82-532: Turner House Gallery is an art gallery and multi-purpose cultural venue in Penarth , near Cardiff , Wales . The gallery was built in 1887/8, designed by architect Edwin Seward in a Queen Anne style for the rich local flour merchant, James Pyke Thompson . Pyke Thompson used the gallery to exhibit his collection of artworks, which include drawings, etchings, and ceramics, by artists including Rembrandt, with free entry to
164-457: A Draig Goch to denote that the town is in Wales and a sailing vessel recognising Penarth's long association with sea commerce. The Penarth area has a history of human inhabitation dating back at least 5000 years. In 1956 several Neolithic stone axe heads were found in the town. A large hoard of Roman rings and coins were also discovered at nearby Sully . From the 12th century until 1543
246-650: A United States Navy Base was established at Penarth Docks (now Penarth Marina) – a base from which many of the troops which took part in the D Day invasion set out for the Normandy beaches. The base was under the command of Captain Arnold Winfield Chapin USN. Captain Chapin presented a painting of Penarth Docks in 1944 to "the people of Penarth", which now hangs in town council's Kymin House, Penarth. In 1944, Penarth dock and
328-462: A halt at an early stage, when the London contractors went into liquidation . The Penarth Pier Company was formed to make a second attempt at building a permanent pier. The foundations were laid in 1894 and the pier successfully opened in 1895, at 750 feet (230 m) long. 51°26′6.31″N 3°9′59.43″W / 51.4350861°N 3.1665083°W / 51.4350861; -3.1665083 In 1907,
410-588: A hundred years of commercial operations, the docks area lay unused and derelict, and much of it was used for landfill . The largest basin, No 2 dock at the Cogan end, is now completely filled in, grassed over and surrounded by roadways. In 1987, the new Penarth Marina village opened on the disused docks site. The No 1 dock and outer basin were re-excavated or dredged out to provide some 350 yacht berths, surrounded by extensive modern waterside homes and several marine engineering yards. The original dock office and Excise House
492-473: A new cultural venue in the building. In July 2018 Penarth Town Council launched an online community consultation survey regarding the future use of Turner House and other buildings. In 2021 the gallery reopened with Penarth Town Council working in partnership with Amgueddfa Cymru–National Museum Wales to use the building as multi-purpose cultural venue. The gallery regularly hosts Hayward Gallery touring exhibition shows. A selection of exhibitions held at
574-503: A particular character to the surviving older buildings of the town. To the south of the town centre, imposing detached villa residences along the cliff tops looked across the Channel to the Somerset coast and the islands of Flat Holm ( Welsh : Ynys Echni ) and Steep Holm ( Welsh : Ynys Rhonech ). The villas were built by wealthy shipping and dock owners from Cardiff who were moving out of
656-450: A small wooden "Concert Party" theatre was built at the seaward end. In 1929, the pier was bought by Penarth Urban District Council, who added a new pier-head berthing pontoon, and in 1930 the current art deco pavilion was added. In 1931, a fire started in the seaward-end theatre, which, after a sea and land-based rescue, saved all 800 people on board at that time. The pier was rebuilt, strengthened with additional concrete columns, but without
738-510: A substantial retired population, representing over 24% of residents, but Penarth is now predominantly a dormitory town for Cardiff commuters . The town's population was recorded as 20,396 in the United Kingdom Census 2001 . The built-up area had a population of 27,226, but this figure does not include nearby suburb Dinas Powys . The town retains extensive surviving Victorian and Edwardian architecture in many traditional parts of
820-437: A thriving shopping centre and many new community facilities. What is now the main shopping area of Windsor Road was originally residential housing, but the owners sacrificed their front gardens to build shop extensions, although the original house architecture can still be seen above the shops. Most of the town's fine architectural features owe their origin to the landowners of the time and the results of their vision can be seen by
902-514: A village common and small independent shops, public houses , restaurants and community facilities. Garages, small supermarkets, a pharmacy and a veterinary practice can be found in other parts of the town. According to recent electoral rolls , the population is in the region of 8,800, making Dinas Powys the fifth largest settlement in the Vale of Glamorgan. The Dinas Powys area has been populated since prehistoric times. The most ancient artifact found in
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#1733092780291984-596: Is also a Midweek League side and a Sunday friendly side, playing home matches on the village common. The club also has a junior section. There has been an active branch of the Pony Club in the village since 1975. There are also many voluntary organisations, including a large Scout group. The 2021 ITV television drama series Hollington Drive was filmed in Dinas Powys, in the luxury housing estate on Ardwyn Walk. The village has two railway stations, one at either end of
1066-557: Is currently represented in the UK Parliament by the Labour MP Stephen Doughty . The Senedd constituency of Vale of Glamorgan is represented by Jane Hutt of Welsh Labour . The 2001 UK Census recorded the population of Dinas Powys as 8,512. In the 2011 Census , the number had fallen to 7,490. However, electoral roll information in 2012 indicated that the population was 8,790. There are few major employers in
1148-638: Is home to several sports teams. Rugby was played on the common in 1882, when a group of young farm workers challenged players at the new Gwalia Brickworks. Dinas Powys Rugby Club is located on the common and plays in the WRU League 1 East Central. The club has won the East District cup on two occasions, and the 2nd XV (known as the Dingos) won the Mallett cup in 2016. Organised sports are also played on Parc Bryn-a-don and
1230-626: Is now in use as a popular restaurant, with only the Grade II listed Marine Hotel remaining derelict and boarded up, awaiting suitable redevelopment plans. The Penarth Marina development was one of the key catalysts to the similar later redevelopment of the Cardiff Bay area. Penarth is one of the most affluent areas in the Vale of Glamorgan and property prices continue to remain high. Marine Parade or ' Millionaires' row ', with its grand, substantial Victorian houses or modern designer villas with views across
1312-478: Is now vacant. The rear yard, once used to stable horses for the horse-drawn Penarth to Cardiff bus service, is still used by the Post Office for mail and parcel sorting. The contract for the building of Penarth Dock was placed in 1859 and the dock was opened six years later, constructed by a workforce of around 1,200 mostly Irish ' navvies ' under the direction of chief engineer Harrison Hayter and implementing
1394-591: Is remembered among the Royal Navy memorials at Portsmouth . At one time, Penarth had two grand and decorative cinemas. The first was the Windsor Kinema on Windsor Road, originally converted from a 19th-century Territorial Army drill hall and later used as Monty Smith's garage until it closed in October 2015. The even grander Washington Cinema was built opposite the library in 1936 with a classical ' Art Deco ' frontage, on
1476-649: Is the medieval, winding single-track Cross Common Road. Another traditional lane crossing, which existed between the current site of the Tesco Express mini-supermarket and the Erw Delyn school at Redlands Heights, Penarth, was closed to through traffic following extensions to the Murch estate in the 1970s. According to the Environment Agency , in the floods of October 1998 six properties at Dinas Powys were affected. Flooding
1558-701: The Bristol Channel , is considered to be the finest street in Penarth, although several larger properties are now split as apartments or adapted as residential care homes . Houses in Penarth vary from imposing three storey red brick Victorian houses found on both Plymouth and Westbourne Roads to compact stone terraces in Cogan and upper Penarth. Many of the Plymouth Road, Westbourne Road, Victoria Road and Archer Road houses, originally large family homes with servants' quarters on
1640-465: The Conservative Party won four additional seats on the community council, all at the expense of Plaid Cymru, including the defeat of Chris Franks . An electoral ward of the same name exists, for elections to Vale of Glamorgan Council . This ward mainly covers Dinas Powys but also stretches north to Michaelston. The total population of the ward at the 2011 census was 7,799. Until May 2017,
1722-518: The English Channel to France. The Glamorganshire Golf Club, in Lower Penarth, was the site of an experimental rocket battery that regularly scared residents during practice firings. Lavernock Point was the location of Lavernock Fort , with its heavy naval guns, anti-aircraft and searchlight batteries and the town's Royal Observer Corps observation post, that sounded the air raid sirens nightly in
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#17330927802911804-466: The South Wales valleys , mostly arriving by train. Today, the town, with its traditional seafront, continues to be a regular summer holiday destination (predominantly for older visitors), but their numbers are much lower than was common from Victorian times until the 1960s, when cheap overseas package holidays were introduced. Although the number of holiday visitors has greatly declined, the town retains
1886-487: The commote known as the Hundred of Dinas Powis , which also encompassed St Andrews Major , Michaelston-le-Pit , Westra , Penarth , Cogan , Sully , Lavernock and Llandough . By 1833, Dinas Powys barely existed. The nearby St. Andrews Major was at the time substantially larger, but added together their population was still only 474 in total. The village population remained almost static at about 300-400 people until
1968-579: The 11th century, Dinas Powys was under the control of Sir Reginald de Sully, one of the Twelve Knights of Glamorgan . In 1591, Sir Edward Mansel of Margam wrote his historical document recording The Winning of Glamorgan and said: Mansel also records: Dinas Powys was included in the original medieval Welsh political sub-division called the Cantref Brenhinol (the Royal Hundred) which later became
2050-477: The 1980s and stood empty for many years before being demolished for a new development of residential housing. In 1965, the combined Cardiff Universities built the multi-storey International House on Plymouth Road near the end of Cliff Parade to provide Halls of Residence for up to 300 overseas students attending University College, Cardiff and the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology. Abandoned in
2132-482: The 5th and 7th centuries. Alcock dated the defence structures at Dinas Powys as from the Norman period, but later archeologists and scholars have rejected that interpretation, dating the defence structures to the early medieval period. The castle was originally the seat of a Norman noble called Baron de Sumeri or Sumery, but the structure went into decline around 1322 when the de Sumeri male family line came to an end. In
2214-466: The Cardiff Steam and Navigation Company started a regular ferry service between Cardiff and Penarth. This continued until 1903. Boats were loaded and unloaded at Penarth using a landing stage on wheels which was hauled up the beach. In the 1880s, an attempt was made to construct a permanent pier . This was possibly because of the need to find a safer way to unload boats. However, construction ground to
2296-710: The Coastal Communities Fund. Work was completed and the pavilion reopened in Autumn 2013. With its busy commercial docks and the proximity to Cardiff Docks and steelworks, Penarth became a target for Nazi German bombing raids during the Second World War . The air raids started in 1941 and continued almost constantly for the next four years. Penarth had its own Home Guard detachment. Scrap metals were needed to build tanks and aircraft, so hundreds of Penarth homes lost their traditional Victorian iron railings from
2378-574: The Fixed Defences, Severn Scheme and protected the Atlantic shipping convoy de-grouping zones. In 1943 there was a Battalion of American Seabees, the US Construction Corps , living on a merchant vessel tied up in Penarth docks, while they built a large number of Quonset huts for the rapid temporary expansions of Llandough Hospital and Sully Hospital . One night, in 1942, All Saints' Church
2460-448: The Manor. Even as late as 1851, Penarth was still little more than a small rural farming and fishing village since medieval times, with just 24 houses and 105 residents, being one of five parishes contained within the Hundred of Dinas Powys , with a combined population of just over 300. Before the pier and dock were built, there was a tiny fleet of local sail-powered fishing vessels based on
2542-669: The Murch Playing Fields. Dinas Powys Football Club became the first in the Vale of Glamorgan to achieve the Football Association of Wales ' Club Accreditation Scheme Bronze Award. Dinas Powys Golf Club was founded in 1914 and has views over the city of Cardiff and Cardiff Bay . Dinas Powys Cricket Club was established in 1882. The club fields three sides in the Welsh Club Cricket Conference , playing their home league matches at Parc Bryn y Don. There
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2624-479: The adjacent Cwm George was the site of the Celtic hill fort from which the village takes its name. The hill fort site was excavated by Leslie Alcock of University College, Cardiff between 1953 and 1958 and was found to contain evidence of major wooden structures and a large quantity of high-status metalwork and jewellery. There were also glass items and imported pottery dating from the sub-Roman period of between
2706-489: The area is a Neolithic Stone Age axe-head, discovered by P. W. Brooks in 1949 and now displayed in the National Museum Cardiff . The hillfort was, in its time, considered to have great status and wealth. Indeed, in the age of Celtic Christianity , residents of Dinas Powys had use of day-to-day objects from Bordeaux, Athens and Alexandria. The village features substantial remains of an early medieval castle and
2788-514: The centre of the village, known locally as the Twyn, with a war memorial. Dinas Powys is spread across the full width of a wooded valley, with the Cadoxton River running in the valley. The surrounding soils are mostly a strong, brown, dry earth, useful for arable farming; the growing of various grains contributed to the area being a mostly farming community until the modern era. The substratum under
2870-409: The choice of purchasing their freehold or negotiating 999 year extensions on their short leases. The earliest homes built in the town were streets of terraced houses with busy corner shops and public houses on almost every corner, following the contours of the headland and in the rapidly expanding Cogan area near the docks. Local grey limestone, quarried from what is now Cwrt-y-vil playing fields, gave
2952-522: The cliff' or 'Clifftops'. and the Welsh-English dictionary Y Geiriadur Mawr (The Big Dictionary: Gomer Press) reveals that penardd/penarth eb (feminine noun) means 'promontory'. The civic town coat of arms was drawn by the town's architect in 1875 from a detailed brief prepared by the Town Board. It features a bear's head above a shield supported by two further bears standing . The shield contains
3034-495: The cost of maintenance becoming uneconomical. The tunnel entrance at the Penarth end was located near the lock gates, between the outer basin and the number one dock. This historic short cut route was 'almost' replicated and replaced in June 2008 with the opening of a pedestrian and cycle route across the new Cardiff Bay Barrage . Because of the growing popularity of Penarth beach and the need for better communications with Cardiff, in 1856
3116-462: The design of civil engineer John Hawkshaw . At the Welsh coal trade's zenith in 1913 ships carried 4,660,648 tons of coal in a single year out of Penarth docks. In 1886 Isambard Kingdom Brunel 's SS Great Britain , originally a passenger vessel but later converted as a coal trader departed from Penarth Dock on what would become its final voyage. A disastrous fire, during the voyage, all but destroyed
3198-549: The dock beach, as far as the Penarth Headland, was full of invasion barges that departed for the "Operation Overlord" D-Day landings . Many of the defensively equipped merchant ships were loaded with American Sherman tanks and their US Army crews that had been billeted in Penarth after training, housed in a vast village of Quonset or Nissen huts that had been built in 'Neale's Wood', now the Northcliffe Estate next to
3280-472: The expanding coal trade from the South Wales valleys . At that time the only features below St Andrews Major were the small hamlet of Dinas Powys, the rail line, Cadoxton Brook and a number of small farms. The new rail link provided far better communication and transport to the area, making it a more attractive residential prospect, and many workers from Barry and Cardiff moved in. By 1891, the village population had more than doubled to 1,149; ten years later, it
3362-520: The food rationing by landing fresh fish. There was a non-profit ' British Restaurant ' at the top end of the Windsor Arcade, where families made homeless by the bombing, had run out of ration coupons or otherwise needed help, could buy a three-course meal for ninepence. Many Penarth Yacht Club members volunteered for the Dunkirk evacuation and sailed their yachts and motor boats around the coast and across
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3444-535: The front gardens during the war years. Even All Saints' Church in Victoria Square lost its magnificently ornate gates and the railing fence that surrounded the square's green. Strict wartime food rationing meant that food had to be found wherever possible. The town's parks, recreation grounds, open spaces and front gardens of houses were dug up and converted to allotments planted with vegetables. The seafront and pier were packed daily with people trying to supplement
3526-522: The gallery include: 51°26′09″N 3°10′25″W / 51.4358°N 3.1737°W / 51.4358; -3.1737 Penarth Penarth ( / p ɛ ˈ n ɑːr θ / pen- ARTH , Welsh: [pɛnˈarθ] ) is a town and community in the Vale of Glamorgan , Wales , approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Cardiff city centre on the west shore of the Severn Estuary at
3608-531: The hotels were the Esplanade Hotel on the seafront built in 1887, The Marine Hotel at the mouth of the docks, The Royal Hotel at the top of Arcot Street, The Washington Hotel opposite the library and The Glendale and Lansdowne hotels on Plymouth Road. Apart from the major hotels, accommodation was also available at the smaller Dock Hotel, Penarth Hotel, Ship Hotel, Westbourne Hotel, Plymouth Hotel, Windsor Hotel, Railway Hotel and dozens of mariners' lodging houses at
3690-575: The industrialised city for a more genteel and sophisticated lifestyle. By 1861, the number of people in the five parishes had increased to 1,898 and to 3,382 by 1871. In 1875, three of the constituent parishes - Penarth, Cogan , and Llandough - were merged into the Penarth Local Board, giving a population of 6,228 persons by 1881. This figure had doubled by 1891 with the opening of the railway and had increased even further by 1901 to 14,228 persons. The town of Penarth thus owes its development to
3772-455: The lands of Penarth were owned by the canons of St Augustine, Bristol . The Norman church of St Augustine (on the headland) dates from this period. After the dissolution of the monasteries the ownership transferred to the dean and chapter of Bristol Cathedral . The manor lands were leased to the Earls of Plymouth of St. Fagans Castle . In 1853 the family purchased the manor outright. Because
3854-461: The late 18th century, as a place to retain stray sheep, cattle and pigs or to imprison thieves, rustlers and vagabonds. It was located roughly where the car park now stands, at the rear of the NatWest Bank in Plymouth Road. In 1803, Penarth is recorded as having between 800 - 900 acres (3.6 km ) of land under cultivation as several farms. In the 1801 census, there were just 72 people living in
3936-530: The late 1990s, after just 30 years in its original use, International House is now converted as a specialist residential care home. Dinas Powys Dinas Powys ( Welsh pronunciation: [ˈdinas ˈpɔwɪs] ; also spelt "Dinas Powis" in English) is a town and community in the Vale of Glamorgan , South Wales . Its name means "fort of the provincial place" and refers to the Iron Age hillfort which overlooks
4018-517: The main Cardiff road and in the direction of Cadoxton and Barry. Cwm George and Cwrt-yr-Ala are woodlands in the area. Maps over the last hundred years show that Penarth and Dinas Powys have spread and grown closer together. In many places the two communities are only separated by a few hundred yards and a couple of fields; however, no direct road connections have been added, entailing a car journey of several miles via Llandough. The only existing direct road
4100-537: The main town beach that tied up on the seafront quayside. The Plymouth estate office retained control over the planning, building and development of the new town, offering 99-year leases and remaining the ground landlord. All householders in Penarth were tenants of the Plymouth Estates, paying an annual ground rent. The situation would not change until the Leasehold Reform Act 1967, that gave householders
4182-506: The many grand buildings and parks which make Penarth what it is today. Thanks to the generosity of those far sighted landowners, Penarth earned its wide reputation as "The Garden by the Sea" because of its beautiful parks and open spaces. Furthermore, many of the buildings and features of the town have led to a substantial part of the town being designated as a Conservation Area because of its Victorian / Edwardian architecture. Penarth's town library
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#17330927802914264-460: The massive expansion of the South Wales coalfield in the 19th century. Its proximity to Cardiff, which was the natural outlet for the industrial valleys of Glamorgan , and its natural waterfront meant that Penarth was ideally situated to contribute to meeting the world's demand for Welsh coal through the construction of the docks. The development of the town continued to be rapid and Penarth soon became self-sufficient, with its own local government,
4346-454: The old "Iron Church" in the village square, which had served as a chapel of ease for St. Andrews since 1881, but could only hold 180 worshippers. The new church's foundation stone was laid on St. Peter's Day on 29 June 1929; it was consecrated on 15 October 1930. The church was designed by the Glamorgan architect J Coates Carter, and was built after his death. Much of the masonry was reused from
4428-556: The pier to re-open the pavilion as a major tourist attraction. The new plans included a cinema and observatory. In September 2012, the restoration work began on the pavilion, with a projected cost estimated at £4 million, funded by the lottery , the Welsh government , the Vale of Glamorgan council , Cadw (part of the Housing, Regeneration and Heritage Department of the Welsh Government) and
4510-437: The present-day Headlands School. British Commando units trained on the Penarth cliffs in preparation for scaling the Normandy cliff faces. Several of the invasion barges were not used and lay rotting on the dock beach well into the 1950s used as playthings by local children. Thousands of incendiary and explosive bombs were dropped on Penarth during the war and as late as the 1970s unexploded devices were still being found in
4592-468: The public. The collection notably includes paintings by J. M. W. Turner , after which the gallery was named. Turner House Gallery was acquired by the National Museum of Wales in 1921 and used to display the museum's secondary public art collection. The building was given Grade II listed status in 1993. In 2003 Turner House was taken over by the registered charity, Ffotogallery , and subsequently
4674-486: The recently demolished Cyfarthfa Ironworks . St Peter's is currently a Grade 2 listed building. Dinas Powys is also noted for its 14th century Norman parish church, dedicated to St Andrew. This is located in the hamlet of St Andrews Major , just under a mile away from the village centre. There is also the nearby church of St Michael and All Angels in Michaelston-le-Pit . There are also two Methodist chapels in
4756-515: The route of the railway line. This provided a further burst of population growth and house building. A corner of the village common land was sold to the Barry Docks and Railway Company for £160. The then Lord of the Manor and ex-military survivor of the First World War , Major General Henry Lee, donated an additional sum of £30 and in 1935 the combined fund was used to upgrade the small green in
4838-558: The second half of the 19th century, when there was an influx into the community, including a large contingent from the West Country . The growth of the coal industry saw the first passenger train arrive in Dinas Powys on 20 December 1898, and thereafter the population increased rapidly. The new rail link was laid at the bottom end of the Dinas Powys valley and provided a rapid connection to new docks built in Cardiff , Barry and Penarth to handle
4920-535: The silt and sand on the beaches between Penarth and Cardiff. The coal trade from Penarth docks eventually petered out and the docks closed in 1936, only reopening for commercial and military use during World War II. From the 1950s, and up until 1965, the basins were utilised by the Royal Navy to mothball dozens of destroyers and frigates from the no longer needed wartime fleet of warships, until they were sold to foreign nations or broken up. By 1967, after barely
5002-475: The site of a former hotel and its tennis courts. The Washington closed as a cinema in 1971. After several years as a busy bingo hall, it has now been converted into a coffee house and art gallery, whilst retaining its original frontage. Penarth's other distinctive art deco structure was the new General Post Office that was built in Albert Road in 1936. Closed in the 1980s, the building is Grade II listed and
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#17330927802915084-590: The southern end of Cardiff Bay . Penarth is a seaside resort in the Cardiff Urban Area , and the second largest town in the Vale of Glamorgan, next only to the administrative centre of Barry . During the Victorian era Penarth was a highly popular holiday destination, promoted nationally as "The Garden by the Sea" and was packed by visitors from the Midlands and the West Country as well as day trippers from
5166-662: The surrounding land was owned by religious institutions from an early date, there was no need for a large family house in Penarth. The oldest building in the area is a Tudor mansion , owned by the Herbert family, on the hillside at Cogan Pill. This has since been converted into a chain restaurant. Piracy was prevalent on the coast near Penarth and, in the 1570s, a Special Commission being set up to investigate and suppress it. Leading family members in Penarth were believed to be implicated. Penarth's medieval walled Sheriff's Pound , an early form of multi-purpose gaol , remained in use until
5248-588: The top end of the town. All have now closed with the exception of the Glendale and a handful of small and more recent bed and breakfast establishments. A Royal Navy Hunt-class minesweeper was named HMS Penarth after the town in 1918 and survived the last nine months of the First World War, but only served for twelve months when it was sunk off the Yorkshire coast in 1919 after striking two mines. The vessel
5330-499: The top floors, have now been adapted for multi-occupancy as flats and apartments. Penarth Marina in direct contrast features trendy modern townhouses , apartments and designer penthouses . In 1930, the General Post Office (GPO), later British Telecom (BT), built its main telephone engineers' college on the corner of Lavernock Road and Victoria Road, where engineers from all over the UK attended basic and advanced residential courses lasting up to eight weeks. The college closed in
5412-414: The town. At the outbreak of the war, over 350 soldiers of the Royal Artillery were stationed on Flat Holm, which was armed with four 4.5 inch guns and associated searchlights to be used for anti-aircraft and close defence, together with two 40 millimetres (1.6 in) Bofors guns . A GL (Gun Laying) MkII radar station was also placed in the centre of the island. The structures formed part of
5494-439: The town. Penarth is a Welsh placename and could be a combination of pen meaning head and arth meaning bear, hence 'Head of the Bear' or 'Bear's Head'. This was the accepted translation for several hundred years and is still reflected in the town's coat of arms which depicts bears. Modern scholars have suggested that the name is shortened from an original " Pen-y-garth ", where garth means cliff, hence 'Head of
5576-431: The vessel and she foundered on the Falkland Islands , where she remained until salvaged and returned to Bristol Docks for restoration in the 1970s. One feature of Penarth Dock was the tunnel underpass that connected Penarth dock to Ferry Road Grangetown under the River Ely . Not quite wide enough for motor vehicles it was used by commuting pedestrians and cyclists as a short cut to work in Cardiff. The circular tunnel
5658-427: The village. Dinas Powys is 5.6 miles (9.0 km) south-west of the centre of Cardiff and is situated on the A4055 road from Cardiff to Barry , making it a popular dormitory village for city commuters. It neighbours the larger town of Penarth . Although several housing developments have been added since the late 20th century, the old centre of Dinas Powys maintains a traditional, almost rural character. It has
5740-566: The village. One is a small "tin Tabernacle" in the Eastbrook area; the larger Methodist Church backs onto Station Road. Dinas Powys Baptist Church meets in the Parish Hall on Britway Road, and Bethesda Chapel is on Fairoaks. Ebenezer Presbyterian Church is located in the Highwalls Road area. Dinas Powys has two primary schools , Dinas Powys Primary School (formed in 2015 by the amalgamation of Dinas Powys Infants' School and Murch Junior School) and St Andrews Major Church in Wales Primary School. The village has no secondary school of its own. It
5822-404: The village. The majority of the working population commute to Cardiff, Penarth and Barry. Local landmarks include Dinas Powys Castle , the village common, and the war memorial on the village green. The Mount, a late Georgian villa, is a Grade 2 listed building . It was originally a farmhouse called Mount Pleasant and was occupied by the Hurst family, who held the manor of Dinas Powys. The house
5904-510: The ward was represented by three Plaid Cymru councillors and an independent. In the 2017 elections, all four seats were won by the Conservatives (Vince Driscoll, Andy Robertson, Rob Crowley and Steve Griffiths). The Conservatives also gained seats at Plaid Cymru's expense on the community council. Dinas Powys currently falls within the Cardiff South and Penarth parliamentary constituency and
5986-400: The whole area is a limestone that was likely laid down under a warm ocean in the distant past. The village has not been able to spread northwards, because of golf courses and protected woodlands between Dinas Powys and Michaelston-le-pit . The freeholders of Cwrt-yr-Ala Estate prevented the two from merging. More recent housing development has taken place in a linear fashion either side of
6068-542: The wooden theatre. In 1947, the 7,130 ton steamship the SS Port Royal Park , under the flag of the Tavistock Shipping Company, collided with the pier, causing severe damage that was not repaired for several years. In August 1966, a 600-ton pleasure steamer, Bristol Queen , hit the pier causing an estimated £25,000 damage. In March 2011, planning permission was granted for a £3.9 million revamp of
6150-417: Was about half a mile long with an entrance foyer at each end. Lined with cream and green coloured ceramic tiles, the route was lit originally by gaslight and later by electricity. Completed in 1899, from parts cast by T Gregory Engineering Works, Taffs Well, the tunnel remained in use until the autumn of 1965, when it was closed and the ends bricked up, after a series of violent muggings, repeated vandalism and
6232-449: Was caused by the floodwater overtopping the banks of the Cadoxton River among others, restrictions to flow in channels and surcharging of drains. The community of Dinas Powys (which includes St Andrews Major and Westra) elects a community council . Uniquely for this part of Wales, the council was dominated by the Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru for over two decades. More recently, this dominance has reduced slightly. In May 2008,
6314-674: Was extended in the 19th century by the Lee family, who built a new south wing and renamed it the Mount. It was further modified in the Victorian period before being converted into separate dwellings in the 20th century. St. Peter's Church on Mill Road is the village's main Church in Wales parish church , while the Catholic congregation worships at St. Mary's on Edith Road. St Peter's was built in 1929–1930 to replace
6396-609: Was hit by a stick of incendiary bombs and was totally gutted by fire, with only the outer walls left standing. The church was rebuilt after the war and reopened in 1955. Albert Road School was also hit by a stick of incendiaries and badly damaged by fire, although it was quickly patched up and in use again within the week. St Paul's Methodist Church, overlooking the docks, was totally destroyed by bombs. Dozens of ordinary homes were struck by bombs, including houses in Salop Street, Arcot Street, Albert Road and Queens Road. In October 1943,
6478-609: Was opened in 1905, thanks to a donation by the Carnegie Trust . The town's gothic style Police Station and town gaol opened in 1864, opposite the Windsor Arms brewery. With the arrival of the railway connection to the Welsh valleys in 1878 came the regular influx of day trippers, often hundreds of them at weekends and bank holidays. The developing summer holiday trade was supported by a large number of quality hotels that provided nearly two thousand bedspaces. The biggest and grandest of
6560-492: Was over 2,000. Dinas Powys expanded in two ways: from the railway link towards St. Andrew's Major many imposing and fine houses were built, in contrast to the 'railway suburbs' that grew up along the railway, near the current area of Eastbrook, where the new housing was of more modest proportions. A few years after the railway was constructed, the main Cardiff Road was developed over the previous unmetalled trackway that followed
6642-419: Was previously home to one half of Penarth’s St Cyres Comprehensive School . The site was the smaller of the school's two campuses and was for pupils aged 11 to 14; the site for the older children was in Penarth. However, the Dinas Powys site closed in 2012, and was replaced by a single, larger redeveloped site in Penarth. The recreation area at the village common, administered by Dinas Powys Community Council,
6724-456: Was used for photography-based exhibitions. In 2014/15 the gallery became part of a wider Artes Mundi exhibition, staging works by Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson and Croatian artist Sanja Iveković for Artes Mundi 6. In 2018 Ffotogallery announced that it would be leaving Turner House for new premises in the centre of Cardiff, starting in July 2019. The town council were looking at creating
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