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Bute Park

Bute Park in Cardiff, Wales, is an extensive area of mature parkland easily accessible from the city centre. Flanked by the River Taff, Sophia Gardens, Pontcanna Fields and Cardiff Castle, Bute Park is a very popular 'green lung' full of historic and wildlife interest. Few cities have such a spacious green area in the heart of their city. The Taff Trail can be accessed at the northern end of Blackweir Fields. A water bus stop is located adjacent to Canton Bridge at the southern end of the park offering trips to Cardiff Bay, Penarth and the barrage. This article is about the capital city of Wales. ... This article is about the country. ... The River Taff is a large river in South Wales. ... Sophia Gardens (Welsh: Gerddi Soffia) is a sporting venue on the west bank of the River Taff in Cardiff, one mile north of Cardiff Arms Park and is named after Sophia Rawdon-Hastings. ... The Norman keep Burgess summer smoking room Cardiff Castle (Welsh: Castell Caerdydd) in Wales was founded by the Normans in 1091, on the site of a Roman fort whose remains can still be seen. ... Mile post at Quakers Yard The Taff Trail is a popular walking and cycle path that runs for 55 miles between Cardiff Bay and Brecon in Wales. ... A New York Water Taxi docks at Pier 11 near Wall Street. ... Cardiff Bay Cardiff Bay (Welsh: Bae Caerdydd) is the regeneration area created by the Cardiff Barrage which impounded two rivers (Taff and Ely) to form a new 500 acre freshwater lake around the former dockland area south of the city centre of Cardiff in south Wales. ... , Penarth (Welsh: pen head, + garth cliff or hill, or arth bear) is a town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, lying on the north shore of the Severn estuary, and at the southern end of Cardiff Bay. ...

History

The Gorsedd stones

Due to its location at the historic core of Cardiff, Bute Park contains a wealth of historic interest dating back to Roman and medieval times. Cardiff Castle, the famous Animal Wall, the Gorsedd stones and the Blackfriars site are just a sample of the park’s rich history. The Castle Green was landscaped in the late eighteenth century by Capability Brown , but the park itself was laid out from 1873 on by Andrew Pettigrew, Head Gardener to the 3rd Marquess of Bute^[1]. In 1947, the 5th Marquess of Bute presented the park to the Council. Today the park is still owned and managed by Cardiff Council. Gorsedd Stones are integral to the main Druidic ceremonies of the National Eisteddfod of Wales. ... The Norman keep Burgess summer smoking room Cardiff Castle (Welsh: Castell Caerdydd) in Wales was founded by the Normans in 1091, on the site of a Roman fort whose remains can still be seen. ... The Animal Wall in Bute Park since 1925 The Animal Wall is a sculptured wall depicting different animals in Cardiff, Wales. ... Gorsedd Stones are integral to the main Druidic ceremonies of the National Eisteddfod of Wales. ... Capability Brown, by Nathaniel Dance, ca. ... John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute KT (12 September 1847 – 9 October 1900) is remembered chiefly for his links with the city of Cardiff, Wales, and particularly for the restoration of Cardiff Castle. ...

Nature

The size of the park and its variety of habitats make Bute Park a haven for wildlife. It is possible to see a great variety of wildlife including woodpeckers, kingfishers, egrets, bats and grey squirrels. The woodlands adjoining the River Taff contain an excellent spring flora and there is an interesting range of wax cap fungi within sections of closely mown lawn in the arboretum. Salmon and sea trout can be viewed on Blackweir. Genera Melanerpes Sphyrapicus Xiphidiopicus Dendropicos Dendrocopos Picoides Veniliornis Campethera Geocolaptes Dinopium Meiglyptes Hemicircus Micropternus Picus Mulleripicus Dryocopus Celeus Piculus Colaptes Campephilus Chrysocolaptes Reinwardtipicus Blythipicus Gecinulus Sapheopipo For other uses, see Woodpecker (disambiguation). ... Families Alcedinidae Halcyonidae Cerylidae Kingfishers are birds of the three families Alcedinidae (river kingfishers), Halcyonidae (tree kingfishers), and Cerylidae (water kingfishers). ... an egret and a fish Genera Egretta Ardea An egret is any of several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season. ... “Chiroptera” redirects here. ... Binomial name Sciurus carolinensis Gmelin, 1788 The Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) is a tree squirrel that is native to the eastern to midwestern United States and the eastern provinces of Canada. ... This article is about a type of botanical garden. ... For other uses, see Salmon (disambiguation). ... Trinomial name Salmo trutta fario Salmo trutta trutta The Brown Trout (Salmo trutta fario) and the Sea Trout (Salmo trutta trutta) are subspecies distinguished chiefly by the fact that the Brown Trout is largely a freshwater fish, while the Sea Trout shows anadromous reproduction, spawning in fresh water but migrating...

Recreation

Football, rugby and cricket pitches are provided at Blackweir Fields to the north of the park. A 'Trim Trail' loops around the southern part of the park. Large grassed areas are used for informal recreation- a great place for a picnic. Very close at hand are the SWALEC Stadium and the Welsh Institute of Sport: both of these organisations are developments in Sophia Gardens, named after the Marchioness of Bute, itself a registered park and part of the collection of 'Bute Parks'. SWALEC Stadium is a cricket stadium on the west bank of the River Taff in Cardiff, 1. ... The Welsh Institute of Sport (Welsh: ) is an organisation set up in 1972 to assist in the development of the top athletes in Wales. ...

Arboretum

Coopers Field in Autumn

An interesting mix of rare and ornamental trees have been planted since 1947 to complement some excellent specimens that formed part of the original park design. Many of the trees are known to be Champion Trees, the biggest examples of their species anywhere in the UK. For other uses, see Autumn (disambiguation). ...

Ornamental features

A well stocked herbaceous border flanks the path running alongside the River Taff, the plants coming from the Parks Nursery located in the park. See the Parks Website, Illustrated Plant Guide for more information. Herbaceous border at Arley Hall A herbaceous border is a collection of perennial herbaceous plants (plants that live for more than two years and are soft-stemmed and non-woody) arranged closely together, usually to create a dramatic effect through colour, shape or large scale. ...

Public art

The park hosts a number of interesting artworks and sculptures including wood carvings formed from retained tree stumps in the park. An ironwork sundial, originally placed in the park in 1990 after a Festival of Iron event, was removed in 2006 and replaced by a small round formal garden to honour Stuttgart (Cardiff's German twin-town.) This feature was designed by the Parks Service in Stuttgart and planted by horticultural apprentices from both cities as part of a programme of exchange visits between the two parks departments.

Waterways

The dock feeder canal forms a tranquil corridor along the eastern edge of the park. Its origins go back to medieval times when it was a millstream, constructed to feed the Lord's Mill, situated below the western walls of Cardiff Castle. This line is clearly seen on the Bute Estate Maps of 1824. ^[2] In 1833, the line of the mill stream was incorporated as a water source for the development of the Cardiff Docks by the 2nd Marquess of Bute and was reformed as the dock feeder when the docks were constructed 1836-1841. ^[3] The dock feeder is still the main water supply to the port of Cardiff.

The River Taff runs along the western edge of the park providing great visual and wildlife interest. Each autumn, salmon and sea trout can be seen jumping up the weir below the footbridge at Blackweir, and herons and cormorants have been observed fishing in this area.^[4]

Map

Click Here for Map.

Notes

1. ^ [1],[2]
2. ^ Bute Estate Maps of 1824
3. ^ Plan showing the route of the dock feeder, 1833. Glamorgan Records Office
4. ^ "BBC Wales Nature Q&A". http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/nature/sites/features/pages/questions_answers.shtml. Retrieved 2008-01-16. 

External links

• Cardiff Council Bute Park page

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