Gabalfa
Encyclopedia
Gabalfa is a district in the north
of the city
of Cardiff
, capital of Wales
. It is characterised by an enormous fly over road which is part of the large Gabalfa Interchange, and crosses the A48 road
in a north-south direction. The area is also the site of the All Nations Centre
.
The name is derived from the Welsh
'Ceubalfa', which is literally translated as 'place of the boat'. It was formerly the site of a ferry
crossing across the River Taff
, upon which a school is now built.
The electoral ward of Gabalfa lies within the parliamentary constituency of Cardiff North
. Gabalfa is currently served by two Liberal Democrats
councillors - Ed Bridges, who was elected in the 2004 council elections, and Cathy Pearcy, who was elected in a 2002 by-election following the death of an incumbent Welsh Labour Party councillor.
In the Welsh Assembly, Cardiff North is represented by Welsh Labour AM Julie Morgan
. She took the seat from the Conservatives in the 2011 elections, overturning a majority of 4,843 and creating a Labour majority of 1,782 votes.
It is bounded by Birchgrove
to the north, Cathays
and Maindy to the south, and Llandaff North
to the northwest.
The area is known for the Gabalfa Interchange (also known as the Gabalfa flyover) where the A48
Eastern Avenue, A470
North Road, and the A469
Whitchurch Road (south)/Caerphilly Road (north) meet.
Cardiff Bus
' service 35 bus
circles the area before heading to Cardiff Bay
via Cathays
and Central station
. Services 1/2 Bay Circle run along Western Avenue towards Heath
or Llandaff
. Additionally, the following services stop at the Gabalfa Interchange:
There are currently no railway stations located within Gabalfa, although a new railway station serving the ward has been proposed as part of the county council's local transport plan. Llandaf railway station
is in reasonable distance of western parts of Gabalfa, with services northbound to either Treherbert
, Merthyr Tydfil
or Aberdare
via Pontypridd
or southbound to Cardiff Central
via Cathays
and Cardiff Queen Street.
Cardiff North
Cardiff North or North Cardiff can refer to the collections of mainly middle class suburban communities in the north of Cardiff, Wales. The population of the north of Cardiff is around 85,000 and is represented by the Conservative Party on most levels of government...
of the city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
of Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, capital of Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It is characterised by an enormous fly over road which is part of the large Gabalfa Interchange, and crosses the A48 road
A48 road
The A48 is a major trunk road in Great Britain. It runs from the A40 at Highnam west of Gloucester to the A40 at Carmarthen. Before the construction of the M4 motorway and the first Severn Bridge in the mid 1960s it was the principal route into South Wales. For most of its journey through Wales,...
in a north-south direction. The area is also the site of the All Nations Centre
All Nations Centre
The All Nations Centre is a large multi-purpose modern building located in the Gabalfa district of North Cardiff in Wales. It is often a venue for international religious festivals and musical performances....
.
The name is derived from the Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
'Ceubalfa', which is literally translated as 'place of the boat'. It was formerly the site of a ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
crossing across the River Taff
River Taff
The River Taff is a large river in Wales. It rises as two rivers in the Brecon Beacons — the Taf Fechan and the Taf Fawr — before joining to form the Taff north of Merthyr Tydfil...
, upon which a school is now built.
The electoral ward of Gabalfa lies within the parliamentary constituency of Cardiff North
Cardiff North (UK Parliament constituency)
Cardiff North is aborough constituency in the city of Cardiff. It returns one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system....
. Gabalfa is currently served by two Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
councillors - Ed Bridges, who was elected in the 2004 council elections, and Cathy Pearcy, who was elected in a 2002 by-election following the death of an incumbent Welsh Labour Party councillor.
In the Welsh Assembly, Cardiff North is represented by Welsh Labour AM Julie Morgan
Julie Morgan
Julie Morgan AM is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Cardiff North from 1997 until 2010; she is married to former First Minister of Wales, Rhodri Morgan. Julie Morgan won the Cardiff North seat in the Welsh Assembly in the 2011 elections.-Early life,...
. She took the seat from the Conservatives in the 2011 elections, overturning a majority of 4,843 and creating a Labour majority of 1,782 votes.
It is bounded by Birchgrove
Birchgrove, Cardiff
Birchgrove is a district of the city of Cardiff stretching between Llanishen and the Gabalfa interchange, along the A469 Caerphilly road.It centres on a crossroads dominated by the Birchgrove Inn which also lies between Heath and Whitchurch...
to the north, Cathays
Cathays (electoral ward)
The Cathays electoral ward of Cardiff consists of some or all of the following areas: Blackweir, Cardiff city centre, Cathays, Cathays Park and Maindy in the parliamentary constituency of Cardiff Central. It is bounded by Gabalfa and Birchgrove to the north; Plasnewydd and Adamsdown to the east;...
and Maindy to the south, and Llandaff North
Llandaff North
Llandaff North , is a community in the north of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. It is located in the north of Cardiff and can be considered a two part ward, each containing about half the population; a northern section of mainly middle class housing, and a southern section of mainly public...
to the northwest.
Transport
A48 road
The A48 is a major trunk road in Great Britain. It runs from the A40 at Highnam west of Gloucester to the A40 at Carmarthen. Before the construction of the M4 motorway and the first Severn Bridge in the mid 1960s it was the principal route into South Wales. For most of its journey through Wales,...
Eastern Avenue, A470
A470 road
The A470 is a major long-distance connective spine road in Wales, running from Cardiff on the south coast to Llandudno on the north coast. It covers approximately 186 miles , over a zig-zagging route through the entirety of the country's mountainous central region, including the Brecon Beacons and...
North Road, and the A469
A469 road
The A469 is a road in south Wales. It links Cardiff and Caerphilly with Rhymney and the Heads of the Valleys Road .-References:* Cardiff & Newport A-Z Street Atlas 2007 Edition...
Whitchurch Road (south)/Caerphilly Road (north) meet.
Cardiff Bus
Cardiff Bus
Cardiff Bus is the dominant operator of bus services in Cardiff, Wales and the surrounding area, including Barry and Penarth. Its hub is Cardiff central bus station...
' service 35 bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
circles the area before heading to Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay is the area created by the Cardiff Barrage in South Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The regeneration of Cardiff Bay is now widely regarded as one of the most successful regeneration projects in the United Kingdom. The Bay is supplied by two rivers to form a freshwater lake round the...
via Cathays
Cathays
Cathays is a district in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It is an old suburb of Cardiff established in 1875. It is very densely populated and contains many older terraced houses giving it a Victorian era atmosphere...
and Central station
Cardiff Central bus station
Cardiff Central bus station is the main bus transport interchange in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. With 34 stands, it is the largest bus station in the city and in Wales. It is located adjacent to Cardiff Central railway station forming a major bus-rail-cycle-taxi interchange.The station used...
. Services 1/2 Bay Circle run along Western Avenue towards Heath
Heath, Cardiff
Heath is a community in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales, originally called the Great Heath and named as a result of the large park and woodland that it once contained. It should be distinguished from the Little Heath which lies to the south of the Great Heath, in the vicinity of Crwys Road...
or Llandaff
Llandaff
Llandaff is a district in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales, having been incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of the Church in Wales Bishop of Llandaff, whose diocese covers the most populous area of South Wales. Much of the district is covered by parkland known as Llandaff...
. Additionally, the following services stop at the Gabalfa Interchange:
- 8 (University Hospital of Wales) or (Cathays-Roath-Central Station-Grangetown-Cardiff Bay)
- 21 (Rhiwbina-Coryton-Whitchurch) or (Central Stn)
- 23 (Whitchurch-Coryton-Rhiwbina) or (Central Stn)
- 24 (Whitchurch-Llandaff North-Pontcanna-Llandaff)
- 25 (Central Stn)
- 27 Capital City GreenCapital City GreenCapital City Green is the branding of the bus service 27 Cardiff, operated by Cardiff Bus. The route runs from the city centre to the north of the city, serving the Maindy, Heath, Birchgrove and Thornhill districts....
(Heath-Birchgrove-Thornhill) or (Central Stn) - 35 (Gabalfa) or (Cathays-Central Stn-Cardiff Bay)
There are currently no railway stations located within Gabalfa, although a new railway station serving the ward has been proposed as part of the county council's local transport plan. Llandaf railway station
Llandaf railway station
Llandaf railway station is located in Llandaff North, Cardiff, Wales. It serves the areas of Llandaff North and Whitchurch.The station was opened by the Taff Vale Railway in 1840....
is in reasonable distance of western parts of Gabalfa, with services northbound to either Treherbert
Treherbert railway station
Treherbert railway station is a railway station serving the village of Treherbert in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is the northern terminus of the Rhondda Line north west of Cardiff Central....
, Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil railway station
Merthyr Tydfil railway station is a railway station serving the town of Merthyr Tydfil in Wales. It is the terminus of the Merthyr branch of the Merthyr Line. Passenger services are provided by Arriva Trains Wales...
or Aberdare
Aberdare railway station
Aberdare railway station is a railway station serving the town of Aberdare in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is the terminus of the Aberdare branch of the Merthyr Line, 36 km north of...
via Pontypridd
Pontypridd railway station
Pontypridd railway station serves the town of Pontypridd in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is located on the Merthyr and Rhondda lines and is the main line station for the town.Until the 1930s, Pontypridd had another two stations...
or southbound to Cardiff Central
Cardiff Central railway station
Cardiff Central railway station is a major railway station on the South Wales Main Line in Cardiff, Wales.It is the largest and busiest station in Wales and one of the major stations of the British rail network, the tenth busiest station in the United Kingdom outside of London , based on 2007/08...
via Cathays
Cathays railway station
Cathays railway station is a railway station lying on the Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda lines in the Cathays district of Cardiff, Wales. The station is 2 kilometres north of Cardiff Central....
and Cardiff Queen Street.