Roald Dahl Plass
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Roald Dahl Plass (Welsh: Plas Roald Dahl) is a public plaza in Cardiff Bay, part of Cardiff, Wales. It is named after Cardiff-born children's author Roald Dahl,[1] and is located on the coast along the south of the city centre. The square is home to the Senedd (Welsh Assembly Building) and the Wales Millennium Centre, a performing arts centre. The bowl-like shape of the plaza has made it a popular amphitheatre for hosting open-air concerts.[1]
Formerly named the Oval Basin, the area was one of the docks for a thriving coal port during the latter half the 19th century and much of the 20th century. Following World War II, the plaza entered a period of decay and dereliction until the 1980s, when the Cardiff Bay area was regenerated.[2]
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[edit] History
The area was originally all wetlands owned by John Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marquess of Bute. He was persuaded to finance construction of the dock on his land at a cost of over £ 350,000. The dock opened under the name "West Bute Dock" on 8 October 1839, and was over 1400 yards (1280 metres) long and 200 feet (60 metres) wide, allowing 300 vessels to berth at any time.[2]
The dock was joined by four others: East Bute Dock, Roath Basin, Roath Dock and Queen Alexandra Dock. Cardiff had become the largest exporter of coal in the world; in 1913, Cardiff exported 10,700,000 tonnes of coal.[3] However, the Great Depression, Second World War and cheap foreign competition all caused massive damage to the Welsh coal mining industry, with the last coal export through the dock taking place in 1964. The dock was filled in to prevent collapse of the surrounding walls.[1]
[edit] Regeneration
In 1987, the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation was set up to regenerate the bay area. The basin was paved and the area was decorated with modernist pillars, circling a tall, metallic fountain in the centre of the space.[1]
The plaza is often used to host concerts and other cultural events, and was a central part of Cardiff's bid for European Capital of Culture status for 2008, although it ultimately lost the bid to Liverpool.[1]
[edit] Appearances in popular culture
Roald Dahl Plass appears in Boom Town, an episode of Doctor Who. According to the show, a "spatio-temporal" rift runs through the plaza; a malfunction of the TARDIS causes a series of earth tremors which begins to crack the paving tiles of the plaza.[4]
The plaza also appears in the spinoff of Doctor Who, Torchwood. The fictional Torchwood Institute has one of its headquarters, Torchwood Three, based under the square, in order to monitor alien activity through the rift. The base of the fountain can be seen passing through the building, and one of the paving tiles in the square is a decoy which hides an "invisible lift" leading down to the base.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e "Dahl name docks at Cardiff Bay", BBC News, 13 July 2002.
- ^ a b Roald Dahl Plass. BBC Wales.
- ^ Cardiff Bay, Urban75. URL accessed 2006-10-24
- ^ Boom Town plot summary. tv.com.
- ^ James, David. "Dr Who spin-off based in Bay", South Wales Echo, April 17, 2006.
