View source for Cardiff Bay

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}{{Use British English|date=September 2021}}
{{short description|Area and lake in Cardiff, Wales}}
{{Infobox UK place
| official_name = Cardiff Bay
| local_name = The Bay
| country = Wales
| unitary_wales = [[Cardiff]]
| static_image_name = Cardiff Bay 121020 2469 (50599762103) - Flickr - Richard Szwejkowski.jpg
| static_image_width = 
| static_image_alt = Image of Cardiff Bay's Waterfront from the bay, with the 1897 Pierhead Building to the left, the Senedd building to the right, and the coppery roof of the Millennium Centre behind them.
| static_image_caption = Cardiff Bay in 2020, Pierhead Building (left), Senedd building (right), and Millennium Centre (behind)
| area_total_sq_mi = 
| area_total_km2 = 
| population_density = 
| os_grid_reference = 
| coordinates = {{coord|51.463|-3.164|display=inline,title}}
| post_town = CARDIFF
| postcode_area = CF
| postcode_district = CF10
| dial_code = 029
| london_distance = 
| welsh_name = Bae Caerdydd
| constituency_welsh_assembly = [[Cardiff South and Penarth (Senedd constituency)|Cardiff South and Penarth]]
| website = http://www.cardiffharbour.com/ Cardiff Harbour Authority
http://www.visitcardiffbay.info/ Visit Cardiff Bay
| hide_services = Yes
| type = Area and [[Lake]]
| constituency_westminster = [[Cardiff South and Penarth (UK Parliament constituency)|Cardiff South and Penarth]]
}}

'''Cardiff Bay''' ({{langx|cy|Bae Caerdydd}}; colloquially "'''The Bay'''") is an area and [[freshwater lake]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Visit Cardiff Bay {{!}} Things to see and do in Cardiff|url=https://www.visitcardiffbay.info/|access-date=2021-09-06|website=Visit Cardiff Bay|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=|first=|title=Cardiff Bay: Our History — About Cardiff Bay|url=https://www.cardiffbay.co.uk/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-06|website=Cardiff Bay|language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000407201712/http://www.cardiffbay.co.uk:80/ |archive-date=7 April 2000 }}</ref> in [[Cardiff]], [[Wales]]. The site of a former tidal [[bay]] and [[estuary]], it is the [[river mouth]] of the [[River Taff]] and [[River Ely|Ely]]. The body of water was converted into a {{Convert|500|acre|km2|adj=on}} lake as part of a pre-devolution [[UK Government]] regeneration project, involving the damming of the rivers by the [[Cardiff Bay Barrage]] in 1999. The barrage impounds the rivers from the [[Severn Estuary]], providing flood defence and the creation of a permanent non-tidal [[high water]] lake with limited access to the sea, serving as a core feature of the redevelopment of the area in the 1990s. 

Surrounding the lake is a {{Convert|4.25|sqmi|km2|abbr=in}} area of redeveloped former derelict [[Cardiff Docks|docklands]]<ref>{{Cite news|date=2017-08-13|title=Cardiff Bay: What has 30 years of development achieved?|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-40681940|access-date=2021-09-06}}</ref> which shares its name. The area is situated between [[Cardiff city centre]] and [[Penarth]], in the communities of [[Butetown]] and [[Grangetown, Cardiff|Grangetown]]. Its waterfront is home to notable attractions, in particular regarding [[Welsh politics]] and [[Welsh devolution|devolved institutions]], such as the [[Senedd building]] (housing the [[Senedd]], the Welsh Parliament), [[Pierhead Building]] and [[Tŷ Hywel]]; and cultural attractions including the [[Wales Millennium Centre]] and [[Norwegian Church, Cardiff|Norwegian Church]]. The presence of devolved institutions in Cardiff Bay has led to its name's use as a [[metonym]] for devolved Welsh politics. According to [[Cardiff Council]], the creation of Cardiff Bay is regarded as one of the most successful regeneration projects in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Citation | title = Cardiff Bay Economic Development |date = April 2005 | page = 8 | place = Cardiff | publisher = Cardiff Council }}</ref> The bay was formerly tidal, with access to the sea limited to a couple of hours each side of high water but now provides 24-hour access through three locks.<ref>{{Citation |last=Cardiff Harbour Authority |title=Tiger Bay Barrage |url=http://www.cardiffharbour.com/barrage/barrage.htm |access-date=28 April 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080510110541/http://www.cardiffharbour.com/barrage/barrage.htm |archive-date=10 May 2008 |df=dmy }}</ref>

The [[Cardiff Bay Wetlands Reserve]] is situated along the northern edge of the lake, on the site of a former [[salt marsh]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Top things to see and do in Cardiff Bay|url=https://www.visitwales.com/destinations/south-wales/cardiff/top-things-see-and-do-cardiff-bay|access-date=2021-09-06|website=VisitWales|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Attractions|url=https://cardiffharbour.com/attractions/|access-date=2021-09-06|website=Cardiff Harbour Authority|language=en-US}}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|Tiger Bay}}
On 15 June 1910 the [[Terra Nova Expedition]] left the Roath Basin in Cardiff's docklands and headed south to Antarctica. On board were Captain [[Robert Falcon Scott]] and members of his British Antarctic Expedition, who aimed to be the first to reach the South Pole. Scott's entire party of five died on the return journey from the pole.

Cardiff Bay played a major part in [[Cardiff]]’s development by being the means of exporting [[coal]] from the [[South Wales Valleys]] to the rest of the world, helping to power the industrial age. The [[coal mining]] industry helped fund the building of [[Cardiff]] into the [[Capital of Wales|capital city of Wales]] and helped the [[John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute|Third Marquis of Bute]], who owned the docks, become the richest man in the world at the time.

As Cardiff exports grew, so did its population; dockworkers and sailors from across the world settled in neighbourhoods close to the docks, known as Tiger Bay, and communities from up to 50 different nationalities, including [[Norwegian people|Norwegian]], [[Somali people|Somali]], [[Yemeni people|Yemeni]], [[Greeks|Greek]], [[Spanish people|Spanish]], [[Italian People|Italian]], [[Caribbean people|Caribbean]] and [[Irish people|Irish]] helped create the unique [[multicultural]] character of the area.<ref name=":0" />

After the [[Second World War]] most of the industry closed down and the area became a neglected part of Cardiff, a wasteland of derelict docks and mudflats. Social exclusion of the area's inhabitants rose and Cardiff Bay had above average levels of unemployment.<ref name=":0" /> But, in 1999, new life was injected into the area by the building of the [[Cardiff Bay Barrage]], one of the most controversial building projects of the day but also one of the most successful.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newswales.co.uk/index.php?section=Environment&F=1&id=1204 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120904222152/http://www.newswales.co.uk/index.php?section=Environment&F=1&id=1204 |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 September 2012 |title=Report on Cardiff Bay |publisher=Newswales.co.uk |access-date=2013-09-30 |df=dmy }}</ref>

==Development==
{{Main|Cardiff Bay Development Corporation}}
[[File:Cardiff Bay prior to the building of the Cardiff Bay Barrage.jpg|thumb|right|Cardiff Bay before the construction of the [[Cardiff Bay Barrage]]]]The [[Cardiff Bay Development Corporation]] (CBDC) was created in 1987 to stimulate the redevelopment of 1,100 hectares (2,700 acres) of derelict land.<ref>{{Citation | title = Cardiff Bay Economic Development |date = April 2005 | page = 8 | place = Cardiff | publisher = Cardiff Council }}</ref> The Development Corporation aimed to attract private capital by spending public money to improve the area. Despite opposition by [[environmentalist]]s and wildlife organisations, the [[mudflat]]s at the mouths of the River Taff and River Ely were inundated, with loss of habitat for [[wading birds]]. The Barrage has created several new habitats for freshwater species with the [[Cardiff Bay Wetlands Reserve|wetlands]] to the south of the Hamadryad Park.

When the Development Corporation was wound up in on 31 March 2000, it had achieved many of its objectives. The whole area was unrecognisable from ten years before. Much private land was now open to the public, particularly around the inner harbour and the north side of Roath basin. Work is progressing to complete a 13 kilometre walkway around the bay.  In addition, the development has enabled land in the [[Cardiff city centre|city centre]] to be redeveloped for higher-value uses.<ref>Esys Consulting Ltd, Evaluation of Regeneration in Cardiff Bay. A report for the Welsh Assembly Government, December 2004</ref>

[[Image:Cardiff Bay Aerial View.JPG|thumb|left|Cardiff Bay in 2008]]

Connecting the bay area to the centre of Cardiff was a primary goal when plans to develop the docklands were first mooted. Original plans included a grand boulevard (similar to where [[Lloyd George Avenue]] is located now) with high-density commercial and residential units straddling both sides. This would have created significant demand for quality public transport provisions facilitating connections to the new Bay area but public transport was often of poor quality and, but there are now much-improved connections through the [[Cardiff Bus]] [[BayCar]] service and rail service from [[Cardiff Queen Street]] to [[Cardiff Bay railway station]].

On 30 January 2013 the planning consultant, Adrian Jones, stated that Cardiff Bay was a contender for the "worst example of waterside regeneration in Britain".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-40681940|title=30 years of Cardiff Bay redevelopment|last=Crockett|first=Natalie|date=2017-08-13|work=BBC News|access-date=2018-11-05|language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Notable buildings==
{{see also|Listed buildings in Cardiff Bay}}
[[File:Pierhead Building and Senedd, Cardiff Bay.jpg|thumb|Pierhead Building (left) and the Senedd building (right)]]

===St David's Hotel===
The [[St David's Hotel & Spa]] is a [[hotel rating|5-star luxury]] [[hotel]] with commanding views of the bay and Penarth.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stdavidshotelcardiff.co.uk/ |title=The St Davids Hotel and Spa |publisher=Stdavidshotelcardiff.co.uk |access-date=2013-09-30}}</ref> Built by Rocco Forte in 2000, the hotel was sold in 2007, to Principal-Haley hotels.

===The Pierhead Building===
The [[Pierhead Building|Pierhead]] was built in 1897 and designed by [[William Frame]], who studied under [[William Burges]]<ref>{{Citation |last=BBC |title=Cardiff Bay – Pierhead |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/panoramics/pages/pierhead.shtml |access-date=28 April 2008 |publisher=BBC |archive-date=24 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080124184318/http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/panoramics/pages/pierhead.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref>  It was formerly the headquarters of the [[Bute Docks|Bute Dock Company]], later the Cardiff Railway Company, and then the head office for the [[Great Western Railway]]. Today it is part of the [[Senedd estate]] and is used as an event and conference venue, it is also a [[Grade I listed buildings in Cardiff|Grade I listed building]].

===Senedd building===
The [[Senedd building]] is the building that hosts the [[Senedd]]'s debating chamber and committee rooms.

===Wales Millennium Centre===
[[File:Wales Millennium Centre 16-08-2005.jpg|thumb|The Wales Millennium Centre, seen from Roald Dahl Plass]]

The [[Wales Millennium Centre]] is home to the [[Welsh National Opera]].

===Norwegian Church===
{{details|Norwegian Church, Cardiff}}
[[File:Norwegian Church Cardiff Bay.jpg|thumb|Norwegian Church from the water]]
The [[Norwegian Church, Cardiff|Norwegian Church Arts Centre]], is a rescued historic wooden church that was rebuilt in 1992 and operates as a registered self funded non-profit charity. It is managed by [[Cardiff Harbour Authority]] and is as a venue for small concerts, art exhibitions, conferences, meetings and celebrations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.norwegianchurchcardiff.com/content.asp |title=Home, Welcome, Croeso, Velkommen |publisher=Norwegian Church Cardiff |access-date=2013-09-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140423111113/http://www.norwegianchurchcardiff.com/content.asp |archive-date=23 April 2014 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

When living in Cardiff as a child, famous children's author [[Roald Dahl]] attended this church.

===Craft in the Bay===

A refurbished Victorian dockside building houses [[Craft in the Bay]], the home of the Makers Guild in Wales.

===Techniquest===
[[Techniquest]] is an educational science & discovery centre, which also includes a science theatre and planetarium.

===Roald Dahl Plass===
[[File:Mermaid Quay Cardiff Bay 001.jpg|thumb|Mermaid Quay]]

[[Roald Dahl Plass]] is a large open amphitheatre style plaza frequently used as a venue for carnivals and festivals all year round.

===Mermaid Quay===
[[Mermaid Quay]] comprises a mix of restaurants, bars, cafés, shops and services located on the waterfront.

===The Tube (Cardiff Bay Visitor Centre)===
{{details|Cardiff Bay Visitor Centre (The Tube)}}	 	 
Dismantled in 2010, this unique building "single-handedly put Cardiff on the architectural map",<ref>{{cite news
 | first = Fiona
 | last = Sturges
 | title = The 50 BEST BUILDINGS OF THE NINETIES
 | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/the-50-best-the-best-buildings-of-the-nineties-1175777.html
 | work = [[The Independent]]
 | date = 3 October 1998
 | access-date = 18 March 2012
}}</ref>
housing exhibitions and visitor information.

==Water-based attractions==
* [[Cardiff Bay Barrage]] – accessible via the Water Bus and by road, and free to explore and also has guided tours.
* [[Cardiff Bay Wetland Reserve]] – {{Convert|8|hectare|km2|adj=on}} reserve home to rare birds and a boardwalk leading to a viewing platform.
* Cardiff Bay Yacht Club – located at the [[Cardiff International Sports Village]], RYA Training centre and one of the largest yacht clubs in the UK 
* [[Cardiff International Pool]].
* [[Cardiff International White Water]].
* Cardiff Rowing Centre – located in [[Channel View Centre]].
* [[Cardiff Sailing Centre]] – A council run watersports & RYA Training Centre based on [[Cardiff Bay Barrage]].
* [[Cardiff Waterbus]] – which offers a public transport service and tourist cruises.
* [[Ice Arena Wales]] – ice rink in the [[Cardiff International Sports Village]].
* [[Queen Alexandra Dock]].

==Commercial and residential==
[[File:Red Dragon Centre, Cardiff Bay.jpg|thumb|Red Dragon Centre, Cardiff Bay]]
* Style-conscious shops, bars and restaurants at [[Mermaid Quay]].
* [[Cardiff Bay Retail Park]]
* Mischief's Cafe Bar, a cafe bar and live music venue.
* [[Coal Exchange|The Coal Exchange]], formally a music venue, now a hotel, bar and restaurant.<ref>{{cite news|title=Cardiff's Coal Exchange saved in £40m hotel revamp|work=BBC News |date=8 April 2016 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-35996068|access-date=15 April 2016}}</ref>
* The Mount Stuart, a [[Wetherspoons]] Pub situated in an 1880s, former dock building.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Mount Stuart, Cardiff Bay|url=https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/all-pubs/wales/cardiff/the-mount-stuart-cardiff|publisher=Wetherspoons|access-date=14 May 2016}}</ref>
* [[Cardiff International Sports Village]], which includes [[Ice Arena Wales]] and [[Cardiff International Pool]].
* The [[Red Dragon Centre]] (formerly ''Atlantic Wharf Leisure Village''), a leisure and entertainment complex.

==Appearances in the media==
[[Image:Roald Dahl Plass - Cardiff.jpg|thumb|Roald Dahl Plass and the Wales Millennium Centre are often used in external shots of the [[Torchwood Hub]] in ''[[Doctor Who]]'' and ''[[Torchwood]]''.]]
Cardiff Bay was used as the high-tech urban setting for the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' episode "[[Boom Town (Doctor Who)|Boom Town]]" and the show's spinoff, ''[[Torchwood]]'', whose makers deliberately avoided stereotypical portrayals of Wales in order to portray Cardiff as the modern urban centre it is today. In ''Torchwood'' series, there is a giant secret base underneath the bay, named "The Hub", from where the Torchwood team works. There is also a lift from the hub into the plaza with a perception filter making anyone who stands on the spot "not noticed". In the third series of Torchwood entitled "Children Of Earth", Cardiff Bay was the centre of a bomb explosion, destroying the Torchwood Hub and Cardiff Bay.<ref>{{cite news
 | first = Karen
 | last = Price
 | title = Action, aliens – and it's filmed in Wales
 | url = http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_headline=action–aliens—and-it-s-filmed-in-wales&method=full&objectid=17956580&siteid=50082-name_page.html
 | work = [[Western Mail (Wales)|Western Mail]]
 | date = 19 October 2006
 | access-date = 4 November 2006
}}</ref> [[Roald Dahl Plass]] features prominently. In the episode "[[Utopia (Doctor Who)|Utopia]]", the Plass is home to a rift that the Doctor uses to refuel his TARDIS. The ''Doctor Who'' episode "[[The Runaway Bride (Doctor Who)|The Runaway Bride]]" made use of office buildings in Cardiff Bay.<ref>{{cite news
 | first = BBC
 | last = Wales South East
 | title = Doctor Who: The Runaway Bride
 | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/sites/doctorwho/pages/runawaybride.shtml?8
 | work = [[BBC Wales]]
 | date = 25 December 2006
 | access-date = 24 October 2007
 | archive-date = 19 April 2013
 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130419225557/http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/sites/doctorwho/pages/runawaybride.shtml?8
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref>

==Transport==
===Metro & Rail Services===
[[Cardiff Bay railway station]] is northeast of Mermaid Quay and is served by services to [[Cardiff Queen Street]] which run at a frequency of every 10 minutes, although the station is currently being upgraded with 2 extra platforms to allow new [[South Wales Metro|Metro]] services to [[Aberdare]], [[Treherbert]] & [[Merthyr Tydfil]] to operate. These metro services are expected to begin in 2025, with a core frequency of every 5 minutes. Alongside this, three new metro stations are expected to open in the area by 2027, serving the areas around [[Porth Teigr]], [[Roath Lock]], and the [[Senedd building]].

===Bus Services===
[[Cardiff Bus]] operates the following services to the bay:
*1 – ''Bay Circle clockwise'': Grangetown-Leckwith-Canton-Fairwater-Llandaff-Gabalfa-Heath-Penylan-Roath-Tremorfa-Central Station
*2 – ''Bay Circle anticlockwise'': as above but reversed
*6 – ''[[Baycar]]'': Queen Street station via Central Station
*8 – City Centre via Grangetown
*11 – Pengam Green via Central Station and Tremorfa
*35/36 – Gabalfa via Central Station, Cathays and Heath

===Roads & Cycling===
The bay lies off the [[A4232 road|A4232]] before the Butetown tunnels and is linked to the city centre by [[A470 road|Lloyd George Avenue]], [[Bute Street (Cardiff)|Bute Street]] and the [[A4234 road|Central Link Road]].

The [[Pont y Werin]] pedestrian and cycle bridge opened in July 2010, completing a six and a half-mile circular route around Cardiff Bay and Penarth.

A cycle hire system, similar to those in other large cities, launched in September 2009, and includes 70 bikes and 35 hire points (initially seven) around the centre and the south of the city. The current stations are: Central Station; Cardiff Bay Station; County Hall; Cardiff Bay Visitors’ Centre; Churchill Way; City Hall and eastern Queen Street. It is necessary to register before using bike. The first half an hour is free after which a small hourly fee is payable.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_east/8267199.stm | work=BBC News | title=Public bike hire scheme for city | date=22 September 2009 | access-date=28 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/cardiff-news/2009/09/22/smart-bike-system-launch-91466-24747392/ |title=Smart bike system launch |publisher=Wales Online |date=2009-09-22 |access-date=2013-09-30}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
{{Panorama
|image      = File:Cardiff Bay panorama - panoramio.jpg
|height     = 230
|alt        = Panorama of the Cardiff Bay in March 2008
|caption    = Panorama of the Cardiff Bay in March 2008
}}

{{gallery|width=150|height=150
|File:Norwegian Church, Cardiff Bay.jpg|Side view of the Norwegian Church
|File:Cardiff Bay at night.jpg|Cardiff Bay at night
|File:Jetty in Cardiff Bay.jpg|Wetlands walkway in Cardiff Bay
|File:Cardiff Bay Barrage Control Centre.jpg|Cardiff Bay Barrage Control Building
|File:Three Bascule Bridges, Cardiff Bay Barrage.jpg|Three Bascule Bridges, Cardiff Bay Barrage
|File:Cardiff Bay Barrage-2006.jpg|View of Cardiff barrage at sea
|File:Cardiff Bay Barrage lock.jpg|Cardiff Bay Barrage lock in use
|File:Antarctic 100 memorial, Cardiff.jpg|Sculpture by Jonathan Williams depicting [[Robert Falcon Scott|Captain Scott]], outside the Norwegian Church
}}

==See also==
* [[Butetown]]
* [[List of places in Cardiff]]
* [[Penarth Marina]]
* [[Tiger Bay]]
* [[Barry Waterfront]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.cardiffharbour.com/ Cardiff Harbour Authority]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131205125639/https://wiki.wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/EduWiki_Conference_2013 EduWiki Conference 2013]

{{Navboxes|list1=
{{Cardiff}}
{{Landmarks and Visitor Attractions in Cardiff}}
{{Economy and Industry of Cardiff}}
{{Economy of Wales}}
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[[Category:Economy of Cardiff]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Cardiff]]
[[Category:Cool Cymru]]
[[Category:Districts of Cardiff]]
[[Category:Redeveloped ports and waterfronts in Wales]]
[[Category:Redevelopment projects in Cardiff]]
[[Category:Bays of Wales]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of Cardiff]]
[[Category:Butetown]]