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> Cardiff Information
> Cardiff - A Brief History
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People have lived here since prehistory. But Cardiff’s
story really begins with the Romans, who invaded Britain in
AD43. The capital takes its name from the Roman general Aulus
Didius – Caer Didi means “Fort of Didius”.
The Romans ebbed away in the 5th century AD. England was overrun
by Saxons; the Welsh coast was raided by Vikings (King Swein
Forkbeard of Denmark left a permanent “I was here”
at the city of Swein’s Eye – that’s Swansea
to you and me).
Within 20 years of the Battle of Hastings, the Normans were
marching on Wales. In 1091 Robert FitzHamon began work on
Cardiff Castle, and a small settlement grew up around it.
This was an English town in a hostile Welsh territory. Owain
Glyndwr razed Cardiff in 1404 (he’s rewarded with a statue
in City Hall). By the Elizabethan times Cardiff was a lawless,
pirate-infested port. In 1608 King James I granted a Royal
Charter, and by the 18th century it was a sleepy backwater
of 1,500 people straggling around the decaying castle. The
Industrial Revolution changed everything. In the 1790s the
local gentry, the Butes, built the Glamorganshire Canal to
join Cardiff with Merthyr Tydfil, followed by the first Cardiff
dock in 1839.
Cardiff
became the biggest coal-exporting port in the world. At its
peak in 1913, more than 13 million tons of coal left here.
Cardiff was granted city status by Edward VII and in 1955
it was proclaimed capital of Wales. Today, Cardiff is Europe’s
most dynamic capital city, constantly surprising visitors
with its grace, space and cosmopolital buzz. It’s a great
place to visit, and the ideal base from which to explore the
coast, culture and heritage of Wales and western Britain.
Wales
To the first time visitor, the Principality of Wales is an
Aladdin’s Cave of choice and opportunity. It is the fabled
“Land of Song”, with mystic castles, soaring mountains,
lush valleys and a spectacular coastline teeming with wildlife.
Yet all this within easy travelling distance of the Welsh
Capital, Cardiff. Here the maxim “small is beautiful”
holds true, for its compact size and rich diversity give Wales
its unique identity. Nestling in the south western corner
of Britain, this ancient Celtic country is a part of, yet
is set apart from, its larger Anglo-Saxon neighbour. Wales
is a country where the old Celtic traditions of warm hospitality
are zealously preserved; in Welsh or English, the message
to visitors is the same - “Welcome!” We even have
a word for it, CROESO (pronounced ‘croy-so’). In
the words of the song, which applies as much to the Welsh
expatriate as to the Visitor:
We’ll
keep a welcome in the hillsides,
We’ll keep a welcome in the Vale.
This Land of Song will keep a welcome
Till you come home again to Wales.
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