Did you know that Cardiff is one of the wettest cities in Britain, was the birthplace of Roald Dahl, and used to have an official beer taster?
If any of these facts came as a surprise to you, then you're in the right place.
In this guide, I've racked my brain for some of the most interesting, crazy, and thought-provoking facts about Cardiff that I've learned through writing this blog.
1. Cardiff is one of the smallest capitals in Europe
Cardiff's population might be fast-growing, but that's because it's from a relatively low base. The population of Cardiff is 362,400 which makes it one of the smallest capitals in Europe, in fact, among all cities in Europe, it was ranked 184th
It's also a small city by area, with a total size of 71.4km2 compared to London which has a size of 1737 km2, you could fit Cardiff into London 24 times over
2. Cardiff is Britain’s wettest city
Having lived in Cardiff for a while, this one came as no surprise to me.
In 2014, Cardiff was named the wettest City in Britain. According to the Met office, records dating back to 1981 showed that the Welsh capital sits atop a list of average rainfalls with 115 cms per year
Cardiff beat Glasgow with 112 cms and Preston with 103 cms yearly. However, when it comes to the average annual rainfall days, Cardiff sits in fifth place with just 149 days.
3. Cardiff is one of the newest capitals in the world
Cardiff only became the capital of Wales in 1955, which makes it one of the newest capitals in the world. The city contested the race to be named Wales capital with other towns like Caernarfon, Machynlleth, Aberystwyth, Llandrindod Wells, and Swansea.
4. Cardiff is the UK’s 12th most visited city
According to 2019 data, Cardiff received 382,000 visitors per year making it the 12th most visited destination in the UK1.
The biggest was London with 21.7 million visitors. Meanwhile, Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh, received 2.2 million visitors during the same year, placing it 2nd.
5. Some famous Cardiffians include Roald Dahl and Shirley Bassey
Cardiff has done more than it's fair share when it comes to famous faces.
Some famous Cardiffians (yes, that's what a Cardiff local is called) include the singers Charlotte Church and Shirley Bassey.
Other famous people from the city include Popstars Charlotte Church and Shirley Bassey. Footballers Ryan Giggs and Gareth Bale are also from the city, broadcaster John Humphrys, and comedian Griff Rhys-Jones.
Many people are surprised to learn that Roald Dahl, one of the world's best-selling children’s authors, is Welsh.
He was born to Norwegian parents who lived in Cardiff at the time since his father was involved in the shipping industry down at Cardiff Docks, now Cardiff Bay.
He was a leading figure in helping to preserve the Norweigan church in Cardiff Bay (pictured below) as it's where his family prayed.
Another unexpected famous Welsh person is Captain Morgan, the famous face of Captain Morgan's rum.
Most believed he originated from the Caribbean, but he's actually from Cardiff. He was born right here in Llanrhymny and spent most of his childhood in Cardiff before joining the army to journey across the West Indies.
6. Cardiff Castle is the most-visited paid attraction in Wales.
Cardiff Castle was the most visited paid attraction in Wales in 2021 with 372,606 visitors. It has been consistently in the top 3 for the past 4 years2.
The top 5 most visited paid attractions in Wales in 2021 were Cardiff Castle, Folly Farm, Portmeirion, the LC Swansea, and the National Trust's Bodnant Gardens
7. Cardiff is known as the City of Arcades
One of the best things to do in Cardiff is to visit the six Victorian and Edwardian arcades that are found around the city centre.
These arcades, located in the heart of Cardiff, houses over 100 different independent stores
These arcades represent over 150 years of Welsh shopping history and have also been modernized to reflect the city's vibrancy.
8. The first-ever £1million deal was made in Cardiff
Cardiff is also the proud city to witness the first-ever £1 million deal among its many historical buildings and stories. The deal was signed at the city's coal exchange and would be worth more than £100 million in today's money
It happened after Cardiff had transformed its port into handling more coal than any other port in the world. On the eve of World War 1 in 1913, Cardiff's coal export reached over 13 million tonnes. It was at this time the international price of coal was determined in the Coal exchange building, and the £1 million deal was signed in 1907.
9. Cardiff is home to the world’s oldest record store
Cardiff city is home to "Spillers Records," which is the oldest record shop in the world. The store, which is located in the Morgan Arcade, dates back to 1894 when Henry Spiller established it. You'll find photographs, wax phonograph cylinders, and shellac discs here.
In 2006 when the store was at risk of being closed, some of the famous people in Cardiff pulled resources to keep it open. As a result, the store adds to the historical value of Cardiff.
10. Cardiff’s Bute Park is the largest urban park in Wales
Bute Park, nicknamed the "green heart" of Cardiff, is the largest urban park in the whole of Wales. It sits on 56 hectares of land and provides a habitat for wildlife and a beautiful and extensive arboretum.
Once part of the grounds of Cardiff Castle, the park was developed between 2010 and 2015 in a project worth £3.1 million, a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. One of the project's goals was to conserve and restore its historical, environmental and horticultural features.
11. Cardiff has hidden tunnels in the city centre.
There are lots of underground tunnels in the City of Cardiff. Blackfriars and Greyfriars built most of the medieval tunnels to allow them to continue to operate in secret, some ran from under the city centre and Bute Park.
Others constructed in the late 1970s by the then British Post Office were meant to carry cables from the BT building on Park Street to Cardiff Castle. There are even rumours that some were used for bank robberies
12. Women were once dunked in the River Taff as punishment for misbehaving
Back in the 1700s, Cardiff used to have a chair known as the ducking stool or chucking stool, which was fixed at the end of a long moveable piece of wood and suspended over the east end of the river Taff, near Canton Bridge.
The chair was used as a punishment for women "whose virulent tongues or outrageous conduct rendered them specially obnoxious to their neighbour"
It wasn't so much the water that's the punishment as the public humiliation.
13. Cardiff used to have a bull ring and a zoo
One of the most common sports in medieval Cardiff was bull-baiting. The city used to have a bull ring where St John Street and Duke Street meet.
Here, a bull tied to a post would be attacked by mastiffs. The town council even met in the 18th century to legalize the sport; however, bull-baiting was outlawed in 1835.
More recently, Victoria Park served as Cardiff's zoo and home to various exotic animals. Over the years, many animals were added, including peacocks, gazelles, parrots, raccoons, alligators, and Wally the Kangaroo.
There wasn't much money after the First World War so the zoo declined. By 1935, all that remained of the animals were peacocks, guinea pigs, and some hares.
14. Cardiff used to have an official beer taster
Perhaps my favourite fact about Cardiff, and maybe one that we should bring back is that in Medieval Cardiff, there used to be a beer/ale taster office. The role entailed having someone who ensured ales and beers were of good quality.
Unfortunately, the office stopped existing in the mid-19th century, and Edward Philpot was the last man to serve as a taster.
According to records of council meetings from the time, beer tasters would have to swear an oath
"You shall well & truely & without Partiallity execute the Office of Ale Taster in this Town & shall take diligent Care that all Brewers & Victuallers in the sd Town shall brew & expose to sale Good & wholsome ale & Beer for man's Body."
15. Some Cardiff neighbourhoods have disappeared
The City of Cardiff has several suburbs, but surprisingly, two of the largest have ceased to exist.
One known as Temperance Town was a working-class suburb in the 1860s but by the 1930s had become impoverished and overcrowded. The last two people to leave the town were Mr. and Mrs. Henry Arthur Hannam
The other suburb was Newtown, one of Cardiff's busiest suburbs and housed large Irish Catholic families working on the docks. However, the terraced houses of Newton were demolished in the 1960s and have now been replaced by newly developed homes.
16. Many famous TV shows are filmed in Cardiff
Cardiff is home to the BBC Wales Cymru headquarters as well as the BBC Roath Lock Studios. Between them, they are responsible for creating many well known TV shows.
Some of the most famous BBC dramas to be made in Cardiff include Doctor Who, Sex Education, and Sherlock.
The latter is set in London, but if you're a local like me, you'll notice that many of the scenes were filmed around Cardiff and South Wales.
There used to be a Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff Bay dedicated to the much-loved timelord, however, this has since been closed.
17. Cardiff is one of the greenest cities in the UK
In addition to Castles, parks are also aplenty in Cardiff. If you enjoy being outdoors and outdoor activities, you'll absolutely love the city. Cardiff is widely regarded as one of the greenest cities in the UK. 2
Cardiff is home to almost 20 different parks and green spaces scattered around the city. The most famous of these parks is Bute Park, nicknamed 'the green heart of the city.'
18. Cardiff has Wales' fastest growing population
According to latest estimates, the Welsh capital has a population of the city has a population of 362,400
Since 1991, the population has grown around 24%, making it the fastest growing part of Wales and way above the average population growth of 10% over the same period.
Not only Cardiff is the fastest growing part of Wales, but it's also the fastest growing of major UK cities
Published: 17 July 2022 · Last updated: 28 January 2024