Central Square, Cardiff

Central Square (Welsh: Sgwâr Canolog) is the large public space in Cardiff, Wales, adjacent to Cardiff Central railway station and including Cardiff bus station.

Until the 1930s an area of terraced housing, churches and shops, named Temperance Town, occupied the current site of Central Square. Hence, due to its legal history, Central Square is to be one of a few areas in Cardiff designated an alcohol control zone, allowing the police even until present to confiscate alcohol.

Between 1932 and 1934, the Great Western Railway replaced the original 1850's station building (also designed by their architects department) with an impressive new Art Deco building faced in Portland stone, enclosing including a booking hall with noted Art Deco light fittings, all topped by a clock cupola. The Great Western Railway has its full name carved onto the façade (larger than the name of the station). During the new station's planning and constructions, the GWR made representation to Cardiff Corporation to improve the immediate area. As a result, from 1930 the Corporation started to plan the removal of the adjacent working-class district, Temperance Town.

The streets of Temperance Town were demolished in 1937, although the intervention of World War II halted redevelopment plans until post-war. A new bus station was opened in 1954, and a new office building, Marland House, was constructed to the east of the bus station.

In 1999 a 4m high sculpture, Cadar Idris, was erected in Central Square. However, within 6 months it was reportedly described as a 'dirty disgrace' and (in 2008) attracting undesirables to congregate on it. It was later dismantled and relocated to Cardiff Bay Wetlands Reserve.

By the early 2010s, Marland House had become a hard to let 1950's office block, which mainly housed a multi-storey car park; plus a series of street-side shops including a Greggs, Burger King, Cardiff Point, but mostly occupied by charity shops. With the development of St David's 2 shopping centre complete, and the resultant pedestrianisation of St Mary Street, Cardiff Council were now looking further eastwards to redevelop the Square, with the aim of creating a modern transport gateway to Cardiff city centre.

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Wikipedia