Roath () is a district and
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 ...
to the north-east of the
city centre
A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the Commerce, commercial, Culture, cultural and often the historical, Politics, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely e ...
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 ...
, 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 ...
.
The area is mostly covered by the
Plasnewydd 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 stretches from
Adamsdown in the south to
Roath Park in the north.
Description

Roath's main shopping streets are Albany Road,
City Road, and Wellfield Road. The area is characterised by its several tree-lined
avenues and
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...
terraced streets. Roath houses a very diverse population including a large number of students, being very close to the main university campuses, a large ethnic minority population and many young professionals. Subdivision of the large Victorian properties is starting to occur in the areas at the south end of the district.
Its close proximity to the city centre, its number of local amenities, churches, shops and restaurants and
public house
A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...
s and
Roath Park make it a popular area to live.
The area has five primary schools, Albany Primary School, Marlborough Primary School, Roath Park Primary School, St Peter's R.C. Primary School and Stacey Primary School. Community facilities include the YMCA Plas community centre and the Mackintosh Sports Club.
Etymology
Samuel Lewis stated that the original name was ''Rhâth'', adding that this was a common element in
Welsh toponymy denoting ancient earthworks (cognate with ''rati'', meaning a fortified enclosure in
Gaulish
Gaulish is an extinct Celtic languages, Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, ...
and ''ráth'', a
ringfort in
Old Irish
Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic (, Ogham, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ; ; or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic languages, Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive written texts. It was used from 600 to 900. The ...
). Lewis further states that several of these earthworks were still visible in his time (likely referring to the earthworks and ditches which had surrounded the old manor house for centuries), suggesting that the area may have been home to an important fortified settlement of the
Silures
The Silures ( , ) were a powerful and warlike tribe or tribal confederation of ancient Britain, occupying what is now south east Wales and perhaps some adjoining areas. They were bordered to the north by the Ordovices; to the east by the Do ...
tribe.
Roath has also been identified with ''Ratostabius'', a disputed placename found in
Ptolomey's
Geographia. Both
William Camden
William Camden (2 May 1551 – 9 November 1623) was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of ''Britannia'', the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland that relates la ...
and
Iolo Morganwg believed this place was in the vicinity of modern Cardiff, with Iolo suggesting that the Latin name was derived from "Rhath Taff".
History

Roath Court is a nineteenth-century villa on the site of the medieval manor house of Roath.
Since 1952 it has been a funeral home. Its
Georgian portico, designed by
Robert Adam
Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (architect), William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and train ...
in 1766 for
Bowood House
Bowood is a Grade I listed Georgian era, Georgian English country houses, country house in Wiltshire, England, that has been owned for more than 250 years by the Fitzmaurice family. The house, with interiors by Robert Adam, stands in extensive g ...
, Wiltshire, was moved there in 1956.
Roath contains the
Church of Saint Margaret of Antioch, built in 1870 in
Gothic revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
style on the site of an earlier
Norman chapel. Designed by
Llandaff
Llandaff (; ; from 'church' and ''River Taff, Taf'') is a district, Community (Wales), community and coterminous electoral ward in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It was incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of the Bisho ...
architect
John Prichard on a Greek Cross plan, it was financed by
the third Marquess of Bute, in spite of his conversion to Catholicism in 1868. Inside is an opulent mausoleum housing tombs of nine members of the Bute family, including the
first marquess and his two wives. The tower of St Margaret's was finally completed in 1926.
Roath once had a
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
on the South Wales Main Line, but this closed in 1917.
Prior to the 2010s the community was known as
Plasnewydd, though was renamed as Roath, being a name that was more widely recognised.
Notable buildings
*
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 ...
, Queen's Buildings (School of Engineering)
*
Roath Library
*
Mansion House, Richmond Road, used as the
mayor's residence for much of the 20th century
*
Shah Jalal Mosque, Crwys Road (formerly Capel Crwys)
*
St Margaret's Church (and the Bute Mausoleum)
*
St. Martin's Church, Albany Road
*
St. Edward's Church, Blenheim Road
*
St. Peters RFC
*
The Gate Arts Centre, Keppoch Street
*
Trinity Methodist Church
Festivals and events
Starting in 2009, the
Made in Roath arts festival took place each October. The event showcased art, music, performance and literature in a variety of venues including peoples' homes. The tenth festival took place in 2018. Made in Roath now exists as a community arts organisation that arranges exhibitions and residencies.
Between 2013 and 2016, local organisers Wayne Courtney and
Nathan Wyburn hosted the 'Roath Bake Off' festival in
St Andrews United Reformed Church, Roath. In December 2018, they announced that the event would be revived for 2019 as part of the campaign to raise funds for the church it was held in.
Notable people
*
William Cope, 1st Baron Cope, politician and international rugby player
*
Lionel Fanthorpe
*
Peter Finch, writer and poet
*
Boyd Clack, writer, actor and playwright
*
Brian Hibbard, musician
*
Nathan Wyburn, artist and local events organiser alongside Wayne Courtney aka Wyburn & Wayne.
*
William Erbery (1604-1654), curate of St Woolos, Newport between 1630 and 1633 then Vicar of St Mary's Church in Cardiff before being forced to leave his post due to his Puritanism. He established the first nonconformist congregation in Cardiff
*
Maureen Rees, British reality TV star (b. 1942)
*
John Sankey, 1st Viscount Sankey, Labour politician and
Lord Chancellor
The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...
. Grew up in Castle Road (now City Road).
See also
*
Tredegarville
References
Further reading
*J. Childs. Roath, Splott and Adamsdown. The History Press. 1995.
External links
RoathCardiff.net Community news and information about Roath in Cardiff
Geograph.co.uk photos of Roath and surrounding area
Roathcardiff.com History and photos of Roath
Madeinroath.com Arts festival and community project in Roath
roathlocalhistorysociety.org Local history society focussing on the Ecclesiastical Parish of Roath
{{Communities of Cardiff
Communities in Cardiff
Districts of Cardiff