PGW(Gm)29(CDF)

Waterloo Gardens, Roath Mill Gardens and Roath Brook Gardens  

II  

01/02/2022  

Designated  

Cardiff  

Penylan  

319752  

177963  

Gardens, Parks and Urban Spaces  

Small Edwardian public parks  

1897; 1906.  

Registered for its historic interest as a group of Edwardian public parks built on land given to the corporation by Lord Tredegar to create a public garden and designed by the Parks Superintendent William Wallace Pettigrew. The parks are located around the Roath Brook, which runs through the parks connecting them with each other and to Roath Park (Cadw ref: PGW(Gm)24(CDF)) to the northwest. The parks provide the setting for the surrounding villa residences. Waterloo Gardens is bound by Waterloo Road to the west, Church Terrace to the east and Waterloo Gardens road to the north. The land for Waterloo Gardens was given by Lord Tredegar in 1897 but laying out of the park was delayed until 1909-10. Waterloo Gardens was opened to the public by the Lord Mayor at an opening ceremony on 27th July 1910. The main area of the park to the south of the brook is laid out to lawn, planted with trees, with some formal beds and with mixed shrub and flower beds around the perimeter. The path layout is little changed from that shown on the 1919 25 inch Ordnance Survey map. A small building (the caretaker’s shelter) is also shown on the 1919 map on the east side of the park. The caretaker’s shelter is a yellow and red brick building with red tile pitched roof and chimney and is a surviving feature of the park. Other examples can be found in other Cardiff parks including Grange Gardens (Cadw ref: PGW(Gm)72(CDF)). The brook and its environs have undergone recent alterations during flood alleviation works (completed 2018) including the construction of flood walls, widening the stream channel and raising the pedestrian bridge leading to the entrance on the north side of the park. A new raised seating area with timber and stone rose pergola in Edwardian style was constructed, connecting the raised pedestrian bridge that spans the brook, with the park. Roath Mill Gardens lies to the north-west of Waterloo Gardens, bounded by Westville Road on the north, Sandringham Road on the south and Waterloo Road on the east. The land was given to the Corporation by Lord Tredegar in 1906 and the park was officially opened on 23rd October 1912. The press report of the opening of Roath Mill Gardens notes a paddling pool, a rockery and 95 varieties of trees and shrubs. The paddling pool and rockery have since gone but the park still contains a wide variety of trees. Roath Mill Gardens is a more informal park than Waterloo Gardens. The park is laid out to grass with informally planted trees, including several champion trees, and the path layout is much as shown on the 1920 25 inch Ordnance Survey map. The Roath Brook runs through it and part of this channel is in fact the former mill leat to Roath Mill: the original brook was filled in and the water diverted into the leat. The south-east area of the park has undergone recent changes as a result of the flood alleviation works (completed in 2018). Following the works a piece of public artwork, a model of the former Roath Mill, was commissioned and located close to the brook to interpret this aspect of the park’s history. Roath Brook Gardens is separated from Roath Mill Gardens by Blenheim Road. It is bound by Westville Road to the north and Sandringham Road to the south. The park is laid out to grass with informally planted trees, including several champion trees, and it retains its path layout as shown on the 1920 25 inch Ordnance Survey map. The land that became Roath Brook Gardens was given by Lord Tredegar in 1910. The development of the gardens was delayed by the 1914-18 war and was opened in 1920 without an opening ceremony.