Mermaid Quay
Encyclopedia
Mermaid Quay is a waterfront shopping and leisure district in Cardiff Bay
, Cardiff
, Wales
. The 14,000 sq m (150,000 sq ft) development was opened in 1999, and includes restaurants, bars, cafes and shops.
In addition, The Glee Club hosts live comedy.
’s science fiction drama series Doctor Who
and Torchwood
, with the fictional entrances to the underground Torchwood 3 Institute located in Roald Dahl Plass.
and Cardiff Queen Street stations, providing connections to the rest of Cardiff, its Valleys
, and the Vale of Glamorgan
.
services. The former travels to and from the city centre
, whereas the latter travels to and from Penarth
.
services serve Mermaid Quay, including the BayCar
service from the city centre, which operates every 10 minutes Monday to Saturday and every 20 minutes on Sundays and during the evening.
in the west, running beside the A4232. Numerous cycle parking facilities are available in the area. Arriva Trains Wales
permits the carriage of cycles on services between Cardiff Bay and Cardiff Queen Street.
(CBDC). Part of the British Government’s Urban Development Programme to regenerate deprived and run-down inner city areas. The CBDC was set up in April 1987 to regenerate 1,100 hectares of derelict docklands of Cardiff and Penarth - once the world's largest coal exporting port – to create Europe’s largest waterfront development.
The Welsh Industrial & Maritime Museum – which held exhibits illustrating the industrial and maritime history of Wales - was demolished to make way for the development. The collection was saved and is now on display in its new home at the new National Waterfront Museum in Swansea.
Before the completion of the Cardiff Bay Barrage
in 1999, Cardiff Bay was tidal, with extensive expanses of mud flats exposed at low tide. Construction of the barrage, one of the largest engineering projects in Europe, has turned Cardiff Bay into a 500 acres (2 km²) freshwater lake with 8 miles (12.9 km) of waterfront.
Since that time there has been vast regeneration of the Bay including the construction of Lloyd George Avenue – a new link road between the city centre and the Bay – numerous iconic buildings, and residential and commercial developments including Mermaid Quay. Cardiff Bay is now one of the top destinations in Wales attracting a range of visitors from South Wales day-trippers to tourists from around the globe.
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...
, 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...
, 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...
. The 14,000 sq m (150,000 sq ft) development was opened in 1999, and includes restaurants, bars, cafes and shops.
Eating & Drinking at Mermaid Quay
There are a variety of restaurants, cafés and bars at Mermaid Quay offering a range of cuisines and atmospheres including:- ba orient
- Bayside Brasserie
- The Bay Thai & Cantonese Restaurant
- Bellini’s
- Bosphorus Turkish Restaurant
- Cadwalader Ice-Cream Café
- Café Naz Indian Brasserie
- Café Rouge
- Coffee Mania
- Cosmo pan-Asian buffet restaurant
- Domino’s Pizza
- Demiro’s Mediterranean Restaurant
- Eddie’s Diner
- Fabulous Welshcakes
- Garcon
- Gourmet Burger Kitchen
- Herb & Ellie’s Deli
- Mimosa Kitchen & Bar
- Nando’s Chicken Restaurant
- Pearl of the Orient Chinese Restaurant
- PizzaExpress
- Signor Valentino Italian Restaurant
- Salt Bar & Restaurant (Brains)
- Starbucks
- Strada
- Subway
- Terra Nova Bar & Kitchen (Brains)
- wagamama
In addition, The Glee Club hosts live comedy.
Shopping at Mermaid Quay
Boutiques and other retail units in the area include:- Sainsbury's Local
- Castle Galleries
- Divine
- Ken Picton Hair & Spa Salon
- Pethau Bychain Home Furnishings
- Polka Dot Welsh arts and crafts
- Zebra II fashion and accessories
- Blink Optometrists
- Barclays Bank
- James Hull Associates Dentist
- Ladbrokes
- NatWest Bank
- Taylors Countrywide Estate Agents
- Tesco Express
Media
Cardiff Bay and Mermaid Quay have provided the backdrop for numerous episodes of programmes, such as the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
’s science fiction drama series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
and Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
, with the fictional entrances to the underground Torchwood 3 Institute located in Roald Dahl Plass.
Train
Train services run every 15 minutes between Cardiff BayCardiff Bay railway station
Cardiff Bay railway station , formerly Cardiff Bute Road, is a station serving the Cardiff Bay and Butetown areas of Cardiff. It is the southern terminus of the Butetown Branch Line 1 mile south of ....
and Cardiff Queen Street stations, providing connections to the rest of Cardiff, its Valleys
South Wales Valleys
The South Wales Valleys are a number of industrialised valleys in South Wales, stretching from eastern Carmarthenshire in the west to western Monmouthshire in the east and from the Heads of the Valleys in the north to the lower-lying, pastoral country of the Vale of Glamorgan and the coastal plain...
, and the Vale of Glamorgan
Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan is a county borough in Wales; an exceptionally rich agricultural area, it lies in the southern part of Glamorgan, South Wales...
.
Boat
Aquabus and Cardiff CATS provide the Cardiff WaterbusCardiff Waterbus
The Cardiff Waterbus celebrated its 10 year anniversary in April 2010. The fleet have clocked up 50,000 miles since operating on the routes, carrying an estimated 1,000,000 passengers.-External links:**...
services. The former travels to and from the city centre
Cardiff city centre
Cardiff city centre is the central business district of Cardiff, Wales. The area is tightly bounded by the River Taff to the west, the Civic centre to the north and railway lines and two railway stations - Central and Queen Street - to the south and east respectively...
, whereas the latter travels to and from Penarth
Penarth
Penarth is a town and seaside resort in the Vale of Glamorgan , Wales, 5.2 miles south west from the city centre of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff and lying on the north shore of the Severn Estuary at the southern end of Cardiff Bay...
.
Bus
Various Cardiff BusCardiff 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...
services serve Mermaid Quay, including the BayCar
Baycar
Baycar is a bus service in Cardiff, serving the city centre and Cardiff Bay.The service forms part of the wider Cardiff Bus network, but is unique in that the entire Baycar bus system includes its own branded vehicles, bus shelters and boards.-History:The service was introduced in 2006 to connect...
service from the city centre, which operates every 10 minutes Monday to Saturday and every 20 minutes on Sundays and during the evening.
Cycle
Off-road cycle routes run to Mermaid Quay from the City Centre in the north, and from the Cardiff International Sports VillageCardiff International Sports Village
Cardiff International Sports Village is located in Cardiff Bay in the city of Cardiff, Wales. It is one of the largest regeneration projects currently in the UK...
in the west, running beside the A4232. Numerous cycle parking facilities are available in the area. Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
permits the carriage of cycles on services between Cardiff Bay and Cardiff Queen Street.
History
Mermaid Quay was at the centre of the regeneration of the Bay by the Cardiff Bay Development CorporationCardiff Bay Development Corporation
The Cardiff Bay Development Corporation was set up by the United Kingdom Government on 3 April 1987 to redevelop of one sixth of the area of Cardiff to create Cardiff Bay.-Objectives:...
(CBDC). Part of the British Government’s Urban Development Programme to regenerate deprived and run-down inner city areas. The CBDC was set up in April 1987 to regenerate 1,100 hectares of derelict docklands of Cardiff and Penarth - once the world's largest coal exporting port – to create Europe’s largest waterfront development.
The Welsh Industrial & Maritime Museum – which held exhibits illustrating the industrial and maritime history of Wales - was demolished to make way for the development. The collection was saved and is now on display in its new home at the new National Waterfront Museum in Swansea.
Before the completion of the Cardiff Bay Barrage
Cardiff Bay Barrage
The Cardiff Bay Barrage lies across the mouth of Cardiff Bay, Wales between Queen Alexandra Dock and Penarth Head. It was one of the largest civil engineering projects in Europe during construction in the 1990s.-History:...
in 1999, Cardiff Bay was tidal, with extensive expanses of mud flats exposed at low tide. Construction of the barrage, one of the largest engineering projects in Europe, has turned Cardiff Bay into a 500 acres (2 km²) freshwater lake with 8 miles (12.9 km) of waterfront.
Since that time there has been vast regeneration of the Bay including the construction of Lloyd George Avenue – a new link road between the city centre and the Bay – numerous iconic buildings, and residential and commercial developments including Mermaid Quay. Cardiff Bay is now one of the top destinations in Wales attracting a range of visitors from South Wales day-trippers to tourists from around the globe.