Radyr

Radyr
Welsh: Yr Adur
Radyr street sign
Radyr shown within the United Kingdom
Population	4,658
OS grid reference	ST135804
Principal area	Cardiff
Ceremonial county	Cardiff
Constituent country	Wales
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	CARDIFF
Postcode district	CF15
Dialling code	+44-2920
Police	South Wales
Fire	South Wales
Ambulance	Welsh
European Parliament	Wales
UK Parliament	Cardiff West
Welsh Assembly	Cardiff West
List of places: UK • Wales • Cardiff

Coordinates: 51°31′N 3°16′W / 51.51, -3.26

Radyr (pronounced Rard-Err), including the administratively linked community of Morganstown, is an outer suburb within the capital city of Cardiff, Wales. Originally a separate village, Radyr district is located around 5 miles (8.05 kilometres) north west of Cardiff city centre and the current population was recorded at 4,658 in 2001. Once the twin villages of Radyr and adjacent Morganstown, the two communities are now physically divided in two by the M4 motorway.

Contents 1 Overview 2 History 2.1 Early days 2.2 A castle and fine buildings 2.3 A deer park too far 2.4 The manor changes hands 2.5 The village develops 2.6 Wartime Radyr 3 Governance 3.1 Westminster 3.2 Welsh Assembly Government 3.3 Cardiff Council 3.4 Community Council 4 Geography 4.1 Geological structure 4.2 M4 Motorway 4.3 Radyr Weir 4.4 Radyr Woods Nature Area 4.5 Radyr Hawkweed 5 Demography 5.1 Population 5.2 Marital status 5.3 Religious affiliations 5.4 Ethnicity 5.5 Welsh language 6 Economy 7 Landmark buildings and local attractions 8 Education 8.1 An early school 8.2 Nursery and primary schools 8.3 Secondary education 9 Religious sites 10 Sports and recreation 11 Public services and facilities 12 Twin towns 13 Notable People 13.1 Entertainment and media 13.2 Sport 13.3 Medicine 14 Radyr in the Media 15 See also 16 References 17 External links

Overview

At the turn of the 20th century Radyr was home to the busiest railway junction on the globe, where coal trains were either transferred onto the Taff Vale line to Cardiff Docks, or the Penarth district line, to the docks located at Penarth, 4 miles (6.4 kilometres) southwest of Cardiff city centre. Radyr Stone is a Triassic breccia used widely for decorative work in the Cardiff area, including Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff Docks and in the bridges of the Taff Vale Railway. The area was also home to an extensive railway marshalling yard, the site of which is now closed and the sidings lifted in preparation for redevelopment. It remained a relatively undeveloped area until the 1970s. At this point the area underwent rapid expansion, which has continued to this day.

The writer Roald Dahl lived at a house called Ty Mynydd in Radyr (which was demolished in 1967)^[1] as a boy in the 1920s.^[2] He describes it as an imposing country mansion, surrounded by acres of farm and woodland in his book Boy: Tales of Childhood.^[3]

History

Early days

Evidence of stone age occupation of the Lesser Garth Cave was discovered in 1912 and included worked flints.^[4] In 1916 excavation of a mound of 30 metres (98 ft) in Radyr Woods revealed charcoal and iron age pottery.^[5] Radyr developed after the Norman Conquest of Wales at the start of the 12th century and formed part of the Welsh Lordship or cantref of Miskin under the Lordship of Glamorgan created by the Norman King William Rufus in 1093.

Hints about the derivation of the name Radyr can be found in Lifris's writings "Life of St Cadog" written between 1081 and 1104^[6] but relating to the earlier period around 530 AD, which mentions a croft or "tref" on the site called Aradur Hen. Lifris also tells the story of Tylyway, a religious hermit who was held to have lived on the banks of the Taff. Tylyway's cell is the most likely origin of the name Radyr; from the Welsh yr adur, meaning the chantry, although Arudur Hen is also possible.^[5]

A castle and fine buildings

The Norman motte in the ‘mound field’ is a flat-topped mound 30 metres (98 ft) in diameter at the base and 3.8 metres (12 ft) high, surrounded by a ditch 7 metres (23 ft) wide. An adjoining bailey to east of the motte could indicate the boundary between Norman and Welsh land.^[7] This would have been surrounded by a timber palisade around a wooden keep and formed part of a defensive line with similar mottes at Thornhill and Whitchurch.^[5] The early settlement that became Radyr developed around the Norman church and manor house in what is now Danescourt. Surveys in 1307 describe an agricultural hamlet surrounded by arable fields.^[5]

The 14th century Welsh Lord of Radyr Cynwrig ap Hywel, an ancestor of both Prince Charles and Diana Princess of Wales,^[8] followed by his descendents farmed the area until it was devastated by the Black Death plague and battles between the Marcher Lords in 1300’s and 1400’s when the whole area was laid to waste.^[5]

In 1469 Thomas Mathew inherited the land through marriage and built Radyr Court, an imposing manor house on the site of what is now the Radyr Court Inn in Danescourt.^[5] The house was used as a court and although it was destroyed by a fire in the 1800s the three large dungeons survived and can still be seen at the Inn.^[9] On Thomas's death his lands passed to his eldest son David and then to his younger son William Mathew, who was knighted by King Henry VII at the battle of Bosworth in 1485.^[5] William's successor was his eldest son Sir George Mathew who became the Member of Parliament for Glamorgan and Sheriff of the County.^[10]

A deer park too far

Successful Tudor nobles were expected to have extensive deer parks, but Sir George created a deer park that caused the decline of the family fortune. The park ranged so far to the north of Radyr it caused the previous income from tenant farmers to cease, when they were evicted from their farms. He also had twenty-four children, (eight of whom were illegitimate). On his death Sir George's lands passed to his eldest son William, who also became an M.P. and invested in the Pentyrch ironworks. This proved to be an astute move as the feudal system was being replaced by the beginnings of industrialisation. William's descendants however inherited a diminishing fortune and Captain George Mathew, the last of the family to live in Radyr, married Elizabeth Poyntz who was an ancestor of Queen Elizabeth II and the couple departed from Radyr to live on her estates at Thurles in County Tipperary, Ireland during 1625.^[11]

The manor changes hands

The new owner of Radyr was wealthy landowner Sir Edward Lewis, who was knighted by King James I. Sir Edward was the owner of St.Fagans Castle and its surrounding lands, scene of the Battle of St Fagans during the English Civil War. The Lewis fortune finally went to Elizabeth Lewis, who married the 3rd Earl of Plymouth, the principal landowner in Cardiff, Penarth and Barry.

A survey in 1766 shows that the Plymouth family owned the freeholds in most of Radyr and continues to do so today. Twenty two acres of residential land within Radyr were sold by Plymouth Estates in 2007.^[12]

The village develops

Built in 1749, the Melingriffith Tinplate Works just across the River Taff from Radyr was built on or near the site of an old corn mill that had operated as far back as the late 1100s. Melingriffith was the largest working tin factory in the UK, until the much later construction of the Treforrest Tin Works. People in Radyr would set their watches by the sound of the works hooters, which were also sounded to see in the new year.^[1] The tinplate works became the major employer for workers from Radyr and would remain so for nearly two hundred years.

The tin mills were powered exclusively by water drawn from the River Taff down the Melingriffith feeder stream, a water course that doubled as a canal that carried raw iron ore from the Pentrych Iron Works until around 1815, when the Pentrych tramroad was completed. The tramroad crossed the River Taff over the Iron Bridge. The feeder’s lock was permanently closed in 1871 when it was bridged over, but traces of it still remain.

The tin works closed in 1957, and today the only signs that the works ever existed at all are the mostly dry bed of the original Melingriffith feeder stream that still runs down from the River Taff from just above the Radyr weir, and the recently restored water pump standing opposite Oak Cottage. The works site itself has been completely cleared, and is now a modern housing estate.

The Melingriffith feeder stream made its way to the original Glamorganshire Canal, where they ran in parallel through the Tin Works and out the other side at Melingriffith Lock. Where they had come together north of the Tin Works, any overflow from the Canal was originally designed to empty into the feeder. This point is now at the southern end of the Glamorganshire Canal Local Nature Reserve and all the water from the canal runs into the feeder before disappearing into a piped water course that passes under the modern housing estate.

At the southern end of the housing estate, the feeder re-emerges at the point where the Melingriffith water pump stands, the pump originally designed to lift water from the bottom of the feeder back into the Canal at Melingriffith Lock. Today, the Glamorganshire Canal has been almost totally overbuilt. Ty Mawr Road has replaced the route of the canal from Melingriffith all the way to Whitchurch.

Samual Lewis says in his 1849 "Topographical Dictionary of Wales" says of Radyr:

"A parish, in the poorlaw union of Cardiff, hundred of Kibbor, county of Glamorgan, in South Wales, 3½ miles (N. W. by W.) from Cardiff; containing 279 inhabitants. This parish probably derives its name, signifying "a cataract," from the rushing waters of the river Tâf, by which it is bounded on the north-east. It was formerly comprehended within the hundred of Miskin, but has been recently separated therefrom. It comprises about eleven hundred acres of arable and pasture land, inclosed and in a profitable state of cultivation: the surface is in some parts elevated, and in others flat, but no where subject to inundation; the soil is a strong brown earth, favourable to the production of good crops of grain of all kinds, potatoes, and hay. The substratum is partly a hard brown stone, and partly limestone of very good quality. Radyr Court, formerly the seat of the family of Matthew, ancestors of the late Lord Llandaf, has been partially taken down, and the remainder has been modernised, and converted into a farmhouse. The turnpike-road leading from Cardiff to Llantrissent passes a little to the south of the parish; and the Tâf-Vale railway runs through it, nearly parallel with the river, which is crossed by the line in this vicinity. Some of the inhabitants are employed at the iron-works in the parish of Pentyrch.

The living is a vicarage, endowed with £200 royal bounty; patron and impropriator, the representative of the late Earl of Plymouth, who is lord of the manor: the tithes have been commuted for £113. 9s. 0d, of which a sum of £38. 9s. 0d is payable to the impropriator, and a sum of £75 to the vicar. The church, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, is a neat plain edifice, with a curious turret at the west end. There is a place of worship for Calvinistic Methodists; a Sunday school for gratuitous instruction is held in it, and another at Radyr Court. In the parish is a spring of very cold water, called Y Pistyll Goleu, "the bright water-spout," issuing from the side of a hill, under a considerable depth of earth over a limestone rock: it has by some writers been termed mineral, but it is not known to possess any other properties than that of its extreme coldness, which renders it efficacious in curing sprains and weakness of the sinews." ^[13]

Until the mid 1800's Radyr was a collection of small farms, crofts and cottages, but after the new railway station opened in 1863^[14] the population doubled.^[15] The Taff Vale Railway and its successor the Great Western Railway brought significant employment to Radyr and when Junction Terrace (the first 'street' in Radyr) was built to house the railway workers it was the start of a steep demand for housing in Radyr that transformed the peaceful hamlet and continues to do so today.

Wartime Radyr

In the First World War the community raised funds for a 'Radyr bed' at the nearby military hospital and set up a 'Citizen Guard' from those to old or too young to enlist.^[5] Lossed suffered by the village are recorded on the War Memorial in Heol Isaf.

During the Second World War thousands of children were evacuated from metropolitan areas like London, Birmingham and Liverpool. One evacuee, Patricia Armstrong aged nine, was knocked down by a passenger train and killed on a Saturday afternoon in May 1943 while negotiating the Gelynis foot crossing at Morganstown, Radyr. She was an evacuee from the Woolwich area and was lodging with a family in Morganstown.^[16]

As air raids on Cardiff increased even younger children from Radyr were evacuated to residential boarding schools at Rhoose and Bridgend.

Governance

Westminster

The electoral ward of Radyr and Morganstown falls within the parliamentary constituency of Cardiff West. It is bounded by the wards of Whitchurch & Tongwynlais to the northeast; Llandaff and Llandaff North to the southeast; Creigiau & St. Fagans to the southwest; and Pentyrch to the northwest.

The current Member of Parliament for Cardiff West is Kevin Brennan (born 16 October who represents the Labour party. Brennan is the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children, Young People and Families in the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Welsh Assembly Government

The Welsh Assembly member for Cardiff West is Rhodri Morgan AM. Morgan is a member of the Wales Labour Party and is the second and current First Minister for Wales.

Cardiff Council

The Radyr & Morganstown electoral division has an electorate of 4368 (1 May 2008) and has 1 seat. A Conservative, Roderick McKerlich was elected for the first time on 1st May 2008 to represent Radyr on Cardiff Council. Cllr McKerlich has been appointed as a member of the Council's Environmental Scrutiny Committee which scrutinises, measures and actively promotes improvement in the Council's performance for environmental sustainability.^[17]

Community Council

Radyr is administered by Radyr & Morganstown Community Council, which is funded by an addition to the Council Tax bill paid by local residents. The Community Council is run by eleven elected councillors from three separate wards within the parish - Radyr North (4 seats), Radyr South (3 seats) and Morganstown (4 seats). At the Community Council's annual meeting on 15 May 2008, David Silver was elected Chair of the Council for 2008/9 and Rachel Granger was elected Vice Chair.

Geography

Geological structure

The surrounding soils are mostly a strong, brown, dry earth, well adapted for arable farming and the growing of grains of all kinds that contributed to the area being a mostly farming community until the modern era. Soils were further enriched over the millennia by alluvial deposits from the River Taff. The substratum under the whole area is a deep brown sandstone, limestone and lime shale that was likely laid down under a warm ocean at some stage in the distant past and subsequently ground down by glaciers during the last ice age around 18,000 years ago.^[5] Radyr Stone is a Triassic breccia used widely for decorative work in the Cardiff area, including Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff Docks and in the bridges of the Taff Vale Railway.^[18]

M4 Motorway

The M4 corridor around Cardiff was announced in 1971 as a replacement for a northern link road that had been on the statutes since 1947 but never actually constructed. The northern "Lisvane and Radyr route" for the M4 was eventually chosen after a number of noisy public enquiries and active objections by residents from both communities. The new motorway was completed and opened in July 1980 and passes between Radyr and Morganstown on its east west route between London and Carmarthen. Due to increased volume of traffic this section is being widened to three lanes. Costing over £71m this work is due to be completed by December 2009.^[19]

Radyr Weir

The River Taff rises in the Brecon Beacons as two rivers. At Abercynon, it is joined by the Cynon river, and at Pontypridd it is joined by the Rhondda river. From Pontypridd, it runs roughly south, through Taff's Well and Radyr, before arriving at the city bounds of Cardiff at Llandaff.

First built in 1774 to provide water along a feeder to power the Mellingriffith tin-plate works, the wier on the River Taff at Radyr is the third obstruction to migratory salmon and sea trout, the others being Llandaff Weir and Blackweir, both of which also have fish passes. Since the early 1980s the salmon and sea trout stocks in the Taff have been recovering from nearly 200 years of industrial pollution and exploitation. During 1993 the National Rivers Authority monitored over 500 salmon and 700 sea trout returning to the river to spawn.

From 1749 iron from Pentyrch was initially transported to the works using pack-horses, then tub boats were used on the Taff passing onto the feeder via a lock at Radyr Weir. Parts of this lock can still be seen alongside the feeder sluice. In 1815 the tub boats were discontinued and a tramway constructed along the Taff. ^[20] There is a public picnic site adjacent to the Radyr weir.

The River Taff through Radyr is flanked on both sides by an undeveloped greenway that cuts uninterrupted through northern Cardiff all the way to Cardiff Castle in the very centre of the city, before the river discharges into the newly created Cardiff Bay freshwater lake that is enclosed by the Cardiff Bay Barrage.

Radyr Woods Nature Area

Radyr Woods is designated as a Site of Nature Conservation Importance and the adjoining Hermit Woods is additionally designated a Local Nature Reserve.^[21] The community nature reserve extends to 5.67 ha (14.0 acres) with a network of footpaths and boardwalks and includes evidence of iron age settlements and remains of an early cooking hearth. Originally part of the Tudor deer park owned by the Mathew family and later Radyr Quarry, the area is owned by Cardiff Council and Plymouth Estates, managed by the Radyr community council with the support of Cardiff Council's Parks Service.

Radyr Woods provides important habitats for a wide range of species. It also has a number of natural springs that feed a duck pond and a kingfisher pond. Recent housing developments between the reserve and the railway line have added complementary public open space with picnic areas and a children's play area. Since 1986 all maintenance and development of the reserve has been carried out by a volunteer group known as The Friends of Radyr Woods.^[22]

Radyr Hawkweed

Radyr Hawkweed is the common name of Hieracium radyrense, a very rare endemic species related to the aster, daisy, or sunflower family, so far only identified with Radyr, originally at the quarry. First identified in 1907 it was described as a variety in 1948 and a separate species in 1955 and belongs to Hieracium Section Vulgata. It has rarely been seen and regular surveys between 1998 and 2004 indicate that today only a single population of around twenty five plants survives in the wild.^[23]

In the first survey during 1998, a total of just nine plants were then identified in one single Radyr garden, where it traditionally grew on grassy banks and lawns, often in shade. It was no longer found at the original locality of Radyr Quarry where examples were last seen in 1985. At Bridgend, six possible plants of the Radyr genus were found on an old garden wall, but confirmation of identification is still awaited. ^[24]

Neither the species nor the sites have any current legal protection, and it could be under significant threat of survival in the long term from inappropriate gardening or care. Seed samples of the Radyr Hawkweed have been provided to the Millennium Seed Bank, the international conservation project coordinated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and plants are being carefully cultivated. The plant normally flowers between May and early July and Radyr residents are urged by botanists to be on the look out for further examples of the endangered species while walking in the area.

Demography

The latest census data relates to the 2001 census ^[25]

Population

Total population: 4,658

Males: 2,268

Females: 2,390

Average age: 39.7

Marital status

Married: 68.27%

Single (never married): 20.81%

Remainder are divorced, separated or widowed

Religious affiliations

Christian: 73.97%

No religion stated: 23.97%

The remainder are members of minority religions with the largest being 0.9% Muslim

Ethnicity

White: 96.02%

Asian: 1.76%

Mixed Race: 1.03%

Chinese: 1.01%

Black: 0.2%

Welsh language

15.5% are Welsh speakers

Economy

Recently planned newbuild housing developments in Radyr have either been scaled down or placed on hold, because of the economic situation arising from the mortgage lenders in the UK tightening up their lending criteria and demanding greater deposits from first-time borrowers.

Landmark buildings and local attractions

• The Old Church Rooms

• Danybryn Cheshire Home was once a private house owned by Sir Lewis Lougher MP^[1] then had two wings added to accommodate the residents, who are physically disabled young people.^[26]

• The Thatch is the only thatched cottage in Radyr and was built for the Mathias Family in 1936.^[1]

• The Church of St John the Baptist is over 750 years old.^[27]

• Radyr War Memorial

• Radyr weir picnic site and extensive river walks

• Llanerch Vineyard - Llanerch is the largest and oldest premier vineyard in Wales and is just 4 miles (6.4 kilometres) from the centre of Radyr

• St Fagans National History Museum - formerly the Museum of Welsh Life

• Castell Coch

• Radyr Woods

• Taff Trail - The Taff Trail is a popular walking and cycle path. It runs for 55 miles (89 km) between Cardiff Bay and Brecon and passes through Radyr.

Education

An early school

The Church Rooms in Park Road also functioned as a primary school until 1896 when the 'Board School' opened next door. Older pupils had to travel to secondary schools in Penarth by train.^[5]

Nursery and primary schools

Radyr now has a Nursery School (since September 1999), attached to Bryn Deri Primary School (which opened in 1976)^[28] as well as the private pre-school Park Road Nursery^[29] and a Welsh Nursery Cylch Meithrin, both of which are based in the Old Church Rooms.

Radyr Primary School in Park Road opened in 1896 and in 1968 new classrooms were added to accommodate the rising population. The school currently has 11 classes and over 300 pupils.^[30]

Secondary education

Radyr Comprehensive School has over 1,400 pupils from across west Cardiff.^[31] It also has a large Sixth Form college with around 300 students^[32] and an active adult education centre.^[33]

Religious sites

The Parish of Radyr is in the Diocese of Llandaff, part of the Church in Wales. The historic parish church, Saint John the Baptist, is located in the Danescourt estate (in Llandaff). It is over 750 years old and was altered in the 1800s.^[27]

Christ Church is now the main Parish church in Radyr. Designed by the Llandaff diocesan architect George Halliday, the nave was ready for use at Easter 1904 and the chancel and tower were completed in November 1910.^[27] It has a peal of eight bells donated by Lieutenant Colonel Fisher, which are all inscribed with the names of members of his family.^[1]

Radyr Methodist Church in Windsor road replaced an earlier Methodist Church in Heol Isaf. The current minister is the Reverend Susan McIvor.

Meetings of the Radyr Baptist Church congregation are held in the Old Church Rooms in Park Road. Radyr Baptists state that they are "a new and growing church passionate about building relationships, supporting family life and meeting needs where we live, work and play. Our experience is that God is brings more to life in today's ever-changing world" ^[34]

Sports and recreation

• Taffs Well RFC The Taffs Well rugby club is the closest team to Radyr and was formed in 1887. The club has provided three former Welsh Rugby captains and six Welsh International players during its history.^[35]

• Radyr Golf Club was established in 1902 after moving from its original 9 hole course at the Ty Mawr in Lisvane and is 6,053 yards (5,535 m), par 69 (SSS 70) for men and 5,485 yards (5,015 m), par 72 (SSS 72) for women and operates all year round.^[36] Laid out by the renowned course designer Harry S Colt,^[37] the Chairman of Ryder Cup 2010 recently described Radyr course as “One of Colt’s Little Jewels.”^[36]

• Radyr Lawn Tennis Club was founded in 1914 by twenty Radyr ‘Gentlemen’ with the help of the Earl of Plymouth Estates. Its initial location was near the railway station but the courts were badly laid. Again with the help of Plymouth Estates, the club lifted the turf from all three grass courts and re-laid it on its current site next to Christ Church on Heol Isaf.^[38]

• Radyr Cricket Club was founded in 1890 courtesy of the Earl of Plymouth who granted a hundred year lease for the current riverside ground to the local residents for a nominal sum. In 1973 the pavilion was destroyed by fire while the team were away on tour. Under the leadership of the new Chairman Keith Terry, a huge fund raising effort was made and a new pavilion opened on the footprint of the old one in 1975. Radyr currently plays in the 1st division of the South Wales Cricket League.^[39]

• St Fagan's Bowls Club was established in 1906 and is situated in the grounds of the Earl of Plymouth's Estate at the rear of the Welsh National History Museum, St Fagans Castle. Many Radyr residents are members of the St Fagan's club.^[40]

• Cardiff Corinthians Football Club known locally as the "Corries" have played their home games at the Riverside Football Ground in Radyr since 1974, near the Cricket Ground and are in the 2nd Division of the Welsh League.^[41]

• Aikido "Gakko Ueshiba" The Aikido club meets weekly at the Morganstown Village Hall

Public services and facilities

Radyr's railway station is still a major regional one, with in excess of 200 trains calling at the station every weekday. From the station, trains run southbound to Cardiff Central, either along the Valley Line or via the City Line with some continuing on the Vale of Glamorgan Line. Services operate northbound to either Merthyr Tydfil, Aberdare or Treherbert via Pontypridd. Passenger services are operated by Arriva Trains Wales.

Cardiff Bus services 33, 33A and 33B and Stagecoach's 122 operate to Cardiff central bus station via Danescourt, Fairwater and Canton.

The main shops in Radyr are in Station Road. One of these Bryn Melyn is now a Dentists but was originally the village Post Office.^[1]

The main road running south out of Radyr is Heol Isaf, leading onto Llantrisant Road, connecting the area with Danescourt and Fairwater to the south and Llantrisant and M4 J34 to the north.

Twin towns

Radyr is twinned with:

St Philbert De Grand Lieu a town south-west of Nantes on the southern shores of the Lac de Grand Lieu in Brittany, France which has over 300 hectares of vineyards producing Muscadet wine.^[42]

The first exchange visit took place in May 1986 and Twinning Charters were signed by Chairmen of both community councils. On the 10th anniversary of the twinning fellowship in May 1995 Radyr presented the people of St Philbert with a red telephone box.

The following year the French presented the Radyr community with a wine press, now sited in the gardens of the Old Church Rooms. The 20th anniversary was celebrated with a reception at the Old Church Rooms in 2006.^[43] The twinning committee is one of the more active in the area and cultural exchanges between the two communities take place annually. In 2008 forty five visitors from St Philbert will visit Radyr and a visit by villagers to St Philbert will also take place. The twinning committee also arrange Boule tournaments and social events throughout the summer.

Notable People

Entertainment and media

• Roald Dahl (1916 — 1990) - The children's literature author used to live in Radyr

• John Williams (born 1946) - bassist with 1960s blues band Love Sculpture who had a hit record with Sabre Dance lived in Radyr

• Jimi Mistry (born 1973) - the Asian British actor and star of The Guru attended Radyr Comprehensive School

Sport

• Harry Corner (1874 — 1938) - was an English cricketer who lived and was buried in Radyr

• Hugh Johns (1922 — 2007) - best known as a football commentator for ITV retired to Radyr

• Frank Meggitt (1901 — 1945) - was a Welsh cricketer, a right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper who played for Glamorgan.

• Timothy Benjamin (1982) - notable athlete and runner

Medicine

• Sir Martin Evans (1941) Professor of mammalian genetics at Cardiff University received the American equivalent of the Nobel Prize for medicine in 2001, was knighted in 2003 and awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize for medicine for his work on stem cells. He is also a fellow of the Royal Society and fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.^[44]

Radyr in the Media

• The writer Roald Dahl lived in Radyr as a boy in the 1920s and describes it as an imposing country mansion, surrounded by acres of farm and woodland in his book Boy: Tales of Childhood.^[45]

• The outdoor scenes in a recent episode of the TV science fiction series Torchwood, called Small Worlds, were filmed mostly around Radyr Primary School.^[46]

See also

• Radyr railway station
• Danescourt

References

External links

• Radyr and Morganstown Community Website
• Photos of Radyr railway junction, past and present
• www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Radyr and surrounding area

v • d • e Cardiff electoral wards Electoral wards of Cardiff Council: Adamsdown • Butetown • Caerau • Canton • Cathays • Creigiau & St. Fagans • Cyncoed • Ely • Fairwater • Gabalfa • Grangetown • Heath • Llanishen • Lisvane • Llandaff • Llandaff North • Llanrumney • Pentwyn • Pentyrch • Penylan • Plasnewydd • Pontprennau & Old St. Mellons • Radyr & Morganstown • Rhiwbina • Riverside • Rumney • Splott • Trowbridge • Whitchurch & Tongwynlais

v • d • e Communities of Cardiff Adamsdown • Butetown • Caerau • Canton • Castle • Cathays • Culverhouse Cross • Cyncoed • Danescourt • Ely • Fairwater • Gabalfa • Grangetown • Heath • Lisvane • Llandaff • Llandaff North • Llanishen • Llanrumney • Pentwyn • Pentyrch • Plasnewydd • Pontprennau • Radyr and Morganstown • Rhiwbina • Riverside • Roath • Rumney • Splott • St Fagans • St Mellons & Old St Mellons • Tongwynlais • Trowbridge • Whitchurch

v • d • e The city of Cardiff Districts: Adamsdown • Butetown • Canton • City Centre • Cardiff Bay • Cathays • Tiger Bay • Cathays Park • Grangetown • Plasnewydd • Riverside • Roath • Creigiau • Cyncoed • Gabalfa • Heath • Lisvane • Llandaff • Llandaff North • Llanishen • Pentyrch • Pontcanna • Rhiwbina • Thornhill • Tongwynlais • Whitchurch • Culverhouse Cross • Ely • Fairwater • Morganstown • Radyr • St. Fagans • Llanrumney • Pentwyn • Pontprennau • Rumney • Splott • St Mellons •Trowbridge Buildings Buildings and structures • Aberdare Hall • All Nations Centre • Atrium (Cardiff) • Bay Pointe • Biosciences and Tower Building • Capital Tower • Capitol Centre • Cardiff Castle • Cardiff Cathedral • Cathays Park • Chapter Arts Centre • Coal Exchange • Crickhowell House • The Gate Arts Centre • Glamorgan Building • Howells • Llandaff Cathedral • Mansion House • National Museum of Wales • New Theatre • Norwegian Church • Park House • Pierhead Building • The Point • Queens Arcade • Red Dragon Centre • Redwood Building • Senedd • Shopping arcades • St David's Hall • St David's Hotel & Spa • St Fagans National History Museum • St. David's Centre • Stadium House • Cardiff University Students' Union • Temple of Peace • University Hospital of Wales • University of Wales, Registry • Wales Millennium Centre History History of Cardiff • Cardiff Castle • Cardiff Ely Bread Riots • Cardiff Roman Fort • Dic Penderyn • Ely Racecourse • John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute • John Crichton-Stuart, 4th Marquess of Bute • Norwegian Church, Cardiff • Tiger Bay • Timeline of Cardiff history Media BBC Radio Cymru • BBC Radio Wales • BBC Wales • Buzz (magazine) • Cardiff Rift • Capital Times • Doctor Who • Gavin and Stacey • Gair rhydd • Metro • Nation Radio • Radio Cardiff • Radio Glamorgan • Red Dragon FM • Real Radio • South Wales Echo • Torchwood • Western Mail • Xfm South Wales • Xpress Radio • Y Dinesydd Parks Bute Park • Roath Park • Victoria Park Politics Cardiff Council • City Hall • County Hall • Cardiff Central (Assembly constituency) • Cardiff Central (UK Parliament constituency) • Cardiff East (UK Parliament constituency) • Cardiff North (Assembly constituency) • Cardiff North (UK Parliament constituency) • Cardiff South and Penarth (UK Parliament constituency) • Cardiff South and Penarth (Assembly constituency) • Cardiff West (UK Parliament constituency) • Cardiff West (Assembly constituency) Roads M4• A48(M) • A48 • A469 • A470 • A4055 • A4161 • A4232 • A4234 • Bute Street • Cathedral Road • Cowbridge Road East • Cowbridge Road West • Lloyd George Avenue • The Hayes • West Grove Sport Sports venues in Cardiff • 1958 Commonwealth Games • British baseball • Cardiff Arena (ice rink) • Cardiff Arms Park • Cardiff Athletic Club • Cardiff International Sports Stadium • Cardiff Blues • Cardiff City F.C. • Cardiff City L.F.C. • Cardiff Cobras • Cardiff Corinthians F.C. • Cardiff Devils • Cardiff International Pool • Cardiff RFC • Cardiff Demons • FA Cup Final • Glamorgan County Cricket Club • Glamorgan Wanderers RFC • Llandaff Rowing Club • Maindy Stadium • Millennium Stadium • New Cardiff City stadium • Ninian Park • Speedway Grand Prix • SWALEC Stadium • UWIC Inter Cardiff F.C. • Welsh Institute of Sport Transport Transport • Bute Docks • Cardiff Bus • Cardiff Centenary Walk • Cardiff Central bus station • Cardiff Central railway station • Cardiff Heliport • Cardiff International Airport • Cardiff Queen Street railway station • Cardiff Waterbus • Queen Alexandra Dock • Railway Stations in Cardiff • Taff Trail Other Topics Culture in Cardiff • Economy of Cardiff • Education in Cardiff • People from Cardiff • Places in Cardiff • Companies based in Cardiff • Organisations based in Cardiff