District and community in Cardiff, Wales
51°29′24″N
3°14′36″W
/
51.49000°N 3.24333°W
/
51.49000; -3.24333
Fairwater
(
Welsh
:
Y Tyllgoed
) is a district and
community
in the west of
Cardiff
, capital of
Wales
. It is located a few miles from
Culverhouse Cross
which connects Cardiff to the
M4 motorway
. The population taken at the
2011 census
was 12,981.
[1]
Etymologies
[
edit
]
The original Welsh name
Tyllgoed
derives from "tyll" meaning "to hole" or "to burrow" and "coed" meaning "woods" or "trees". Tyllgoed is a name common to a number of streams in Wales that burrow through woods and it is likely this name would have originally applied to the stream that still runs through Fairwater today.
[2]
[3]
The similarity of the first element to the Welsh word "tywyll" meaning "dark" led some later writers to derive the name as "dark woods". However, this derivation is now considered a
folk etymology
, especially given that the name is first recorded under the spellings
Tull Coit
and
Tollcoit in the land of Ystrad Ager
, in the 12th century
Book of Llandaff
. The entry states that the area was given to
Llandaff Cathedral
during the time of its
fourteenth Bishop, Berthguin
, in the early 8th century.
[4]
The English name
Fairwater
may ultimately derive from the
Ecclesiastical Latin
in this entry, as the term
bella aqua
(literally "fair water") is recorded in its
marginalia
. In later centuries, the area became the benefice of one of Llandaff's
prebends
, named as the "Prebend of Fairwell", or the "Prebend of Farewell" in the cathedral's own documents. Even today, one of the cathedral's historic canons' stalls is still named "Fairwater".
[5]
[6]
Amenities
[
edit
]
This leafy district is divided between the mainly privately owned 1930s
semi-detached
housing developments at the southern end, and more 1950s public housing stock towards the northern end closer to neighbouring
Pentrebane
. It includes Fairwater Park (known locally as "the Dell"),
Fairwater Leisure Centre
, a
skatepark
and numerous playing fields.
Fairwater has two
secondary schools
. The larger of the two, with over a thousand pupils, is the
Welsh-medium
Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Plasmawr
. The other is
Cantonian High School
, which has nearly 700 pupils.
The building in which Plasmawr stands was originally opened in 1959 as Waterhall Secondary Modern School. Pupils at the school included
Martyn Woodroffe
an
Olympic
swimming
Silver Medalist
in
1968 Summer Olympics
in
Mexico
. It is on the grounds of old Cantonian lower school, but in recent times has had many new developments built on the site. Peter Lea Primary and Fairwater Primary schools are in the area. Cantonian has produced several Welsh international
football (soccer)
players. In recent times
Ryan Green
(once Wales' youngest international),
Jermaine Easter
and
Joe Ledley
and, a little further back,
John Toshack
. Famous former pupils also include the model and
Gary Lineker
's wife
Danielle Bux
and director of the film
Human Traffic
,
Justin Kerrigan
.
Fairwater Brook was a childhood haunt of
Roald Dahl
, who lived in
Radyr
and studied in nearby
Llandaff
.
Fairwater Park, known locally as "The Dell" is the site of one of Britain's first
artificial ski slopes
, built in 1969.
[7]
[8]
Fairwater Green is a local area of shops, supposedly named for the area of grass nearby.
Fairwater Library
opened in 1960, is a small branch library with a small book collection, public access computers and study space is open five days a week.
[9]
Electoral ward
[
edit
]
Fairwater is both an
electoral ward
, and a
community
of the
City of Cardiff
. There is no
community council
for the area. The
electoral ward
of
Fairwater
falls within the parliamentary constituency of
Cardiff West
. It is bounded by
Creigiau & St. Fagans
to the west;
Llandaff
to the east;
Canton
to the southeast;
Ely
to the south; and
Radyr
to the north. Previously represented by the
Labour Party
it has since May 2008 been represented on
Cardiff Council
by
Plaid Cymru
councillors.
[10]
Transport
[
edit
]
Fairwater is well served by public transport with three
railway stations
-
Fairwater
in the heart of the area,
Danescourt
in the north and
Waun-Gron Park
in the south. All 3 stations are on the
Cardiff City Line
with services northbound to
Radyr
and southbound to
Cardiff Central
via
Ninian Park
.
Fairwater has bus services provided by
Cardiff Bus
operating
bus
service 61 through the area to
Pentrebane
, while route 64 runs through to
Heath Hospital
and route 66 serves
Keyston Road
. Easyway run an infrequest bus service through Fairwater to
St Fagans
.
The main road running through the east of the area is Western Avenue (
A48
) linking it to Ely Bridge,
Ely
,
Canton
and the
city centre
to the south and
Gabalfa
, eastern districts and the
M4 J30 Cardiff East
to the north. St Fagans Road is a country road leading west out of Fairwater to
St. Fagans
, Ely,
Culverhouse Cross
and
M4 J33 Cardiff West
Notable people from Fairwater
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Ward population 2011"
. Retrieved
8 April
2015
.
- ^
Padel, OJ (2009).
"Two Devonshire place-names"
(PDF)
.
Journal of the English Place-Name Society
(41): 120.
- ^
"Cardiff and District"
.
Some place names in south Wales
. Retrieved
20 April
2022
.
- ^
The Liber landavensis, Llyfr Teilo or, The ancient register of the cathedral church of Llandaff; from mss. in the libraries of Hengwrt, and of Jesus college, Oxford
. Llandaff (Wales): W Rees. 1840. p. 439
. Retrieved
20 April
2022
.
- ^
Matthews, John Hobson, ed. (1905).
Schedule of place names: A - F', in Cardiff Records: Volume 5
. Cardiff. pp. 337?369
. Retrieved
20 April
2022
.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
)
- ^
Birch, Walter de Gray (1912).
Memorials of the see and cathedral of Llandaff, derived from the Liber landavensis, original documents in the British museum, H. M. record office, the Margam muniments, etc
. J. E. Richards, Neath. p. 160
. Retrieved
20 April
2022
.
- ^
"About Us"
.
Cardiff Ski
. Retrieved
14 October
2017
.
- ^
"Britain's top dry ski slopes and indoor snow centres"
.
The Daily Telegraph
. 10 February 2017
. Retrieved
14 October
2017
.
- ^
"Hubs and Libraries"
.
www.cardiff.gov.uk
. Retrieved
13 February
2022
.
- ^
"Cardiff Council Election Results 1995-2012"
(PDF)
. The Elections Centre
. Retrieved
21 March
2018
.
- ^
Williamson, David (18 April 2018).
"Cardiff singers 'disgust' at Windrush generation treatment"
.
WalesOnline
. Retrieved
13 February
2022
.
- ^
"Local hero Ledley reaps rewards"
. 8 April 2008
. Retrieved
13 February
2022
.
External links
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]
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