Day Trips From London – Cardiff’s Victorian Splendor

Planning a trip to London and looking for an easy day trip from London by train? Skip another packed day in the UK capital, and head two hours west to Cardiff, the grand coal-built capital of Wales. A whole other country, with its own language, anthem, and parliament. Yet no passport check needed! 

In this Day Break episode of Publicity – Your London Travel Toolkit, host Expat Andy walks you through  the best of Cardiff in a day. The Victorian fantasy of Cardiff Castle, the City of historic Victorian shopping arcades, Cardiff Market, Captain Scott's Antarctic connection, and the beautiful tiled Golden Cross pub. Plenty of Welsh led food options for lunch - a proper pub lunch at a Brains Brewery tied house, The Hayes, Cardiff's Cafe Quarter, and "Chippy Lane." Cardiff Bay - the old Tiger Bay docklands where Shirley Bassey, "Our Shirl," was born. 

Part travel guide, part love letter to a proud rugby city, it's the London day trip your guidebook probably forgot to mention. Whether you're building a London travel itinerary, searching for London travel tips, or just want a reliable London travel podcast for Americans planning a UK trip, this is your signal in the travel information static. For more London travel guides and day trips from London, visit publicitythepodcast.com. Special gift this episode! Since Wales is, "The Land of Song", we've got some lovely music queued up with the episode. 

Croeso i Gymru, fy mamwlad. Cymru. Gwlad y Gân.

This is Cardiff, there’s a lot to cover. Welcome to Wales, my homeland. Wales. The Land of Song.

Transcript

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Two hours west of Paddington, the train slips under the River Avon and emerges in a different country, the Principality of Wales, its own language, national anthem, capital, and parliament. Just like you give your breakfast the full English, give Cardiff the full Welsh day. This is Cardiff. There is a lot to cover. Damagardith Marchlauer Idravod Croyso Igumri Mimamla Cumri Glad Ogon Welcome to Wales, my homeland. Wales, the land of song. The English name Cardiff and the Welsh name Cardize share the same origin. Cardize comes from the older Welsh Cardiff, combining Kir, Fort, and Deaf, an early form of Taff. The river Taff, meaning the fort on the river Taff. The name likely referred to the Roman fort on the site of present-day Cardiff Castle. The Welsh pronunciation shifted from Cardiff to Carde. Cardiff was a modest town before coal. Its population grew from 1870 in 1801 to 128,915 by 1891. Coal from the South Wales valleys flowed through its docks to global markets. The Butte family, owners of the docks and surrounding land, used their wealth to shape the city's growth. We arrive at Cardiff Central Train Station, a Grade 2 listed blend of Victorian and Art Deco architecture. First opened in 1850, rebuilt in 1896, and redeveloped by the Great Western Railway in the 1930s, it reflects the city's railway age prosperity. Walk up St. Mary's Street towards Cardiff Castle. On the corner, notice the pink Radar Stone Grade 2 listed Gothic building. It's now a Weatherspoons pub, but it opened in 1879 as the Great Western Hotel, one of Cardiff's few surviving Victorian railway hotels. Nearby stands the Grade 2 listed Victorian Royal Hotel. Captain Scott was honored at a farewell dinner in the Alexandra Room before departing on his second Antarctic expedition. Today the space is known as the Captain Scott Room. Scott sailed from Roth Basin Cardiff aboard the SS Terra Nova on 15th of June 1910. Cardiff was the ship's home port, with Welsh companies providing substantial financial support, equipment, and coal. The Terra Nova returned to Butte Dock on 14th of June 1913. A lighthouse at Roth Park Lake commemorates Scott, the Terra Nova's wooden figurehead now held at the National Museum of Wales. Salvaged wood panels from the ship are installed in the Royal Hotel's Terra Nova Bar.

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Mary Street is one of Cardiff's oldest streets, once the center of medieval civic life containing stocks, whipping posts, and a jail. Cardiff proudly styles itself as the City of Arcades, with more Victorian and Edwardian shopping arcades than any other city in the UK. Seven survive today. Have a wonder and enjoy the many independent businesses within. The arcades cluster around St. Mary's Street and the Hays, with one exception being Dominion's Arcade, which is on the newer Queen Street Corridor. In order of being built, the arcades are 1858, the Grade 2 listed Royal Arcade, 1885, the Grade 2 listed High Street Arcade. 1887, Grade 2 Star listed Castle Arcade. 1887 Grade II listed Wyndham Arcade. 1899 the Grade 2 listed Morgan Arcade and 1902 the Grade II listed Duke Street Arcade. And then finally in 1921, Dominions Arcade. Detour into Trinity Street to see the Grade 2 star listed Cardiff Central Market, a fine example of iron-framed Victorian engineering that dates to 1891, once the site of Cardiff's Jail and the scene of public executions. Nearby stands the Grade 1 listed St. John the Baptist Church, one of the oldest buildings in central Cardiff, dating back 800 years. Also note the Grade 2 star listed Victorian James Howells Department Store building nearby. As we approach Cardiff Castle, look left to spot the Grade 2 star listed Victorian Castle Arcade. Smack in the city center stands Cardiff Castle. Beneath its walls lie the remains of a Roman fort, topped by a Norman keep, but the royal showstopper? Ah, it's Victorian. In the 1860s, John Crichton Stewart, third Marquess of Butte, heir to a vast fortune built on Colin docks, described as one of the richest men in the world, hired architect William Burgess and created a Gothic revival fever dream. Gilded ceilings, the jewel box arrow room, and the clock tower, where painted planets and zodiac imagery spiral through the interiors. Tilemakers, including W.B. Simpson and Sons, contributed to Burgess's lavish decorative scheme. Victorian fantasy on a medieval foundation. Colwell's poured straight into imagination. Cut through the Grade 2 star listed, L-shaped castle arcade opposite Cardiff Castle. Note that like Cardiff Market, the arcade has two levels, and that's unique among the arcades. Follow the arcade to St. Mary's Street, then continue south to the Grade 2 listed Royal Arcade and the Grade 2 listed Morgan Arcade. Cut through the Morgan Arcade and stop at Wally's Delicatessen and sample the great selection of Welsh cheeses. Also check out Spiller's Records, going since 1894, and the holder of a Guinness World Record for the world's oldest record shop. Take your time exploring the arcade's nooks and side passages before emerging onto the Hays. Once out on the Hays, look up at the grade 2 listed Victorian David Morgan Department Story. Now the Morgan Apartments. I still remember the beautiful Oak Room restaurant when the building operated as Cardiff's premier department store. Continued to Hayes Island, a small pedestrian triangle packed with hidden treasures. Hays Island was never actually an island. The Hayes comes from the Norman French Hay or La Haye, meaning a hedge or enclosed field. Originally an open area outside Cardiff's medieval walls, it evolved into a bustling market district. The island originated when roads were laid out around a central traffic island at the southern end of the Haze in the late 19th century. The impressive building beside it is the Grade 2 star listed Old Library of 1882. It's now the Cardiff Story Museum. Step inside and admire the magnificent Moore and Company tiled entrance hall. In the middle of the road stands the Hayes Island Snack Bar, a Grade 2 listed cabin built in 1911 as a tram parcel depot. Opened since 1948 and said to be the oldest snack bar in Wales. Beside it, Cardiff's first public toilets, opened in 1898 and still operating. Their Victorian towerwork and brass fittings are remarkably preserved. Both the ladies and the gents are Grade 2 listed, making them among the most distinguished public conveniences you'll ever encounter. Nearby stands the Grade 2 listed statue of John Bachelor, the Friend of Freedom. Businessman, reformer, and 1853 Cardiff mayor, who played a major role in the city's growth. His outstretched hand has inspired a local tradition of decorating the statue with everything from traffic cones to Christmas ornaments. As we head back down the Hays, pop into the Grade 2 listed Victorian Royal Arcade before looking across to Cardiff Central Library. Designed by Build and Design Partnership, its colorful exterior panels resemble rows of book spines, creating a striking contrast with the surrounding Victorian architecture. Outside stands Alliance by Jean Bernard Meté, a sculpture inspired by Cardiff's maritime heritage. Its liquid-filled ring responds to the tides, linking the modern city to the sea, the Glamorganshire Canal, and the forces that shaped Cardiff's history. In 1882, Samuel Arthur Brain and his uncle bought the old brewery, works that filled the whole block between St. Mary Street and Caroline Street. Today that block is the brewery quarter, a courtyard of bars and restaurants.

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Let's make something beautiful.

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We're in the perfect spot for lunch options. The Duke of Wellington, a handsome grade two listed red brick Brains Brewery type pub on the Hays, serves traditional pub food. The brewery quarter offers a range of restaurants, while nearby St. David's Center has options for every taste, including the top floor restaurant at the John Lewis Department Store. Alternatively, wander down Mill Lane, Cardiff's Cafe Quarter. Before leaving the city centre, one stop is well worth making. The Golden Cross, another Brains Brewery-tied pub on Custom House Street. A pub has stood here since 1849, and the current Grade 2 listed building dates from a Brains Brewery rebuild of 1903 to 1904.

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This is our time to shine, to colour outside the lights, make a world of our own design.

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Today it's also Cardiff's oldest LGBTQ venue still in operation. Visit this pub if only to see the stunning ceramic bar counter with its molded, grotesque faces. One of the most beautiful bars I've ever seen. The interior towers are attributed to Craven Dunhill of Jackfield, Shropshire, one of Britain's leading architectural ceramic manufacturers of the late Victorian and Edwardian periods. Some historians have suggested the exterior frontage may have been supplied by J. C. Edwards of Ruabon, a Welsh brick and ceramics manufacturer. This part of Cardiff was once the city's first red light district, Charlotte Street and Whitmore Lane, notorious for brothels and rough pubs, until redevelopment swept them away in the late 19th century. In the 19th century, the Golden Cross had a reputation as the smartest brothel in town, and is now the sole survivor of the Red Light District. As the area changed, the trade shifted toward the docks and Tiger Bay, our next destination. Caroline Street, meanwhile, well, it retained a more light-hearted reputation as Chippy Lane, Cardiff's late-night food strip. I believe it was in a Chippy on Caroline Lane that the Cardiff Standard, known as a half and half, was invented. It's not just curry and chips, it's curry with a half portion of chips and a half portion of rice. Just the right amount of carbs to soak up that late night alcohol. From Cardiff Queen Street Station, you have two choices. One stop north to Cathays brings you to Cardiff University and the city's magnificent civic centre. One stop south takes you to Cardiff Bay, the old docks of world famous Tiger Bay. I recommend both. Take the train to Cates first, explore the civic quarter, cut through Cataz Park to the new theatre, and return to Queen Street Station to get the same line south to Cardiff Bay. You'll thank me later. The area around Cat's Station is among Cardiff's architectural highlights. At its heart is Cathays Park, which Pevsner described as the finest civic centre in the British Isles. Cardiff University's Grade 2 star listed main building dominates Park Place with its grand Portland stone facade, columns, dome, and clock tower. A short walk away stands two of Wales' greatest public buildings. The Corinthian columned entrance and richly detailed Portland stone exterior of the Grade 1 listed National Museum of Wales and the Grade 1 listed Cardiff City Hall, whose soaring clock tower and Beau Arts Planning anchors the civic centre. Inside a bronze memorial tablet of Captain Scott can be found on the Grand Staircase, commemorating his connection with Cardiff. Strolling through the landscaped avenues of Cates Park brings you to the Grade 2 listed New Theatre, a beautifully preserved Edwardian Playhouse dating from 1906.

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And in the morning I'll peel you off the ground.

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On the walk back to Queen Street, you'll pass the site of the former Capitol Theatre, now home to a faux Victorian shopping centre. The Capitol Theatre opened in 1921, and it was once one of Britain's largest entertainment venues. The Beatles played the final date of their last UK tour here in 1965. Stars that also have performed here include Dame Shirley Bassey and Sir Tom Jones, both South Wales locals, or Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Queen Santana, Rod Stewart, The Rolling Stones, I Cantina Turner, T-Rex, The Yardbirds, and Led Zeppelin. Back at Queen Street, take the train one stop south to Cardiff Bay, where the city's historic docklands have been transformed into Wales' modern waterfront district. When Cole ruled, sailors and workers from dozens of nations settled here, creating one of Britain's earliest multicultural communities. It was here in 1937 that Shirley Bassie was born, daughter of a Nigerian seaman. She grew to sell over a hundred million records and sing three James Bond themes. Cardiff calls her simply our Shirl and handed her the freedom of the city. Begin at the Grade Two Star listed coal exchange. This Renaissance revival building housed the trading floor set in the global price of coal. In 1904, the world's first million-pound business deal was agreed here. Today it operates as a hotel, but the magnificent trade-in hall survives. Nearby stands the Norwegian church, built to serve the many Scandinavian sailors who passed through Cardiff's docks. The present Grade 2 listed building incorporates elements of the original church established in 1868. Close to the church is the memorial to Captain Scott. Overlooking the exact lock basin, the SS Terra Nova departed on its fated second Antarctic expedition in 1910. Cardiff Bay's modern landmark is the Wales Millennium Centre, designed by architect Jonathan Adams and home of the Welsh National Opera. Its bronze-domed armadillo facade and bands of Welsh slate were inspired by the layered cliffs of the Glamorgan coast. Across the front windows, shaped letters form Gwynneth Lewis's bilingual inscription. In these stones, horizons sing. The transformation of Cardiff Bay was completed by the construction of the controversial barrage across the mouths of the river Tafanili that sealed the old tidal harbour into a freshwater lake. Beside the Millennium Centre stands the Senes, home of the Welsh Parliament. Together they symbolize Cardiff's journey from global coal port to the political and cultural capital of modern Wales. Cardiff is a rugby city. It's the national sport of Wales after all. The Principality Stadium sits in the city centre, not marooned in some suburban retail park like Cardiff City Football Stadium. Mam loved to take a shopping in Cardiff on match days. Timed right, the city centre would be wonderfully quiet until Wales scored at the stadium. Then came the roar, followed by thousands singing a rousing chorus of Calonlan. Calonlan and Floundione Tech you now lily de los demont calonas can e can earth a canir nurse. Evening and morning my wish rise into heaven on the wing of song, for God for the sake of my Saviour, to give me a pure heart. It makes me emotional to think of this. In Wales we have a word for that feeling Hirite There is no exact English equivalent. It's a mixture of longing, pride, nostalgia, joy, and sadness for home, all bundled together in one overwhelming moment that makes your eyes leak. The Klempt from the Yiddish Far Clempt. That's probably the closest analogy for Hiris. Trains back to London Paddington run into the evening. Always check current schedules and ticket prices ahead of travel. When you get back to your London hotel, congratulate yourself for stepping off the London treadmill. You crossed into another country and let a proud, coal-built capital show off for a day. That's a daybreak. If you live, work or travel in London, or if you own, manage or work in a London pub, if you work as a London tour guide or at a London attraction, and you'd like to be a guest contributor to our main podcast, Publicity, your London Travel Toolkit, email me expatandy at publicithepodcast.com. Love our content, love London and its pubs? The best thing you can do is share the love. Literally, share this episode with your network. Your share is the butterfly ripple effect across the globe for a small business in London. Now all rise for the Welsh national anthem.