Cardiff City, or Dinas Caerdydd, has been Wales' capital city of since 1955 and is the most important administrative, shopping, and cultural centre in the country. It is also the headquarters for many national organisations and government departments, including the home of the Senedd (the Wales Parliament). It is also an important industrial centre and also a hub for commerce, law, higher education, media, and independent film production.
Before Cardiff was given the formal title of Wales' capital city in 1955, various places in Wales (and England!) were the capital. For a long period from 1473 to 1689 Ludlow in Shropshire (England) was the capital of Wales! Centuries before Ludlow, Strata Florida Abbey, where Llywelyn the Great held council in 1238 was the capital. In 1404, Owain Glyndŵr formed a Senedd (parliament) in Machynlleth.
Here are 25 points in the history of Cardiff in the two hundred years from 1800 to 1999.
Cardiff in Welsh is "Caerdydd". The origins of the name Caerdydd are a point of debate but are widely believed to have come from an English corruption of the original Welsh title Caer-Taff (Fort on the Taff). Others believe that Caerdydd derives from the Middle Welsh word Caerdyf. Whatever its background, Cardiff in Welsh is firmly established as "Caerdydd"!!!
Over the course of history a number of places have served as the location of the Welsh "Government" or "Parliament". With varying degrees of formality, here are the four capital cities of Wales before Cardiff.
Located in Pembrokeshire Wales, our ethos is defined in the three words...
NATURAL TRADITIONAL HANDMADE.
We are a proud supporter of Americymru the Campaign for Wool, Global Welsh and Red Dragon America.
Last updated 21st August 2024