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 Cardiff: the building of a capital
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How did the docks contribute to the growth of Cardiff?

Almost 100 times as many people lived in Cardiff in 1901 than lived there in 1801. This was amazing. According to the census returns the number of people living in Cardiff in 1801 was 1, 870. By 1851 this had increased to 23 085.

Look at this extract from the census. It shows the reasons for the enormous changes in Cardiff as people saw them at the time.

An extract from the Census showing the reasons why Cardif had grown

 

  • 1831. People living in South Wales had a very difficult time. They were poor farmers, with little hope of changing the way they lived unless they moved to Cardiff to find work.
  • 1841. The improvement of the port, the ship canal and railroad meant there were lots more opportunities to find work.
  • 1851. Collieries opened in the Aberdare Valley which meant that the port gained importance as a trading centre for coal.

The Glamorgan Canal opened in 1793.

Tasks

Look at the map of Cardiff drawn in the late 1830s.

Map of Cardiff, 1830s

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1.
Can you find the the Glamorgan canal?
  
2.
Can you work out where the canal came from?
  
3.
Where does it lead to?
  
4.
Can you find the Dowlais Iron wharf?
  
5.
Does this information help you to work out where the canal came from?
  
6. What was the canal used for?  
7. Would this be a fast way of transporting goods?  

 

The Taff Vale railway opened in 1841.

Look again at the map of Cardiff.

8.
Can you find the railway?
  
9.
Where does it lead to?
 
10.
What was the railway used for?
  
11.
Would this be faster than using the canal?
  

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The Marquess of Bute who owned Cardiff Castle and other lands in Cardiff also owned lots of land in the South Wales valleys.

Look again at the map of Cardiff

12.
Can you find the Bute Ship Canal?
  
13.
Why do you think it is called this?
 
14.
Compare the Bute ship canal to the Glamorgan canal. What do you notice?
  
15.
Is this advantageous?
  

Now compare this with a map of Cardiff drawn in 1851.

A map of Cardiff drawn in 1851. Click to enlargethe map of Cardiff, drawn in 1851

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16.
What do you notice about the railway?
  
17.
What do you think this means?
  
18.
Can you find the Bute Ship Canal?
  

Look at the diagram, drawn in 1874.

Diagram showing railways connecting with Cardiff. Click to enlarge diagram showing railways connecting Cardiff

19.
What does it show you?
  
20.
What affect would this have on the dock?
  
21.
What do you think this meant for the Marquess of Bute?
  

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Now look at the Ordnance Survey map of the dock area. This was drawn in the 1870s.

The docks in 1870. Click to enlarge a map of the docks in 1870

22.
If you compare it to the map drawn in the 1830s, how has it changed?
  
23.
What do you notice about the areas surrounding the canal?
  

In the 1871 census the population of Cardiff was recorded as 39 536.

List all the reasons why people moved to Cardiff between 1851 and 1871.

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Click here to see an enlarged map of Cardiff in 1830, drawn by John Wood
Click here to visit the Heritage Lottery Fund web resources