The History and Architecture of Cardiff Civic Centre : Black Gold, White City

Cardiff’s civic centre in Cathays Park, described as the finest civic centre in the British Isles, is an impressive planned group of public buildings, begun largely with wealth created by the coal industry in the south Wales coalfield. This book covers the Cardiff site’s earlier evolution as a private park in the nineteenth century by the fabulously rich Bute family, and the borough’s battles to obtain land for public buildings and the park’s development in the twentieth century, to become Britain’s finest civic centre. All the buildings, memorials and statues in the park are fully described and illustrated in this book which includes maps, plans and photographs. The History and Architecture of Cardiff Civic Centre is the first in the series Architecture of Wales, published in partnership with the Royal Society of Architects in Wales. The history and architecture of Britain's finest civic centre, and how it came to be created following the boom of the coal industry in the south Wales coalfield. Cardiff's civic centre in Cathays Park, described as the finest civic centre in the British Isles, is an impressive planned group of public buildings, begun largely with wealth created by the coal industry in the south Wales coalfield. This book covers the Cardiff site's earlier evolution as a private park in the nineteenth century by the fabulously rich Bute family, and the borough's battles to obtain land for public buildings and the park's development in the twentieth century, to become Britain's finest civic centre. All the buildings, memorials and statues in the park are fully described and illustrated in this book which includes maps, plans and photographs. The History and Architecture of Cardiff Civic Centre is the first in the series Architecture of Wales, published in partnership with the Royal Society of Architects in Wales Cardiff's Civic Centre, described as the finest in the British Isles, is an impressive planned group of public buildings, begun largely with wealth created by the coal industry in the south Wales coalfield. This book contains detailed architectural descriptions of all the buildings in the civic center, such as Cardiff City Hall and the National Museum and Gallery of Wales. The book includes specially prepared maps and plans showing how the center developed over two centuries as well as rich descriptions and accounts of its development that highlight one of Wales's most striking cultural landmarks