Pontcanna Fields History

Until the late nineteenth century this area was open farmland, with Pontcanna Farm occupying the space between Pontcanna Fields and Llandaff Fields. After the Council's purchase of Pontcanna Fields in October 1948,[1] the farm buildings remained and in the 1950s some were converted for use as television studios. They have since been demolished and replaced with a housing estate.

In 1949 the Pontcanna land was still let to a tenant for agricultural use, but a plan was approved to develop the ground as playing fields over a period of three years, starting in March 1950.[2] Subsequently the Parks Committee was informed that the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries would not release this land to the Council until March 1951, and the creation of playing fields could start from that date.[3]

In the early 1950s there was a proposal to establish a racecourse at Pontcanna Fields.[4] The Parks Committee approved a layout submitted by a syndicate which was interested in leasing land at Pontcanna for this purpose. The plan provided for an area in the centre of the racecourse to be reserved for recreational use and events, and it also required removal of most of the trees.[5] By July 1955 the private syndicate had withdrawn from the scheme and the Parks Committee wished to go ahead and establish a racecourse to be managed by the Council.[6] This was vetoed at a Council meeting on October 10th and the racecourse scheme was abandoned, the Parks Director now being instructed to prepare another plan to use the land for recreation.[7]

In 1958 the Parks Committee accepted a tender to convert former air raid shelters in Pontcanna Fields for use as changing rooms.[8] Work to prepare the playing fields started with an area of some 14 acres to be levelled and seeded during the year 1959-60.[9]

For the summer of 1959 a holiday caravan site was opened at the south end of Pontcanna Fields. It proved to be very popular and the Parks Committee decided that the site be made available in 1960 from April to September.[10] By 1962 the holiday caravan site had become established as a regular facility.[11]

In 1963 a plan to create a zoological garden on a site north-west of Pontcanna Farm was approved in principle and provision for the cost of fencing, access roads and car park was incuded in the 1964-65 budget.[12] This idea was eventually abandoned after discussions with both Chipperfields and Billy Smart's Circus came to nothing. Early in 1966 it was agreed that the land which had been prepared for a car park for the zoo would be let for car parking purposes, along with part of the Pontcanna Farm site on which there were derelict buildings to be demolished.[13] The following year the Parks Committee approved the leasing of the former zoo site as a golf driving range.[14]

In 1969 the Parks Committee approved the establishment of a Council-operated equestrian centre at the northern end of Pontcanna Fields[15] and the first phase of this opened in 1970.[16] Subsequently the Parks Committee agreed to make provision in the financial estimates for 1972-73 for a covered indoor riding school,[17] and a tender for £14,408 to carry out the work was accepted in June 1972.[18]

By 1979 the leasee of the golf driving range site, H. T. V. Property Ltd., planned to surrender its lease, demolish all buildings, remove fencing and tarmaced areas and reinstate the ground to.grassland.[19] The lease was not surrendered until 1981, when this site was approved for the construction of a temporary caravan site, the existing caravan site being completely closed for the following two to three years while the River Taff flood relief scheme was carried out.[20][21].

In the early 1980s, five disused air raid shelters on the western boundary adjacent to the caravan site were demolished following the award of a £20,000 Welsh Development Agency land reclamation grant.[22][23] These shelters can be seen on the 1956 aerial photograph.

On 2nd June 1982 Pontcanna Fields was the venue for the visit of Pope John Paul II to Wales.[24][25]

Following completion of the flood relief scheme the Leisure and Amenities Committee agreed to apply for planning permission for a tourist caravan site with access through Sophia Close and exit through Dogo Street.[26] The caravan site was reported to have been completed in October 1986.[27]

Sources of Information

  1. Meeting of the Parks, Baths and Cemeteries Committee 5th October 1948
  2. Meeting of the Parks, Baths and Cemeteries Committee 8th March 1949
  3. Meeting of the Parks, Baths and Cemeteries Committee 12th July 1949
  4. Meeting of the Parks, Baths and Cemeteries Committee 17th November 1953
  5. Meeting of the Parks, Baths and Cemeteries Committee 8th July 1954
  6. Meeting of the Parks, Baths and Cemeteries Committee 7th July 1955
  7. Meeting of the Parks, Baths and Cemeteries Committee 13th October 1955
  8. Meeting of the Parks, Baths and Cemeteries Committee 11th April 1958
  9. Meeting of the Parks, Baths and Cemeteries Committee 26th January 1959
  10. Meeting of the Parks, Baths and Cemeteries Committee 28th September 1959
  11. Meeting of the Parks, Baths and Cemeteries Committee 22nd January 1962
  12. Meetings of the Parks, Baths and Cemeteries Committee 21st October 1963 & 18th November 1963
  13. Meetings of the Parks, Baths and Cemeteries Committee 24th January 1966 & 21st February 1966
  14. Meeting of the Parks, Baths and Cemeteries Committee 7th April 1967
  15. Meeting of thr Parks Committee 20th October 1969
  16. Meeting of the Parks Committee 19th October 1970
  17. Meeting of the Parks Committee 9th September 1971
  18. Meeting of the Parks Committee 15th June 1972
  19. Meetings of the Leisure and Amenities Committee 29th October 1979 and 26th November 1979
  20. Meeting of the Leisure and Amenities Committee 30th March 1981
  21. Meeting of the Leisure and Amenities Committee 1st June 1981
  22. Personal communication (MC)
  23. Meeting of the Leisure and Amenities Committee 4th October 1982
  24. Pope's visit to Wales remembered (BBC)
  25. Meeting of the Leisure and Amenities Committee 6th July 1981
  26. Meeting of the Leisure and Amenities Committee 5th September 1983
  27. Meeting of the Leisure and Amenities Committee 27th October 1986