Craft in the Bay
The Craft in the Bay Gallery is an exhibition and craft retail area located at the south end of Lloyd George Avenue, Cardiff Bay. It is operated by a charitable arts organisation, The Makers Guild in Wales.[1] The gallery is opposite the Wales Millennium Centre and close to the Welsh Assembly Building. The building consists of the award winning [2] refurbished “D” Shed, a grade II listed [3] maritime warehouse together with a modern extension.
D Shed
The "D" Shed is a cast-iron framed structure with cruciform columns, a roof structure and a variety of similarly unique features. The structure is five 20 foot bays long and two 20 foot bays wide. It was erected as a transit warehouse and appeared on the first edition Ordnance Survey map from surveys carried out in the 1880s. Originally sited alongside Bute East Dock Basin it was also served by rail. The “D Shed” has a grade II listing and is one of only a few mid-nineteenth century buildings in Cardiff Bay. It has wholly cast cruciform columns and the eaves beams have been constructed out of simple available riveted sections. The cast iron used in the eave beams is stamped 'Rhymney' so it is assumed manufacture was in the Rhymney Ironworks. The roof truss design includes a bent bottom member and cast iron stays.[4]
Before it was refurbished, the building was used as a garage workshop. Work started in late 2001 to transform it, with an estimated total cost of £1.26 million.[1] Funding came from the European Regional Development Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund and the Arts Council of Wales.[1]
The finished building is sheer-glazed on two sides to provide views into the exhibition space. The extension was designed as a contrasting element and accommodates demonstration studios, meeting space, office and a café with a dramatic pointed roof projecting over an outside seating space.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Nifield, Phillip (5 November 2001). "Work starts on the D Shed project; pounds 1.26m scheme to showcase craftsmen.". South Wales Echo. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
- ↑ "British Archaeological Awards". Britarch.ac.uk. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
- ↑ "iShareMaps Location Server | Cardiff Council". Isharemaps.cardiff.gov.uk. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
- ↑ Craft in the Bay: About the Gallery, Makersguildinwales.org.uk.