Cyncoed ( ) is a

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

in the northeast of

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

, the capital of

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. With many properties in the area fetching over £1 million, Cyncoed is considered to have some of the highest property prices in the country. Cyncoed overlooks the city centre of

, near

Roath Park Roath Park () Cardiff, Wales, is one of Cardiff's most popular parks, owned by Cardiff County Council and managed by the Parks Section. It retains a classic Victorian era, Victorian atmosphere and has many facilities. The park has recently b ...

, with views of the surrounding mountains.

Background and development

In 1887

John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute, (12 September 1847 – 9 October 1900) was a Scottish landed aristocrat, industrial magnate, antiquarian, scholar, philanthropist, and architectural patron. When Bute succeeded to the marq ...

offered of

marshland In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in general ...

Cardiff Council Cardiff Council, formally the County Council of the City and County of Cardiff () is the governing body for Cardiff, one of the Administrative divisions of Wales, principal areas of Wales. The principal area and its council were established ...

, for use as a public park. In 1894, Roath Park was officially opened to the public. Work initially focused on creating the lake from an area of marshland. In 1915 a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

was constructed in the lake containing a scale model of the ' Terra Nova' ship to commemorate

Captain Scott Captain Robert Falcon Scott (6 June 1868 – ) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the ''Discovery'' expedition of 1901–04 and the ''Terra Nova'' expedition of 1910–13. ...

's ill-fated voyage to the

Antarctic The Antarctic (, ; commonly ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the South Pole, lying within the Antarctic Circle. It is antipodes, diametrically opposite of the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antar ...

from Cardiff in 1910. The park's atmosphere today still retains the

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

elegance and has Conservation Area status. In 1914, the council built Cefn Coed Road, which ran past the original (18th century, and still standing to this day), farmhouse, which allowed small builders to develop houses for coal merchants and exports who worked at the

Coal Exchange The Coal Exchange (also known as the Exchange Building) is a historic building in Cardiff, Wales. It is designed in Renaissance Revival style. Built in 1888 as the Coal and Shipping Exchange to be used as a market floor and office building for ...

. Post

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

developers bought the farmland as Cardiff expanded rapidly, with high quality detached housing being built to access

Cardiff Golf Club Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

, which occupied land to the north, and The Cyncoed Tennis Club. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

there was a

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

in the area. Post the war, in the 1950s this area was redeveloped as housing demand grew, and the rural nature of Cyncoed vanished forever, including the development of the Lakeside estate, centered on Celyn Avenue. As of February 2022, Cyncoed had an average property price of £475,126.

Description

Some of the older and larger properties have been demolished and replaced by smaller homes and supplemented with smaller

semi-detached A semi-detached house (often abbreviated to semi) is a single-family Duplex (building), duplex dwelling that shares one common party wall, wall with its neighbour. The name distinguishes this style of construction from detached houses, with no sh ...

infill. Modern

housing estate A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex, housing development, subdivision (land), subdivision or community) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to count ...

s now surround the area. The surrounding communities are: Features include a small shopping village, a number of churches, and a

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

because there is a sizable

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

community living in Cyncoed. Cyncoed Medical Centre is actually just within neighbouring

Pontprennau is a ward and community in the north of the city of Cardiff, Wales, lying north of Pentwyn and Cyncoed, between the village of Old St Mellons and the farmlands east of Lisvane. The community had a population of 7,353 in 2011. History Pontp ...

, on the road junction Cyncoed, Pontprennau and Pentwyn, to enable it to serve all three communities. Between Cyncoed and

Llanishen Llanishen (, ''llan'' church + ''Isien'' Saint Isan) is a district and community in the north of Cardiff, Wales. Its population as of the 2011 census was 17,417. Llanishen is the home of the former HMRC tax offices, the tallest buildings i ...

lie two defunct reservoirs. The company which owned this site,

Western Power Distribution Western Power Distribution is a trade name formerly used by four electricity distribution companies in the United Kingdom: WPD South West (operating in South West England), WPD South Wales (in South Wales) and WPD Midlands (two companies, in t ...

, intended to build houses on Llanishen Reservoir. Local residents campaigned for 15 years to stop the development. Eventually the reservoirs were sold to the steelworks and put back to their intended purpose of steelmaking. The reservoirs have recently been devolved back to the

Welsh Water Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

authority which, after draining and structural inspection, intends to return both to public amenity use.

Education

Primary schools A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

and

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

s provide local education. Rhydypenau Primary School serves most of Cyncoed and is considered one of the best Primary Schools in Cardiff. There is also Lakeside Primary School which was built on Ontario Way, and

Cardiff High School Cardiff High School () is a comprehensive school in the Cyncoed area of Cardiff, Wales. Stephen Jones has been Headteacher since 2011. History Although the school was established in its current form in 1970, its origins go back much furthe ...

(used to be called 'Ty Celyn') which serves a large proportion of Cardiff's teenagers. It was built on the site of Celyn Farm, located towards Roath Park. There are campuses of

Cardiff Metropolitan University Cardiff Metropolitan University () is a public university located in Cardiff, Wales. Formerly known as the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC; , ) which was established in 1996. The university offers degree courses in a variety of d ...

and a

Cardiff University Cardiff University () is a public research university in Cardiff, Wales. It was established in 1883 as the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire and became a founding college of the University of Wales in 1893. It was renamed Unive ...

hall of residence also in the vicinity. As well as a modern

hall of residence A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...

for

, in 1961 the Cardiff College of Education providing teacher training opened. Various courses are now taught on the Cyncoed campus of

, but it is most famous for its

physical education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

department which has produced various sportspeople from its students, including: Dai Davies;

Lynn Davies Lynn Davies CBE (born 20 May 1942) is a Welsh former track and field athlete who specialised in the long jump. He was the 1964 Olympic champion in the event. Early life Davies was born in Nantymoel near Bridgend and was a member of the ...

;

Gareth Edwards Gareth Edwards may refer to: *Gareth Edwards (Berkshire cricketer) (born 1973), English cricketer *Gareth Edwards (filmmaker) (born 1975), British filmmaker *Gareth Edwards (producer) (born 1965), British radio and television writer and producer *Ga ...

; Clive Griffiths; Greg Thomas; Steve Watkin. As well as top football team Cardiff Metropolitan University F.C. who compete in the

Welsh Premier League The Cymru Premier, known as the JD Cymru Premier for sponsorship reasons, is the national football league of Wales. It has both professional and semi-professional status clubs and is at the top of the Welsh football league system. It was found ...

Rhydypennau library

Rhydypennau Library () is situated near

. Refurbished in 2006–2007, modifications to the entrance included installing automatic doors and replacing existing ramps. New windows were also fitted and fascia boards were replaced. Accessible facilities for disabled people were introduced. There are 4 PCs with free public Internet access and 1 PC in the children's section. Storytime for pre-school children followed by craft activities, and rhymetime for babies and toddlers are organised by the library.Cardiff Council - Rhydypennau Library

Electoral ward

Cyncoed is both an

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...

, and a

without a

community council A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain. In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies. ...

in Cardiff. The

is within the

parliamentary constituency An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...

of Cardiff Central. It is bounded by

to the northwest;

Lisvane Lisvane () is a community in the north of Cardiff, the capital of Wales, located north of the city centre. Lisvane is generally considered to be one of the wealthiest residential areas of Wales, with many properties worth in excess of £1& ...

to the north; Pentwyn to the east;

Penylan Penylan is a district and Community (Wales), community in the east of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, known for its Edwardian era period houses and spacious tree lined roads and avenue (landscape), avenues. Situated to both the north and ...

and

Plasnewydd Plasnewydd (meaning ''New Manor'' or ''New Place'') is an electoral ward (and formerly the name of a community) of Cardiff, Wales. It falls within the parliamentary constituency of Cardiff East. It is bounded by the electoral wards of Cyn ...

to the south; and

Heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...

to the west. It is represented by three councillors on

. There have been three

Liberal Democrat Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party, Democratic Liberal Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties have usually followed liberalism as ideology, although they can vary widely from very progr ...

Councillors since the early 1990s with the sole exception of between 2017 and 2022 when there were two Liberal Democrats and one

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Councillor.

Transport

Cyncoed is served by Cardiff Bus services 28, 28A, 28B, 51, 52 and 53 to and from the city centre. Heath High Level and Heath Low Level railway stations are 0.6 miles southwest. Cyncoed Road runs through Cyncoed, served by Cardiff Bus routes 51 and 53 connect the outer suburbs to the inner city with links to Lakeside,

Roath Roath () is a district and Community (Wales), community to the north-east of the Cardiff city centre, city centre of Cardiff, capital of Wales. The area is mostly covered by the Plasnewydd electoral ward, and stretches from Adamsdown in the so ...

and the city centre. The 28, 28A and 28B continues to

and Thornhill. Some western parts of the area have access to Heath Low Level railway station, with services northbound to Coryton on the City Line. Heath High Level station is nearby, on the Rhymney Line with services northbound to

Rhymney Rhymney (; ) is a town and a community (Wales), community in the county borough of Caerphilly (county borough), Caerphilly, South Wales. It is within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshir ...

via Lisvane & Thornhill and Caerphily. Both lines have services southbound to Cardiff Queen Street and

Cardiff Central railway station Cardiff Central () is a major station on the South Wales Main Line. It is located in the capital of Wales, Cardiff, down the line from London Paddington, via , and measured via . It is one of the city's two urban rail network hubs, along wi ...

. Celyn Avenue leads west to

and Cyncoed Road leads north to

and south to Cathays, the city centre,

and

Notable residents

* The poet

Gillian Clarke Gillian Clarke (born 8 June 1937) is a Welsh poet and playwright, who also edits, broadcasts, lectures and translates from Welsh into English. She co-founded Tŷ Newydd, a writers' centre in North Wales. Life Gillian Clarke was born on 8 ...

lived there for many years.

References

External links

Geograph: Photos of Cyncoed and surrounding area
{{Politics and Government in Cardiff Districts of Cardiff Cardiff electoral wards Communities in Cardiff