Penarth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Penarth (Welsh: pen head, + garth cliff or hill, or arth bear) is a town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, lying on the north shore of the Bristol Channel, and at the southern end of Cardiff Bay.
Penarth's name is popularly taken to be from the Welsh 'Bear's Head', though some now hold 'Clifftops' to be a more authentic translation - from the Welsh 'garth' meaning promontory or hill. The bear however continues to feature prominently in the Town Crest.
With its ideal location for commuters to Cardiff, its picturesque scenery and Victorian style architecture in many older parts of the town, Penarth is one of the most sought-after towns in South Wales.
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[edit] History
The town of Penarth owes its development to the massive expansion of the local coal industry in the 19th century. Its proximity to Cardiff, which was the natural outlet for the industrial valleys of Glamorgan, and its waterfront meant that it was ideally situated to meet the world demand for Welsh coal through the construction of the docks.
Penarth was little more than a village with 105 residents and 24 houses in 1851[1], being one of five parishes in the Hundred of Dinas Powys, with a combined population of just over 300. The contract for the building of Penarth Dock was placed in 1859 and the dock was opened six years later. 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 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 development of the town was rapid and Penarth soon became self-sufficient with its own local government, thriving shopping centre and community facilities. Many of the town's features owe their origin to the landowners of the time and the results of their vision can be seen by the many fine buildings and parks which make Penarth what it is today. Thanks to the generosity of these landowners, Penarth earned the reputation of "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 being designated as a Conservation Area because of its Victorian/Edwardian architecture. Penarth's town library was donated by the philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie.
[edit] Today
After the war the docks lay derelict, and much of it was used for landfill. In 1987 a new marina village opened. This consisted of some 300 yacht berths, surrounded by waterside homes, and was one of the key drivers to the redevelopment of Cardiff Bay.
The second biggest town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Penarth is split into four wards. Plymouth and Stanwell are bases for professional families staking a claim in Penarth’s highly praised schools. Cornerswell is home to the majority of Penarth’s 24 care homes and to Poets Corner where residents live on streets named after Wordsworth, Tennyson and Chaucer. St Augustine’s has a mixed residency, and includes Penarth’s notorious eyesore, the Harbour Heights estate. Known locally as “The Billybanks” after its foreman, it won an award but is continually under review by the council for demolition and redevelopment.
[edit] Attractions
Attractions in Penarth include Penarth Pier, which recently celebrated its centenary; the "Turner House" Art Gallery in Plymouth Road; the Washington Art Gallery in Stanwell Road; the Glamorganshire Golf Club in Lavernock Road; the Cardiff Bay Barrage; while both Cosmeston Medieval Village and Lavernock Point lie nearby.
Both the pier pavilion and the Edwardian buildings on the esplanade, have been allowed to fall into disrepair, in spite of the area being designated as a conservation area. Proposals to demolish and redevelop the Edwardian building of flats and shops on the Esplanade were abandoned after vociferous local opposition. Since then the building has been left boarded up. This, together with an abandoned development in a prime site behind the old swimming baths now lends the area an air of dilapidation and decay, in contrast to its vibrant neighbour Cardiff Bay. Ambitious plans to form a link around the headland to the marina have faltered, and the future for the esplanade looks bleak. Despite this neglect of the town, the Town Council with its limited budget has successfully pushed for fair trade status for the town. It is now the only town in the Vale of Glamorgan to achieve this prestigious award.
[edit] Government
[edit] Council
The current mayor of Penarth is Labour Councillor who represents Stanwell Ward is Mark Wilson. The Penarth Town Council has been Labour Party controlled since 1991, the current leader is Nigel Gibbs. The chair of leisure and amentities is Ms Rhiannon Birch.
[edit] Welsh Assembly
Cardiff South and Penarth is constituency of the Welsh Assembly Government, currently represented by Lorraine Barrett AM, a member of the Labour Party.
[edit] Westminster
Cardiff South and Penarth is currently represented by Alun Michael MP a member of the Labour Party.
[edit] Sports
The once-renowned Penarth Rugby Football Club is based at The Athletic Field, Lavernock Road, Penarth, where it used to host the world-famous Barbarians Football Club each Easter Good Friday, until 1986. This fixture was the start of the "Baa-Baas" annual South Wales tour, which also encompassed playing Cardiff on the Saturday, Swansea on Easter Monday and Newport on the Tuesday. Easter Sunday would see the Barbarians "playing" golf at the Glamorganshire Golf Club, in Penarth, while the former Esplanade Hotel, that was located on the seafront at Penarth would host the party for the trip, at their "spiritual home".
[edit] Transport
Penarth railway station serves the town, and is the terminus of the Penarth branch of the Vale of Glamorgan Line from Cardiff. It is on an extension of the line originally built by the Taff Vale Railway in 1865 to serve the newly-created docks. All services on this line are operated by Arriva Trains Wales as part of the Valley Lines portion of the National Rail network.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Penarth Times, local newspaper site
- Penarth, BBC
- Vale of Glamorgan Council site including school list
- Images of Penarth, site with many pictures of Penarth
- Flickr Penarth photo gallery
