Roath

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District and community in Cardiff, Wales

title: "Roath" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["roath", "communities-in-cardiff", "districts-of-cardiff"] description: "District and community in Cardiff, Wales" topic_path: "general/roath" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roath" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary District and community in Cardiff, Wales ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox UK place"]

FieldValue
typeCommunity
countryWales
welsh_nameY Rhath
static_image_name{{multiple image
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perrow1/2/2
total_width280
aligncenter
image1Roath_Park_Church.jpg
image2Plasnewydd.jpg
image3City_Road,_Roath,Cardiff-geograph.org.uk-_1041906.jpg
image4Scott_Memorial,Roath_Park_Lake-geograph.org.uk-_3566728.jpg
static_image_caption
coordinates
unitary_walesCardiff
module[[File:2024 Wales Cardiff Community Roath map.svg
Map of the community
::

| type = Community | country = Wales | welsh_name = Y Rhath | static_image_name = {{multiple image | border = infobox | perrow = 1/2/2 | total_width = 280 | align = center | image1 = Roath_Park_Church.jpg | image2 = Plasnewydd.jpg | image3 = City_Road,_Roath,Cardiff-geograph.org.uk-_1041906.jpg | image4 = Scott_Memorial,Roath_Park_Lake-geograph.org.uk-_3566728.jpg | static_image_caption = | coordinates = | unitary_wales = Cardiff | module = [[File:2024 Wales Cardiff Community Roath map.svg|240px]] Map of the community

Roath () is a district and community to the north-east of the city centre of Cardiff, capital of Wales. The area is mostly covered by the Plasnewydd electoral ward, and stretches from Adamsdown in the south to Roath Park in the north.

Description

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Albany_Road_post_office_-1974950-_geograph.org.uk.jpg" caption="Post Office and shops on Albany Road"] ::

Roath's main shopping streets are Albany Road, City Road, and Wellfield Road. The area is characterised by its several tree-lined avenues and Victorian era terraced streets. Roath houses a very diverse population including a large number of students, being very close to the main university campuses, a large ethnic minority population and many young professionals. Subdivision of the large Victorian properties is starting to occur in the areas at the south end of the district.

Its close proximity to the city centre, its number of local amenities, churches, shops and restaurants and public houses and Roath Park make it a popular area to live.

The area has five primary schools, Albany Primary School, Marlborough Primary School, Roath Park Primary School, St Peter's R.C. Primary School and Stacey Primary School. Community facilities include the YMCA Plas community centre and the Mackintosh Sports Club.

Etymology

Samuel Lewis stated that the original name was Rhâth, adding that this was a common element in Welsh toponymy denoting ancient earthworks (cognate with rati, meaning a fortified enclosure in Gaulish and ráth, a ringfort in Old Irish). Lewis further states that several of these earthworks were still visible in his time (likely referring to the earthworks and ditches which had surrounded the old manor house for centuries), suggesting that the area may have been home to an important fortified settlement of the Silures tribe.

Roath has also been identified with Ratostabius, a disputed placename found in Ptolomey's Geographia. Both William Camden and Iolo Morganwg believed this place was in the vicinity of modern Cardiff, with Iolo suggesting that the Latin name was derived from "Rhath Taff".

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Roath_Court_-geograph.org.uk-_626431.jpg" caption="Roath Court"] ::

Roath Court is a nineteenth-century villa on the site of the medieval manor house of Roath. Since 1952 it has been a funeral home. Its Georgian portico, designed by Robert Adam in 1766 for Bowood House, Wiltshire, was moved there in 1956.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/St_Margaret's_Church,_Roath.JPG" caption="[[St Margaret's Church, Roath"] ::

Roath contains the Church of Saint Margaret of Antioch, built in 1870 in Gothic Revival style on the site of an earlier Norman chapel. Designed by Llandaff architect John Prichard on a Greek Cross plan, it was financed by the third Marquess of Bute, in spite of his conversion to Catholicism in 1868. Inside is an opulent mausoleum housing tombs of nine members of the Bute family, including the first marquess and his two wives. The tower of St Margaret's was finally completed in 1926.

Roath once had a railway station on the South Wales Main Line, but this closed in 1917.

Prior to the 2010s the community was known as Plasnewydd, though was renamed as Roath, being a name that was more widely recognised.

Notable buildings

Festivals and events

Starting in 2009, the Made in Roath arts festival took place each October. The event showcased art, music, performance and literature in a variety of venues including peoples' homes. The tenth festival took place in 2018. Made in Roath now exists as a community arts organisation that arranges exhibitions and residencies.

Between 2013 and 2016, local organisers Wayne Courtney and Nathan Wyburn hosted the 'Roath Bake Off' festival in St Andrews United Reformed Church, Roath. In December 2018, they announced that the event would be revived for 2019 as part of the campaign to raise funds for the church it was held in.

Art and culture

Roath has been described as having a "reputation as one of Cardiff’s most important cultural hubs and gallery districts" with a variety of established art galleries, as well as the 'Made in Roath' arts festival. The Albany Gallery on Albany Road has been running since 1965. In 2023 a new contemporary art gallery, Celf, opened near Wellfield Road.

A regular Roath Gallery Weekend was launched in May 2024, involving Celf Gallery, Albany Gallery, Cardiff M.A.D.E, Makers Gallery, TEN and G39.

Notable people

References

References

  1. "Roath · Cardiff, UK".
  2. (2011-04-22). "Let's move to Roath and Cathays, Cardiff".
  3. "Home {{!}} Albany Primary School".
  4. "Home {{!}} Roath Park Primary School".
  5. "Home {{!}} St Peter's R.C. Primary School".
  6. "YMCA Plas".
  7. "Welcome to the Mackintosh Sports Club".
  8. Jean-Marie Pailler. (2006). "Quand l'argent était d'or. Paroles de Gaulois.". [[CNRS]].
  9. "Cardiff and District".
  10. (1848). "The Iolo Manuscripts: A Selection of Ancient Welsh Manuscripts, in Prose and Verse, from the Collection Made by the Late Edward Williams, Iolo Morganwg, for the Purpose of Forming a Continuation of the Myfyrian Archaiology; and Subsequently Proposed as Materials for a New History of Wales". W. Rees; sold by Longman and Company, London.
  11. (1874). "Hanes Morganwg". Jenkin Howell.
  12. "James Summers & Son Funeral Directors, Cardiff".
  13. (1995). "Glamorgan". Penguin.
  14. J. Childs. Roath, Splott and Adamsdown. The History Press 1995.
  15. Quick, M. E.. (2002). "Railway passenger stations in England, Scotland and Wales – a chronology". Railway and Canal Historical Society.
  16. (27 February 2009). "A Roath by any other name would smell just as sweet". Wales Online.
  17. "stmartininroath.webplus.net".
  18. [http://www.roath.org.uk/StEdward/ Roath.org.uk]
  19. Graham Henry, [http://www.walesonline.co.uk/cardiffonline/cardiff-news/2011/10/14/made-in-roath-festival-returns-91466-29593165/ 'Made in Roath festival returns'], South Wales Echo, 14 October 2011. Retrieved 2012-10-17.
  20. (2018-10-22). "Made in Roath festival celebrates 10 years".
  21. "madeinroath – art in the heart of roath".
  22. [http://www.roathcardiff.net/2013/02/18/the-great-roath-bake-off-2013/ 'The Great Roath Bake Off 2013'], RoathCardiff.net, 18 February 2013. Retrieved 2018-12-14.
  23. [https://www.facebook.com/RoathRocks/photos/a.407150579425018/1308613239278743 'Roath Bake Off - 2019 announcement'], Facebook - Roath Rocks, 13 December 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-14.
  24. Stephen Price. (21 November 2023). "Leading Welsh artists find a new home in Cardiff".
  25. Jenny White. (9 November 2015). "Milestone moments during 50 years at Cardiff's Albany Gallery". [[Wales Online]].
  26. Stephen Price. (8 May 2025). "Roath Gallery Weekend readies for exciting three days of gallery hopping". [[Nation.Cymru]].
  27. (3 September 2020). "Viscount John Sankey, Lord Chancellor – Roath's top brief.".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

roathcommunities-in-cardiffdistricts-of-cardiff