“Cardiff once seen never forgotten!”

Berkeley Chauffeurs can take you to the capital city of Wales which is a great place to see with plenty of history and loads of places to see like Cardiff Castle and the bay area which has transformed the old dock areas into the now Cardiff Bay which is a worldwide tourist attraction in itself then you have St Fagans National History Museum showing you how people used to live with old thatched cottages and many other buildings in this fantastic outdoor museum. We can tailor a chauffeured tour of Cardiff to fit in with your requirements.

History of Cardiff

The Romans built a fort at Cardiff about 50AD and then the Normans built a Castle and it was rebuilt in stone in the 12th century.

A small town grew in the shadow of the castle like most towns markets were formed for foods and tradesman providing various goods for the garrison in the fort you had bakers, brewers, butchers, carpenters, blacksmiths and many more buying and selling their wares.

Cardiff in the middle ages had 2 weekly markets and an annual fair which would last for about 2 weeks and people would attend from all over. Cardiff had a very busy port and goods were transported to and from the quay.

Cardiff was burnt down by Qwain Glendower in 1404 the houses were all built in wood with thatched roofs so was an easy task to do. However Cardiff was rebuilt and flourished once more.

Henry v111 shut down two friaries and people ransacked them for material to build their own homes in 1538.

The 16th and 17th century was a time when Cardiff traded with the French and the channel Isles and within the UK moving coal and iron and taking in salt and wine and much more. Trade started growing after the navy took out the Pirates who harboured in Cardiff in the early 17th century.

A severe flood hit Cardiff in 1607 and then a civil war in 1642 between the king and parliament which Cardiff was taken by parliamentary troops in 1645. A rebellion in South Wales in 1648 again saw the rebels routed and Cardiff returned once again to peaceful times.

The 18th Century was a growing time for Cardiff trade grew and the port expanded with tolls being charged for the quays upkeep also 3 private wharfs sprung up.

The Industrial revolution hit Cardiff as people wanted more goods like coal and iron the town started to improve and could afford paved streets with oil lamps for street lighting. This was a boom time for Cardiff and the population just kept growing by 1871 it had over 60,000 inhabitants and by 1900 over 160,000.

The port was booming and docks where built and the railroad came to Cardiff and many industries sprung up like shipbuilding and rope making plus iron and steel, milling and brewing and paper making industries. A load of improvements in the 1800’s to the castle and a new town hall and indoor market and arcades but Cardiff like most big towns and cities was overcrowded and dirty and in 1849 a cholera outbreak claimed 383 people who died. Things improved with the building of an infirmary and a sewers network and fresh water supplies.

Cardiff was made a city in 1905 and again many improvements were made new buildings and the Queen Alexander dock was built but again Cardiff suffered and 355 people lost their lives during the Nazi bombings. After the war Cardiff was rebuilt a new bus station opened in 1954 and in 1955 Cardiff became the Capital of Wales.

The 20th century brought decline to the port as the manufacturing industries declined and service industries blossomed including tourism.

Cardiff is full of history and has a wealth of old and new buildings for everyone’s taste from theatres to sports arenas, It has excellent shopping with big shopping centres and small unique arcades. It has conference facilities first class hotels and a thriving nightlife with pubs clubs and excellent restaurants.

Cardiff is a city to take on the 21st century with tourism sports and entertainments Cardiff has it all it has a population of approx 296,000 and has a thriving tourist industry with St Fagans and Cardiff Castle and Cardiff Bay a few attractions to mention.