Victoria Park, Cardiff

Victoria Park is a public park in the Canton district of Cardiff in south Wales at Cowbridge Road East.

Victoria Park
Fountain canopy and gardens
LocationVictoria Park Rd East, Canton
Nearest cityCardiff
Coordinates51.485°N 3.219°W / 51.485; -3.219
Established1897[1]
Owned byCardiff Council
Official nameVictoria Park, Cardiff[1]
Designated1 February 2022 (2022-02-01)[1]
Reference no.PGW(Gm)23(CDF)[1]
ListingGrade II[1]
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameFormer Drinking Fountain canopy in rose garden of Victoria Park[2]
Designated19 May 1975 (1975-05-19)[2]
Reference no.87733[2]

As its name suggests, it is a traditional Victorian era park named after Queen Victoria and has retained much of its original charm. The park was created as a municipal recreation ground by Cardiff City Council through a city charter between 1897 and 1898 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, marking her record sixty years on the throne. The park occupies part of the former Llandaff Common.[3]

The main park gates

The park covers nearly twenty acres (8 ha) and still contains the original model boating and paddling pool which remains a very popular attraction in summer, plus a playpark for younger children. At the very north of the park there are tennis courts and a synthetic turf field for 5-a-side football. The original 1898 bandstand had fallen into disrepair and had been demolished but, in 1998, a replica of the original bandstand was erected on the original site to mark the park's centennial celebrations.

Billy the Seal sculpture by David Petersen

There are many mature trees and blossom trees in spring, together with crocuses and daffodils and flowerbeds that burst with colour during summer. There are wide paths and a refreshment shop by the pool. Public music events, markets and fairs take place throughout the summer months. There is also a whimsical monument to Billy the Seal[4] who lived from 1912 to 1939 in what is now the paddling pool.[5] The park is one of the few remaining UK parks where the park keeper still lives in an on-site lodge. A splashpad has now replaced the paddling pool due to maintenance costs.[6][7] Victoria Park is recognised as one of the best maintained in the Cardiff area and has received a Green Flag Award; it has been used for location filming for Doctor Who episodes, namely Forest of the Dead and The Lodger, as well as Mark of the Berserker for the related Sarah-Jane Adventures.[8]

References
  1. Cadw. "Victoria Park, Cardiff (PGW(Gm)23(CDF))". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  2. Cadw. "Former Drinking Fountain canopy in rose garden of Victoria Park (Grade II) (13817)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  3. "Plan of Llandaff parish in the County of Glamorgan". Welsh Tithe Maps. National Library of Wales. 1846.
  4. Hennessy, Frank; Noble, Roy (26 July 2010). "Billy the Seal goes back on show" (Audio). BBC. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  5. Victoria Park pool
  6. Knapman, Joshua (27 April 2018). "This is when Cardiff's Victoria Park splashpad is reopening". WalesOnline. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  7. "Victoria Park Splashpad, Cardiff". Ustigate Waterplay. 31 March 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  8. "Victoria Park - The Locations Guide to Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures". www.doctorwholocations.net. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
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