Whitchurch, Cardiff

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Whitchurch (Welsh Yr Eglwys Newydd eglwys church + newydd new) is a suburb of Cardiff, Wales. It is approximately 3 miles from the centre of the city on the B12(A) road. Its estimated population as of 2004 was 15,649.

1 History
2 Schools
3 Road and Rail Access
4 External links

[edit] History

The settlement dates back to the 12th century, when a chapel was established by a priest from the Cathedral Church of Llandaff. The earliest known name for the village was Stuntaf, from the Welsh Ystum Taf, meaning "a bend in the river Taf").

In the early 18th century there were no more than around 300 people living in Whitchurch, but by the end of the 19th century, this had risen to nearly 5,000. Whitchurch Parish Council was first formed in 1845.

With the expansion of Cardiff in the twentieth century, Whitchurch is no longer considered a separate village. The modern suburb contains a number of schools, a shopping centre, and Whitchurch Hospital, a psychiatric hospital originally built in the Victorian era.

[edit] Schools

High Schools in Whitchurch include:

Whitchurch High School, the largest school in Wales.

[edit] Road and Rail Access

Whitchurch lies between two local rail services, the Taff Vale Line, which runs through the neighbouring Llandaff North and the Coryton Line at the north of end of Whitchurch. Whitchurch (Glamorgan) railway station is located on the latter.