CardiffParks

Here you will find old postcard views, history and information about notable trees in some of Cardiff's parks and gardens, including Bute Park, Cathays Park, Roath Park, Splott Park, Thompson's Park, Victoria Park, Grange Gardens, Sophia Gardens and Llandaff Fields. Most of these were created in the 1890s and 1900s by William Harpur, the Borough Engineer, and William Pettigrew, Head Gardener and later Parks Superintendent. The "Other Open Spaces" section contains similar information on many of the smaller spaces and those parks created after 1940. Included in this section are such spaces as Heath Park, Parc Cefn Onn, Roath Brook Gardens, Roath Mill Gardens and Plasturton Gardens.

Bute Park Cathays Park & Civic Centre
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Two families shaped the development of Cardiff's parks for almost a hundred years. The Pettigrew family, through William Pettigrew and his younger brother Andrew, held the position of Head Gardener, Parks Superintendent, and subsequently Chief Parks Officer, continuously from 1891 to 1936. Their father, also called Andrew Pettigrew, laid out the private gardens of Cardiff Castle before these came into public ownership as Bute Park. The younger Andrew Pettigrew wrote an unpublished history of Cardiff's parks which is the source of much of the historical information on this website.

The Nelmes family managed the parks after the Pettigrews, serving between 1936 and 1982. Perhaps the most significant achievements during this period were the establishment of the Bute Park Arboretum and the development of Parc Cefn Onn.

Pettigrew family Nelmes family Recent directors

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