it is Butetown, with Loudon Square, Frederica and Christina Streets plainly visible - part of these still stand. Canal Parade is there - an echo of the past.

I'm researching Sophia and Frances Street for a client - they are to the left of Loudon Square. These may have been terraced houses, but they had seven rooms including three bedrooms and several were multi-tenancy occupations. They were owned by the Marquess of Bute and the rent was 11/6d in around 1900 - which was relatively expensive.

It's worth copying and pasting these photos for the detail they give.

Attachment 4861

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Greek Church top right ?

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Originally Posted by Rjk

is that gas holder roughly where the Motorpoint is now

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The Gas holder is actually close to the location of the Big Sleep Hotel (or whatever it's now called), opposite the Motorpoint.

The Big Sleep Hotel used to be the Gas building. Which makes perfect sense that it was built on the site of an old gas tank.

The person that thought it was The Angel Hotel, it's not. That is roughly the site now of The Marriot Hotel on Mill Lane. The canal ran along Mill Lane.

This map from 1916 may help. The canal can be seen beside Mill Lane. The site of the Gas Works is also shown

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Originally Posted by IanD

Thanks for posting the pic. My mother was born in Loudon Square in 1925. Family moved upmarket to Splott, then Adamsdown (but they called it Roath), a few years in Nottingham then 50 plus years in Rhiwbina. How Cardiff has changed in a relatively short space of time.

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My dad was born in 1925 and lived in Loudon Square, or very close to it, as a child, there must be a good chance they were in the same year in the same school if she was still there at primary school age.

Loudon Square, Butetown

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Bottom centre just above the railway is the York Hotel brains pub

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Originally Posted by Cyclops

Loudon Square, Butetown

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:thumbup:

That’s an amazing photo. I never realised there was a canal at the bottom of st Mary’s street

Did the canal run all the way down through Bute street to the Bay?

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Originally Posted by Michael Morris

The Gas holder is actually close to the location of the Big Sleep Hotel (or whatever it's now called), opposite the Motorpoint.

The Big Sleep Hotel used to be the Gas building. Which makes perfect sense that it was built on the site of an old gas tank.

The person that thought it was The Angel Hotel, it's not. That is roughly the site now of The Marriot Hotel on Mill Lane. The canal ran along Mill Lane.

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Which is why I said..."I thought it was the Angel hotel location and Westgate street, but that simply can't be"

:biggrin::thumbup:

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Originally Posted by stevebrickman

Did the canal run all the way down through Bute street to the Bay?

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It ran from town past The York hence the street names being East Canal Wharf & West Canal Wharf, it ran parallel with Bute St but behind the houses, it’s a park now. It would have carried on through James St near The White Hart, Nethercott’s (Smellies) shop was on the corner of the park, and down to the Docks itself.

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Originally Posted by splott parker

It ran from town past The York hence the street names being East Canal Wharf & West Canal Wharf, it ran parallel with Bute St but behind the houses, it’s a park now. It would have carried on through James St near The White Hart, Nethercott’s (Smellies) shop was on the corner of the park, and down to the Docks itself.

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What kind of a shop was Nethercott’s (Smellies) and why was it called "Smellies".... a fishmonger's? :sherlock:

My father was born in a house on Hills Terrace 1906. It’s where St David’s 2 is located.

The house backed onto the canal that then went under the railway bridge past the York Hotel. My paternal grandfather was a coal trimmer on the coal barges that ran down the canal to the Docks.

I’m told that he’d be waiting for the barges at home and he would run and jump on the barge as it went past

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Originally Posted by splott parker

It ran from town past The York hence the street names being East Canal Wharf & West Canal Wharf, it ran parallel with Bute St but behind the houses, it’s a park now. It would have carried on through James St near The White Hart, Nethercott’s (Smellies) shop was on the corner of the park, and down to the Docks itself.

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My parents called it smellies,it was Tugs to us kids born in the sixties.
I fondly remember playing pool in there and going over the moon on the pinball, hey Poc!
The Canal was filled in but still integral to the docks.