- Butetown
Butetown (or "The Docks") is a district in the south of the
city ofCardiff ,Wales . It was originally a modelhousing estate built in the early nineteenth century byJohn Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marquess of Bute , for whose title the area was named. Commonly known as "Tiger Bay ", this area became one of the UK's firstmulticultural communities with people from over 50 countries settled here by the outbreak ofWorld War I , working in the docks and allied industries. Some of the largest communities included theSomali s, theYemeni s, andGreeks , whose influence still lives on today. The firstMosque in the UK was built in Butetown in the mid 19th century, and aGreek Orthodox church still stands at the top of Bute Street.In the 1960s, most of the original housing was demolished including the historic Loudoun Square, the original heart of Butetown. In its place was a typical 1960s housing estate of low-rise courts and alleys, and 2 high rise apartment blocks. The development has since become much criticised as both destroying Cardiff's heritage, and in destroying a vibrant community and condemning its mainly Black and Mixed Race population to poor educational and employment prospects.
In the 1980s, the new Atlantic Wharf development was built on the reclaimed West Bute Dock, and has involved the construction of some 1300 new houses. Together with the developments in the Inner Habour and Roath Basin, it was hoped this would spur redevelopment and employment in Butetown, but it seems not to have. The divide between the wealthy
Cardiff Bay , and the poorTiger Bay seems as wide as ever, although some of the surviving areas of historic Butetown are becoming prime office and retail locations. With the new Century Wharf development to the West on the banks of the Taff, the housing estate is becoming a little 'boxed in', increasing feelings of exclusion. Over the next few decades, the 1960s housing will require renewal and it is hoped that new development will be more suitable of the urban context of the area and will provide a better mix of private and public housing to help fully integrate the community with the rest of the city.Demographics
Demographics reveal that from theUnited Kingdom Census 2001 Census [ [http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=5938970&c=butetown&d=14&e=13&g=421787&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1210354300897&enc=1&dsFamilyId=15 Check Browser Settings ] ]*Overall Population: 4,487
*White British: 63.12%
*White Irish: 1.27%
*White Other: 3.25%
*Black or Mixed Black and White: 18.81%
*South Asian or Mixed Asian and White: 9.46%
*Chinese or Other (including mixed race): 4.10%People identifying themselves as Welsh: 8.71%
Transport
The area is served by
Cardiff Bay railway station with frequent shuttle services toCardiff Queen Street .Cardiff Bus operates the 11 service to Pengam Green via Central Station,Splott andTremorfa and the 35 service to Gabalfa via Central Stn andCathays . It also on the 1/2 Bay Circle route connecting the area withGrangetown , Canton, Fairwater,Llandaff ,Gabalfa ,Heath ,Cathays ,Roath ,Tremorfa ,Splott and the City Centre. Butetown also enjoys the incorporatingCardiff Bay , thus benefiting from its public transport opportunities.Bute Street and Lloyd George Avenue, running parallel, link the area to the city centre. Also, the A4232 links it to
Culverhouse Cross and the M4 J33 Cardiff West to the west and toAdamsdown in the east.Government
The electoral ward of Butetown is located in the parliamentary constituency of Cardiff South and Penarth. It is bounded by the wards of Cathays and
Adamsdown to the north; Splott to the northeast; Severn estuary to the southeast; and Grangetown to the west.
On Cardiff Council, the Butetown ward is represented by Cllr Delme Greening (Liberal Democrat).References
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