- Craft in the Bay
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Located on the “Flourish” at the south end of Lloyd George Avenue, the Craft in the Bay Gallery consists of the award winning [1] refurbished “D” Shed, a grade II listed [2] maritime warehouse together with a modern extension. The gallery is opposite the Wales Millennium Centre and close to the Welsh Assembly Building. The "D" Shed is a cast-iron framed structure with cruciform columns, a roof structure and a variety of similarly unique features. The structure is five 20 foot bays long and two 20 foot bays wide. It was erected as a transit warehouse and appeared on the first edition Ordnance Survey map from surveys carried out in the 1880s. Originally sited alongside Bute East Dock Basin it was also served by rail. The “D Shed” is one of the last remaining mid-nineteenth century buildings in Cardiff Bay and has a grade II listing.
With the introduction of steel rolling process, after 1855 the use of cast iron as a building material slowly began to fall into decline. Of particular interest in the "D" Shed are the wholly cast cruciform columns and the manner in which the eaves beams have been constructed out of simple available sections riveted together to provide the strength required. Also of interest is the roof truss design including the bent bottom member and cast iron stays.
The listed building is currently used as an exhibition and craft retail area by The Makers Guild in Wales, a charitable arts organisation; it is sheer-glazed on two sides to provide views into the exhibition space. The extension was designed as a contrasting element and accommodates demonstration studios, meeting space, office and a café with a dramatic pointed roof projecting over an outside seating space.
References
- ^ http://www.britarch.ac.uk/awards/baa2004.html#industrial
- ^ http://isharemaps.cardiff.gov.uk/ishare/default_cardiff.aspx?MapSource=Cardiff/AllMaps&Layers=ListedBuildings&startEasting=&startNorthing=&startZoom=400
External links
Categories:- Art museums and galleries in Wales
- Museums in Cardiff
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