PENARTH – PAST AND PRESENT
Situated on the Bristol Channel the seaside town of Penarth is the second largest town in the Vale of Glamorgan after Barry, approximately six miles along the coast. It shares a common boundary with Cardiff – the capital city of Wales and its Victorian/Edwardian character and charm serve to highlight its popularity as a much sought after place to live and as a magnate for holidaymakers and day visitors.
Urban in character, with a population in excess of 20,000 people, its coastal position commands fine views of the Bristol Channel, the islands of Flat Holm and Steep Holm and the English coastline opposite. Flanked by the sea to the east and Cardiff to the north, its southern and western boundaries extend into open countryside. Despite development pressures countryside planning policies have prevented the coalescence of Penarth with the neighbouring smaller communities of Dinas Powys and Sully, thus preserving the semi-rural character of the East Vale area.
Penarth owes its development to the massive expansion of the coal industry in the 19th century. Cardiff was the natural outlet for the industrial valleys of Glamorgan and its waterfront meant that it was ideally situated to meet the world demand for Welsh coal through the construction of docks. The contract for the building of Penarth Dock was placed in 1859 and the dock opened six years later in 1865.
Prior to this time Penarth was little more than a village, being one of five parishes in the Hundred of Dinas Powys, with a combined population of just over 300 at the beginning of the 19th century. By 1861 this had increased to 1,898 and to 3,382 by 1871. In 1875 the parishes of Penarth, Cogan and Llandough were merged into the Penarth Local Board, giving a population of 6,228 persons by 1881. The figure had doubled by 1891 with the opening of the railway and had increased even further by 1901 to 14,228 persons.
The town developed rapidly with its own local government, thriving shopping centre and community facilities. Many of its features owe their origin to the landowners of the time and the results of their vision can be seen in the many fine buildings and parks which make Penarth what it is today. The generosity of these landowners earned the town the reputation of "The Garden by the Sea" because of its splendid parks and open spaces which link the seafront and town centre.
Penarth Conservation Area and Listed Buildings – The Victorian/Edwardian founders of the town were responsible for some of the finest examples of architecture of the time ranging from churches, commercial and public buildings as well as the ornate houses and villas that were the homes of the ship owners, coal magnates and master mariners. The importance of these buildings and townscape led to substantial parts of Penarth being designated as a conservation area in 1971. This was extended in 1976 and amended yet again in March 1997 following a major appraisal.
Since January 1993 Penarth has boasted 38 listed buildings and structures from the impressive landmark of St. Augustine's Church on Penarth Head to telephone boxes at different locations in the town. Full details of all the listings can be inspected in the Town Council offices at West House.
Cardiff Bay Barrage and Penarth Haven - The closure of Penarth Dock in 1963 ended a significant period in the history of the town. However, the 1980s witnessed a major revival following its acquisition by the Vale of Glamorgan Council. Part of the dock was emptied and turned into a refuse disposal site with a view to redevelopment at a later date whilst the remainder was earmarked for a marina development, housing and other facilities, known today as Penarth Portway Marina.
More recently Penarth has witnessed one of the major civil engineering feats of the late twentieth century with the construction of a barrage between South Cardiff and Penarth. The vision for this feat dates back to the mid 1980s and was seen as an essential part of the strategy for the regeneration of South Cardiff, following the closure of most of its heavy industry. By transforming the waterside the barrage was seen as a catalyst for generating massive inward investment through the creation of a lake covering the tidal mud flats and extending up the Rivers Ely and Taff into the centre of Cardiff.
The Cardiff Bay Development Corporation was formed with the task of regenerating the area and whilst the major part of the Bay fell within Cardiff, it included Penarth Dock and the area around the headland up to and including Penarth Pier. Described as Europe's most exciting waterfront development the barrage was completed in 1999 and responsibility for the Bay now rests with the Cardiff Harbour Authority.
Ownership of the former dock transferred to the Corporation at an early stage and the Crest Nicholson Portway Marina development formed an early key element of the development strategy on the Penarth side of the Bay. Further substantial infrastructure works were undertaken as well as the provision of the 10 acre Plymouth Park on the former landfill site. Much of Penarth Haven hasbeen developed for housing but there is some commercial activity at the marina itself and to the west, Tesco opened at the beginning of 1994 followed by the Oystercatcher public house and some light industrial/office units. More recently the area has seen the tasteful conversion and opening of the grade 11 listed former Custom House as a restaurant and bar at the Penarth end of the barrage, below Penarth Head.
Another piece of the jigsaw in Penarth’s rejuvenation is awaited which will see the barrage linked to the seafront esplanade by means of the Penarth Headland Link. This will involve another piece of innovative engineering resulting in the construction of a pedestrian and cycle link in the form of an elevated structure capable of withstanding the elements given the intention to build away from the mainland forming Penarth Head. The scheme is seen to be of significant importance to Penarth and a major contribution towards the economic and tourism future of the town.
Local Economy - The commercial, industrial and service sectors of the town developed along with the growth of Penarth but the larger industries closed many years ago. The docks redevelopment also saw the relocation of light industry to places outside of the town reducing even further its industrial base.
The town centre too has seen changes with a wider choice now available to the customer from out-of-town stores. The shopping precincts of Cardiff and the opening of Tesco at Penarth Haven have proved popular but Penarth is still the established district shopping centre for the East Vale area with local family owned shops and outlets and a number of nationally known names continuing to cater for a wide range of needs. The traditional appearance and character of the town centre provides a welcome relief from the much larger city centre stores and shopping centres and the refurbished Windsor Arcade – another of the town’s grade 11 listed buildings, is a splendid example of Victorian architecture. As well as the more traditional shopping outlets covering food and fashion, there is a local department store, a wide variety of chemists, jewellers, bookshops and stationers, hairdressers, travel agents, estate agents, DIY and hardware, gift shops, antiques and art galleries, to mention but a few. A number of eating establishments cater for a wide range of tastes in small cafés or full restaurant settings and a more recent feature of the seafront is the provision of café style quarters enabling the customer to eat and drink ‘al fresco’.
There is an ongoing recognition of a need for investment in Penarth town centre to enhance its image and role in the local economy and the town's proximity to Cardiff Bay is seen as an opportunity to attract more visitors with the construction of the Penarth Head Link expected to have a positive impact. An experimental pedestrianisation scheme for part of the main shopping area is being viewed as an opportunity to invest in the future viability and vitality of the town centre. Coupled with a rise in the profile of the town through promotion and publicity reflecting its heritage and maritime location, the outlook certainly seems to be more optimistic.
