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Radyr
Radyr street sign
Population6,000 (2009 estimate)[1]
OS grid referenceST135804
Principal area
Preserved county
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCARDIFF
Postcode districtCF15
Dialling code029
PoliceSouth Wales
FireSouth Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
List of places
UK
Wales
Cardiff

Radyr (Welsh: Radur) is an outer suburb of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The suburb is situated in the west of the city, although it was originally a separate village, and is located around 5 miles (8 kilometres) north west of Cardiff city centre. According to 2009 estimates, the suburb has an population of 6,000.[1] Radyr is administratively linked to the adjacent community of Morganstown, but they are now physically divided by the M4 motorway. To the north of Radyr & Morganstown are the villages of Tongwynlais and Gwaelod-y-Garth, to the east is the suburb Whitchurch, to the south the suburb of Danescourt and to the west is countryside.

History

Stone Age until the Norman Conquest

Evidence of stone age occupation of the Lesser Garth Cave (located near Morganstown) was discovered in 1912 and included worked flints.[2] In 1916 excavation of a mound of 30 metres (98 ft) in Radyr Woods revealed charcoal and iron age pottery.[3] Radyr developed after the Norman invasion 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.[3]

Origin of the name

Hints about the derivation of the name Radyr can be found in Lifris's writings "Life of St Cadog" written between 1081 and 1104 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.[3]

Norman occupation until the Middle Ages

Radyr motte and moat viewed from top

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.[4] The motte was surrounded by a timber palisade around a wooden keep and formed part of a defensive line with similar mottes at Thornhill and Whitchurch.[3] 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.[3]

Sir William and Lady Mathew, Llandaff Cathedral

The 14th century Welsh Lord of Radyr Cynwrig ap Hywel, followed by his descendants, farmed the area until it was devastated by the Black Death plague and battles between the Marcher Lords in 14th century and 15th century when the whole area was laid to waste.[3]

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.[3] The house was used as a court and although it was destroyed by a fire in the 19th century, the three large dungeons survived and can still be seen at the Inn.[5] On Thomas' 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.[3] William's successor was his eldest son Sir George Mathew who became the Member of Parliament for Glamorgan and Sheriff of the County.[3][6]

Tudor legacy

Successful Tudor nobles were expected to have extensive deer parks, but Sir George created a deer park that partially caused the decline of the family fortune, as it 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.[3] He also had twenty-four children, (eight of whom were illegitimate). Many of these children were daughters, and so a large sum of money was required to prove dowries for them.[3] On his death Sir George's lands passed to his eldest son William, who also became a Member of Parliament and invested in the Pentyrch ironworks.[3] 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 and the couple departed from Radyr to live on her estates at Thurles in County Tipperary, Ireland during 1625.[7]

Stuart period

The new owner of Radyr was wealthy landowner Sir Edward Lewis,[8] who was knighted by King James I. Sir Edward was the owner of St.Fagans Castle and its surrounding lands,[9] 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.[3]

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.[10]

Development from the 18th century

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 12th century. Melingriffith was the largest working tin factory in the UK, until the much later construction of the Treforest 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.[11] The tinplate works became the major employer for workers from Radyr and would remain so for nearly two hundred years.

Melingriffith Feeder

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 Pentyrch Iron Works until around 1815, when the Pentyrch tramroad was completed.[12] 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,[13] 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.

Melingriffith water pump

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.[14]

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.[15] 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.[14]

Samuel Lewis says in his 1849 "Topographical Dictionary of Wales" says of Radyr:[16]

"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."

Until the mid 19th century Radyr was a collection of small farms, crofts and cottages, but after Radyr railway station opened in 1863,[17] the population increased from 400 to over 600 residents over a twenty year period.[18] 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.[3]

Wartime Radyr

Radyr War memorial

In the First World War the community raised funds for a 'Radyr bed' at the nearby Welsh Metropolitan Military Hospital in Whitchurch and set up a 'Citizen Guard' from those too old or too young to enlist.[3] Losses 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. She was an evacuee from the Woolwich area and was lodging with a family in Morganstown.[19] As air raids on Cardiff increased, even younger children from Radyr were evacuated to residential boarding schools at Rhoose and Bridgend.[20]

Post-War history

An extensive housing programme was started in the 1960s which saw Radyr undergo a rapid increase in population, particularly in the numbers of children. In 1964, Radyr Comprehensive School had 135 pupils on its roster – this number had more than trebled during the following ten years.[3] The new development, known as the Danescourt estate, was built on land surrounding Radyr Court, and the land was officially incorporated as a suburb of Cardiff in 1974.[21] Danybryn Woods, which is located near to the development, was retained as the entire forest is protected by a Tree preservation order and is home to many species of plants and wildlife.[22] Radyr railway station was renovated in 1998 with the surrounding tracks replaced, resulting in shorter journey times to Cardiff city centre.[21]

Governance

File:Cew radyr morganstown.jpg
Radyr and Morganstown electoral ward in Cardiff

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 who was elected in the 2001 General Election, and represents the Labour party.[23] Brennan is the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Cabinet Office and Minister for the Third Sector.[24]

Welsh Assembly Government

The Welsh Assembly member for Cardiff West is Mark Drakeford, who replaced Rhodri Morgan AM after his retirement at the 2011 Welsh Assembly election.[25] [26] Morgan had been the constituency's Assembly Member since its inception in 1999, and is the former First Minister for Wales.[27]

Cardiff Council

The Radyr & Morganstown electoral division has an electorate of 4,368 (1 May 2008) and has one seat. A Conservative, Roderick McKerlich, was elected for the first time on 1 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.[28]

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.[29] 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).[30] At the Community Council's annual meeting on 15 May 2008, David Silver was elected Chair of the Council for 2008 and 2009 and Rachel Granger was elected Vice Chair.[31]

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.[3] 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.[32]

Radyr Weir

Radyr Weir

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

First built in 1774 to provide water along a feeder to power the Mellingriffith tin-plate works,[3] the weir 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).[33] 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.[34] During 1993 the National Rivers Authority monitored over 500 salmon and 700 sea trout returning to the river to spawn.[35]

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.[35] 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 boardwalk

Radyr Woods is designated as a Site of Nature Conservation Importance and the adjoining Hermit Woods is additionally designated a Local Nature Reserve.[36] 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.[37]

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.[38]

Radyr Hawkweed

Radyr Hawkweed is the common name of Hieracium radyrense, a very rare endemic microspecies 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.[39]

Radyr Hawkweed

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.[40]

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.[39] 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.[39] 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

Year Population of Radyr Change
1801 196 –
1811 106 -46%
1821 128 21%
1831 227 77%
1841 279 23%
1851 417 50%
1881 519 24%
1891 610 18%
1901 816 34%
1911 1,238 52%
1921 1,634 32%
1931 1,586 -3%
1951 1,568 -1%
1961 1,690 8%
2001 4,658 176%
2009 6,000 29% *
source: Vision of Britain except *, which is estimated by the Office for National Statistics. Historical populations are calculated with the modern boundaries

According to the latest estimates, Radyr has a population of 6,000 people.[1] The 2001 census showed that the suburb had a total population of 4,658, of which 2,268 are male and 2,390 are female. The average age of the population is 39.7 years. 68.27% of residents are married, with 20.81% having never married. 73.97% declared their religion as Christianity. 23.97% stated no religion and 0.9% stated Muslim. 96.02% stated their ethnicity as white, 1.76% as Asian, 1.03% as mixed race, 1.01% as Chinese, and 0.2% as Black. 15.5% are Welsh language speakers.[41]

Landmark buildings and local attractions

Danybryn Cheshire Home was once a private house owned by Sir Lewis Lougher MP,[11] then had two wings added to accommodate the residents, who are physically disabled young people.[42] The Thatch is the only thatched cottage in Radyr and was built for the Mathias Family in 1936.[11] The Church of St John the Baptist is over 750 years old.[43]

The Taff Trail cycle path, which runs for 55 miles (89 km) between Cardiff Bay and Brecon, passes through Radyr via Radyr Weir.[44] Other structures of importance include The Old Church Rooms and Radyr War Memorial.[45][46] In nearby districts are St Fagans National History Museum (formerly the Museum of Welsh Life) and Castell Coch.

Education

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.[3] The area is served by the part-time Radyr Library.

Nursery and primary schools

Bryn Deri Primary School opened in 1976 and has included a Nursery School since September 1999,.[47] Radyr is also served by a private pre-school called Park Road Nursery,[48] and a Welsh Nursery called Cylch Meithrin, both of which are based in the Old Church Rooms.

Radyr Primary School in Park Road opened in 1896, and new classrooms were added in 1968 to accommodate the rising population. The school currently has 11 classes and over 300 pupils.[49]

Secondary education

Radyr Comprehensive School has over 1400 pupils from across west Cardiff.[50] It also has a large Sixth Form college with around 300 students,[51] and an active adult education centre.[52]

Religious sites

Church of St John the Baptist

The Parish of Radyr is in the Diocese of Llandaff, part of the Church in Wales. The historic parish church, Saint John the Baptist, adjacent to Radyr Chain, is located in the Danescourt estate (in Llandaff). It is over 750 years old and was altered in the 19th century.[43]

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.[43] It has a peal of eight bells donated by Lieutenant Colonel Fisher, which are all inscribed with the names of members of his family.[11]

Radyr Methodist Church on Windsor Road replaced an earlier Methodist Church in Heol Isaf. Radyr is also served by Radyr Baptist Church, whose congregations are held in the Old Church Rooms in Park Road.[53]

Sports and recreation

Radyr Golf Club clubhouse

Taffs Well RFC is the closest rugby 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.[54]

Radyr Golf Club was established in 1902 after moving from its original nine-hole course at the Ty Mawr in Lisvane. It is a 6,053 yards (5,535 m), par 69 (SSS 70) course for men and 5,485 yards (5,015 m), par 72 (SSS 72) for women, and operates all year round.[55] Laid out by the course designer Harry Colt,[56] the Chairman of the 2010 Ryder Cup recently described Radyr's course as "One of Colt's Little Jewels".[55]

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.[57]

Radyr Cricket Club was founded in 1890 by the Earl of Plymouth who granted a hundred year lease for the current riverside ground to the local residents for a nominal sum. The pavilion was destroyed by fire in 1973 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 first division of the South Wales Cricket League.[58]

Cardiff Corinthians Football Club (known locally as the "Corries") have played their home games at the Riverside Football Ground in Radyr since 1974 and compete in the first division of the Welsh Football League.[59]

The main shops in Radyr are located in Station Road. One of the buildings on this road, named Bryn Melyn, is now a dental surgery but was originally the village Post Office.[11]

Transport

Rail

At the turn of the 20th century Radyr was home to a busy railway from 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. Also, the Barry Railway Company freight route ran just to the north of Morganstown. To the south-east of Radyr was an extensive railway marshalling yard which included another railway bridge over the Taff to provide an alternative route towards Llandaff.[60] The sidings were lifted in preparation for a housing development in the 1970s.

Radyr railway station is still a major regional station, with over 200 trains stopping on a weekday and a recorded annual footfall of over 400,000 passengers per year.[61][62] Radyr is the northern terminus of the Cardiff City Line. Trains run southbound via Fairwater to Cardiff Central, normally continuing to Coryton via the Coryton Line. Trains also run southbound from Merthyr Tydfil to Bridgend and Barry Island respectively. Services operate northbound to either Merthyr Tydfil, Aberdare or Treherbert via Pontypridd. All passenger services are operated by Arriva Trains Wales.[63]

Bus

Cardiff Bus services 33, 33A and 33B and Stagecoach's 122 operate from Morganstown and Radyr to Cardiff central bus station via Danescourt, Fairwater and Canton.[64]

Road

The B4262 road (Heol Isaf) runs through the centre of Radyr and Morganstown leading northbound to Taff's Well and the A470 towards Pontypridd, and southbound to the A4119 (Llantrisant Road), which links Llantrisant with Danescourt, Llandaff and Cardiff city centre.

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.[65] 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.[66] The new motorway was completed and opened on 10 July 1980,[66] 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 was completed in December 2009.[67] However, Radyr is not directly accessible from the motorway.

Twin towns

Radyr Twinning Fellowship monument

Radyr is twinned with Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu, a town south-west of Nantes (Cardiff's twin city) on the southern shores of the Lac de Grand Lieu in Brittany, France which has over 300 hectares of vineyards producing Muscadet wine.[68] 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, Radyr presented the people of St Philbert with a red telephone box.[69]

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.[69] 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 visited Radyr, and a visit by villagers to St Philbert also took place.[70] The twinning committee also arranges Boule tournaments and social events throughout the summer.

Notable people

Roald Dahl with Patricia Neal

A number of notable people are associated with Radyr. The children's literature author Roald Dahl (1916–1990) lived at a house called Ty Mynydd in Radyr (which was demolished in 1967)[11] as a boy in the 1920s.[71] He described it as an "imposing country mansion, surrounded by acres of farm and woodland" in his book Boy: Tales of Childhood.[72] Jimi Mistry (born 1973), who is an Asian-British actor and appeared in Eastenders, The Guru and East Is East, attended Radyr Comprehensive School.[73]

Local sportsmen include Harry Corner (1874–1938), an English cricketer who played in the Great Britain team that won a gold medal at the 1900 Summer Olympics, who lived, died and was buried in Radyr.[74] Hugh Johns (1922–2007), who was best known as a football commentator for ITV, retired and died in Radyr.[75] Frank Meggitt (1901–1945), a Welsh cricketer, a right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper who played for Glamorgan, also lived in the town after retiring from the sport.[76] The athlete and runner Timothy Benjamin (born 1982) was born and raised in Radyr.[77]

Another notable resident is Sir Martin Evans (born 1941), the Professor of mammalian genetics at Cardiff University who 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.[78][79]

Radyr in the media

The writer Roald Dahl lived in Radyr as a boy in the 1920s, describing his house as an "imposing country mansion, surrounded by acres of farm and woodland" in his book Boy: Tales of Childhood.[72] More recently, the outdoor scenes in an episode of the TV science fiction series Torchwood, called Small Worlds, were filmed mostly around Radyr Primary School.[80]

References

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  13. ^ Pride, W.E. (1957-07-30). "It's goodbye to Griffith's Mill". Western Mail. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
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