Architecture of Cardiff

Architecture in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, dates from Norman times to the present day. Its urban fabric is largely Victorian and later, reflecting Cardiff's rise to prosperity as a major coal port in the 19th century. No single building style is associated with Cardiff, but the city centre retains several 19th and early 20th century shopping arcades.

The city is noted for its fantasy castles, Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch, both by the Victorian architect William Burges. The well-preserved early 20th century Civic Centre, surrounding Cathays Park, was described as one of the best examples of civic planning in Britain.

The city contains a number of notable modern buildings and engineering projects. These include the Millennium Stadium (1999) in the city centre and several examples in the major urban regeneration project of Cardiff Bay, for example the Wales Millennium Centre and the Senedd (National Assembly Building).

The western suburb of St Fagans contains an open-air museum of Welsh vernacular architecture, the St Fagans National History Museum.

The common building materials of Cardiff's Victorian and Edwardian buildings are Bath stone, blue Pennant stone and red brick – except in Cathays Park, where Portland stone predominates. Grey Lias stone features heavily in the construction of the city's medieval buildings (the keep of Cardiff Castle, Llandaff Cathedral and St John the Baptist's church), but is absent from later buildings. Two recent buildings in Cardiff Bay, the Senedd and the Wales Millennium Centre, make conspicuous use of Welsh slate together with glass and steel.

...
Wikipedia