St Mellons
Encyclopedia
St Mellons is a district and suburb
of eastern Cardiff
, the capital city
of Wales
.
, relying heavily on rural
agriculture
, farming and travel. Owners of coach houses or coaching inn
s would cater for travellers using Newport Road
, the old Roman Road
between Cardiff
and London
.
St Mellons became part of the city of Cardiff
district of South Glamorgan
under the Local Government Act 1972
on 1 April 1974.
who became Bishop of Rennes in Brittany
, rather than the more legendary 4th century Mellonius
, Bishop of Rouen
. One of these Bishops are known to have been born and raised in the area where the estate now exists, though stories of the two have become hopelessly confused in many biographies over the years leaving historians unsure as to which is which.
The Welsh
translation of St Mellons is Llaneirwg which is made up of Llan, the Welsh word for "Church", and Eurwg, the name of a mythical King of Gwent. Eurwg is said to have lived on the hill at St Mellons during the Romano-British
era, he and his people were converted to Christianity
and baptised in the nearby Rhymney River
. Eurwg's church was erected near the site of the former church of 1360 and the area has since been known as Llaneirwg, literally "Church of Eirwg/Eurwg".
When people refer to St Mellons, they are often not talking about the historic St Mellons, but the considerably larger and more modern housing estate which has been built to the south and east. The historic area is now referred to as 'Old St Mellons' , while the newer estate has retained the name 'St Mellons'. Many buildings in Old St Mellons date back to the 19th Century while the vast majority of buildings in St Mellons were built in the late 20th and early 21st Centuries.
while St Mellons joins with Trowbridge
. The 2001 Census
put Pontprennau & Old St. Mellons
's population at 8,031 while Trowbridge
was 14,801, the 4th most populated ward in Cardiff. The combined population
of the four districts is 22,832, 7% of Cardiff's total population.
These figures should change significantly by the time of the 2011 Census
however, due to large scale infill development along the mainline railway and in Pontprennau. Plans are also afoot to regenerate the older council-owned estates in the district in line with the recent trend of constructing three-storey "town" houses.
petrol station and superstore, which hit the headlines in January 2010 when it banned customers from shopping in their nightwear, The Willows (SA Brains
public house) and a parade of small retail units including a hairdresser, solicitor, betting shop, dentist, fish & chip takeaway and newsagent. Plans for a massive overhaul of the site were approved in March 2009. The plans include demolition of the existing 5,000sq M store and six smaller units, to be replaced by a brand new 11,000sq M store built over a ground floor car park. The project will also see modifications to a number of nearby footpaths, roads and junctions
The other complex, located approximately one mile away, has Shamrat (an Indian Restaurant
), a Boots Chemist, doctor's surgery and two empty supermarket units which once belonged to Hyper Value and Kwik Save
until both companies went into liquidation in 2006 and 2007. Further to the east, near the A48(M) Junction, there is the 3 star St Mellons Hotel and Country Club, the St Mellons Golf Club, The Heron Marsh public house, a garden centre and furniture showroom.
In Old St Mellons there is a Texaco
petrol station, newsagent and convenience store, hairdresser and a Post Office
which closed in 2009. There are also four public houses situated in close proximity along Newport Road: The Bluebell Inn, The Star Inn, The Coach House and The Fox and Hounds (widely believed to be one of the oldest pubs in Cardiff). These establishments were able to gain extra business on weekends by exploiting the Sunday Closing (Wales) Act 1881
. The act prohibited the sale of alcohol in Welsh establishments on the Sabbath, but St Mellons was in the ancient county of Monmouthshire
where the act did not take effect until 1921.
There are a number of sports and leisure facilities dotted around the district, including floodlit outdoor courts, playing fields and children's play parks as well as community centres, a bowls club, job centre and St Mellons Library. There is also Hendre Lake Park; a park and man-made lake popular with local fishermen situated near the mainline railway.
, Meadowlane Primary school, Oakfield Primary, Willowbrook Primary and "St.Mellons Primary". It also has a private school St John's College http://www.stjohnscollegecardiff.com, consistently the best performing school in Wales based on results. The building and surrounding fields were part of the Ty-to-Maen convalescent house
, which only closed in the 1970s. The surrounding land was sold off for housing in the late 1990s following the death of the house's former owner William Nicholls, who now has a street on the estate named after him.
There are no higher learning institutions in the suburb, however a large plot of wasteland behind the now redundant Hyper Value and Kwik Save supermarket building has long been earmarked as a location for a possible new facility. The land remains vacant today, despite large scale housing estates surrounding it making it a target for a number of housebuilding companies.
The St Mellons Business Park is a collection of large scale business park
s located on low-lying land east of St Mellons considered to be Cardiff's green belt
. It has a vast number of factories and office units which have been (or are still) occupied by such companies as Gilesports
, TBI
, and Lloyds TSB
. A number of roads in and around the business parks are named after computer programming languages, namely Pascal
, Cobol
and Fortran
.
which Cardiff County Council first adopted in 1977. The area was reassessed and updated in July 2007 to cover a smaller land area. A number of Grade II listed buildings lie inside the boundary of the conservation area including the Bluebell and Coach House (previously named White Hart) public houses, St Johns College, the two churches and the Kingdom Hall
for Jehovah's Witnesses
. The Fox and Hounds public house, though widely considered an important landmark, is only covered by a local listing.
, areas of low-lying farmland which regularly became flooded until they were reclaimed from the sea during Roman
times. A system of drainage reens
and sluice gates together with a seawall
which runs from the River Usk
in the east to the Rhymney River
in the west protect the area from the risk of coastal flooding as the land is still only a few metres above sea level.
es, rabbit
s, grey squirrel
s, buzzard
s, heron
s, moorhen
s, swan
s, mallard
s, green woodpeckers and many other birds are a common sight.
services 30, 44 and 45 serve the area. Services run frequently between the area and Cardiff Central Station
.
There is no local railway station, despite Hendre Lake park being adjacent to the Freight Terminal Port, situated along the main line between Cardiff and Newport. The nearest main line station is Cardiff Central
.
Main roads have a 30 mph speed limit, except for a section of Newport Road which is 40 mph. There are no permanent speed cameras and very few speed bump
s, pedestrian crossings or traffic lights. A number of road-related deaths in recent years has led to residents campaigning that these traffic calming measures be implemented before more lives are lost. In late 2008, Cardiff Council began implementing new traffic calming measures outside the primary schools, including Zebra Crossing
s and speed bumps.
The area is located next to Junction 29a of the A48 (M)
/Eastern Avenue Junction, where the A48
continues eastbound through Coedkernew
and the A48(M) rejoins the M4
.
, crossing the railway line to serve the existing freight terminal and industrial land built on the Wentloog Levels
.
The plans, however, are not without objection from local residents who fear their health, safety and the value of their homes will all be affected. The road is set be built in low lying marsh land, which is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of eastern 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...
, the capital city
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
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...
.
History
St Mellons began as a small commercial centre in the historic county of MonmouthshireMonmouthshire (historic)
Monmouthshire , also known as the County of Monmouth , is one of thirteen ancient counties of Wales and a former administrative county....
, relying heavily on rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, farming and travel. Owners of coach houses or coaching inn
Coaching inn
In Europe, from approximately the mid-17th century for a period of about 200 years, the coaching inn, sometimes called a coaching house or staging inn, was a vital part of the inland transport infrastructure, as an inn serving coach travelers...
s would cater for travellers using Newport Road
A4161 road
The A4161 is a main road in Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom.The road links Cardiff city centre with Ely and the M4 motorway via the A48 and the A4232 to the west and Cardiff city centre with Rumney and the A48 motorway via the A4232 and the A48 to the east.- History of the road number :The original...
, the old Roman Road
Roman roads in Britain
Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the vast standing Roman army , constituted the three most impressive features of the Roman Empire. In Britain, as in other provinces, the Romans constructed a comprehensive network of paved trunk roads Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the...
between 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...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
St Mellons became part of the city of Cardiff
Cardiff (district)
The Cardiff district was one of the two local government districts of South Glamorgan in Wales from 1974 to 1996.The district comprised the county borough of Cardiff and several surrounding parishes. Letters patent continuing the city status of the county borough were granted on April 1, 1974...
district of South Glamorgan
South Glamorgan
South Glamorgan is a preserved county of Wales.It was originally formed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, as a county council area...
under the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
on 1 April 1974.
Origins of the name
The English name St Mellons is believed to be derived from the 6th century Saint MelaineMelaine
Saint Melaine was a 6th century Bishop of Rennes in Brittany .-Traditional history:...
who became Bishop of Rennes in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, rather than the more legendary 4th century Mellonius
Mellonius
Saint Mellonius was a legendary early 4th century Bishop of Rotomagus in the Roman province of Secunda Provincia Lugdunensis...
, Bishop of Rouen
Archbishop of Rouen
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen is an Archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the ecclesiastical province of the archdiocese comprises the majority of Normandy....
. One of these Bishops are known to have been born and raised in the area where the estate now exists, though stories of the two have become hopelessly confused in many biographies over the years leaving historians unsure as to which is which.
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...
translation of St Mellons is Llaneirwg which is made up of Llan, the Welsh word for "Church", and Eurwg, the name of a mythical King of Gwent. Eurwg is said to have lived on the hill at St Mellons during the Romano-British
Romano-British
Romano-British culture describes the culture that arose in Britain under the Roman Empire following the Roman conquest of AD 43 and the creation of the province of Britannia. It arose as a fusion of the imported Roman culture with that of the indigenous Britons, a people of Celtic language and...
era, he and his people were converted to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and baptised in the nearby Rhymney River
Rhymney River
The Rhymney River is a river in the Rhymney Valley, south-east Wales, flowing through Cardiff into the Severn estuary.The river forms the boundary between the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire.-Path of the river:...
. Eurwg's church was erected near the site of the former church of 1360 and the area has since been known as Llaneirwg, literally "Church of Eirwg/Eurwg".
When people refer to St Mellons, they are often not talking about the historic St Mellons, but the considerably larger and more modern housing estate which has been built to the south and east. The historic area is now referred to as 'Old St Mellons' , while the newer estate has retained the name 'St Mellons'. Many buildings in Old St Mellons date back to the 19th Century while the vast majority of buildings in St Mellons were built in the late 20th and early 21st Centuries.
The Area
St Mellons falls under two separate electoral wards. Old St Mellons combines with neighbouring PontprennauPontprennau
Pontprennau is a district in the east of the city of Cardiff, Wales.-History:Pontprennau is the Welsh language for Bridge of Trees ....
while St Mellons joins with Trowbridge
Trowbridge, Cardiff
Trowbridge is an electoral ward in the east of the city of Cardiff, capital of Wales.The ward includes some or all of the areas of Cefn Mably, St Mellons estate and Trowbridge in the parliamentary constituency of Cardiff South & Penarth....
. The 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
put Pontprennau & Old St. Mellons
Pontprennau & Old St. Mellons
Pontprennau & Old St Mellons is an electoral ward located in the north-east of Cardiff Wales. It has a population that probably now exceeds 10,000 people due to sustained housebuilding in the Pontprennau section of the division, which is likely to continue for the next 10 years as a major urban...
's population at 8,031 while Trowbridge
Trowbridge, Cardiff
Trowbridge is an electoral ward in the east of the city of Cardiff, capital of Wales.The ward includes some or all of the areas of Cefn Mably, St Mellons estate and Trowbridge in the parliamentary constituency of Cardiff South & Penarth....
was 14,801, the 4th most populated ward in Cardiff. The combined population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of the four districts is 22,832, 7% of Cardiff's total population.
These figures should change significantly by the time of the 2011 Census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
however, due to large scale infill development along the mainline railway and in Pontprennau. Plans are also afoot to regenerate the older council-owned estates in the district in line with the recent trend of constructing three-storey "town" houses.
Facilities
The area is home to two major retail complexes. The largest features a TescoTesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
petrol station and superstore, which hit the headlines in January 2010 when it banned customers from shopping in their nightwear, The Willows (SA Brains
Brains Brewery
Brains is a regional brewery founded in 1882 in Cardiff, Wales by Samuel Arthur Brain. The company owns over 250 pubs across South Wales, Mid Wales, the West Country and particularly in Cardiff...
public house) and a parade of small retail units including a hairdresser, solicitor, betting shop, dentist, fish & chip takeaway and newsagent. Plans for a massive overhaul of the site were approved in March 2009. The plans include demolition of the existing 5,000sq M store and six smaller units, to be replaced by a brand new 11,000sq M store built over a ground floor car park. The project will also see modifications to a number of nearby footpaths, roads and junctions
The other complex, located approximately one mile away, has Shamrat (an Indian Restaurant
Indian cuisine
Indian cuisine consists of thousands of regional cuisines which date back thousands of years. The dishes of India are characterised by the extensive use of various Indian spices, herbs, vegetables and fruit. Indian cuisine is also known for the widespread practice of vegetarianism in Indian society...
), a Boots Chemist, doctor's surgery and two empty supermarket units which once belonged to Hyper Value and Kwik Save
Kwik Save
Kwik Save was a discount supermarket chain in the United Kingdom until 2007. Its stores were small to medium sized high street supermarkets, mainly located in areas with below average incomes...
until both companies went into liquidation in 2006 and 2007. Further to the east, near the A48(M) Junction, there is the 3 star St Mellons Hotel and Country Club, the St Mellons Golf Club, The Heron Marsh public house, a garden centre and furniture showroom.
In Old St Mellons there is a Texaco
Texaco
Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....
petrol station, newsagent and convenience store, hairdresser and a Post Office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
which closed in 2009. There are also four public houses situated in close proximity along Newport Road: The Bluebell Inn, The Star Inn, The Coach House and The Fox and Hounds (widely believed to be one of the oldest pubs in Cardiff). These establishments were able to gain extra business on weekends by exploiting the Sunday Closing (Wales) Act 1881
Sunday Closing (Wales) Act 1881
The Sunday Closing Act 1881 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It required the closure of all public houses in Wales on Sundays. The Act had considerable political importance as a formal acknowledgement of the separate character of Wales, setting a precedent for future...
. The act prohibited the sale of alcohol in Welsh establishments on the Sabbath, but St Mellons was in the ancient county of Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire (historic)
Monmouthshire , also known as the County of Monmouth , is one of thirteen ancient counties of Wales and a former administrative county....
where the act did not take effect until 1921.
There are a number of sports and leisure facilities dotted around the district, including floodlit outdoor courts, playing fields and children's play parks as well as community centres, a bowls club, job centre and St Mellons Library. There is also Hendre Lake Park; a park and man-made lake popular with local fishermen situated near the mainline railway.
Education
St Mellons has 4 state schools: St Bishop Childs Church in WalesChurch in Wales
The Church in Wales is the Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses.As with the primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Archbishop of Wales serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The current archbishop is Barry Morgan, the Bishop of Llandaff.In contrast to the...
, Meadowlane Primary school, Oakfield Primary, Willowbrook Primary and "St.Mellons Primary". It also has a private school St John's College http://www.stjohnscollegecardiff.com, consistently the best performing school in Wales based on results. The building and surrounding fields were part of the Ty-to-Maen convalescent house
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
, which only closed in the 1970s. The surrounding land was sold off for housing in the late 1990s following the death of the house's former owner William Nicholls, who now has a street on the estate named after him.
There are no higher learning institutions in the suburb, however a large plot of wasteland behind the now redundant Hyper Value and Kwik Save supermarket building has long been earmarked as a location for a possible new facility. The land remains vacant today, despite large scale housing estates surrounding it making it a target for a number of housebuilding companies.
Business Park
Business park
A business park or office park is an area of land in which many office buildings are grouped together. All of the work that goes on is commercial, not industrial or residential....
s located on low-lying land east of St Mellons considered to be Cardiff's green belt
Green belt
A green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
. It has a vast number of factories and office units which have been (or are still) occupied by such companies as Gilesports
Sports Direct
Sports Direct International plc is a British retailing group. Founded in 1982 by former county squash coach Mike Ashley, the company is now the UK's largest sporting retailer through a number of retail subsidiaries and sports equipment brands. Although now a publicly traded company on the London...
, TBI
TBI plc
TBI Limited is an airport owner and operator, incorporated in the United Kingdom in 1972.-History:The company changed name to TBI plc in March, 1994 and to TBI Limited in 2009.TBI bought Cardiff Airport in 1995....
, and Lloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB Bank Plc is a retail bank in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1995 by the merger of Lloyds Bank, established in Birmingham, England in 1765 and traditionally considered one of the Big Four clearing banks, with the TSB Group which traces its origins to 1810...
. A number of roads in and around the business parks are named after computer programming languages, namely Pascal
Pascal (programming language)
Pascal is an influential imperative and procedural programming language, designed in 1968/9 and published in 1970 by Niklaus Wirth as a small and efficient language intended to encourage good programming practices using structured programming and data structuring.A derivative known as Object Pascal...
, Cobol
COBOL
COBOL is one of the oldest programming languages. Its name is an acronym for COmmon Business-Oriented Language, defining its primary domain in business, finance, and administrative systems for companies and governments....
and Fortran
Fortran
Fortran is a general-purpose, procedural, imperative programming language that is especially suited to numeric computation and scientific computing...
.
Conservation Area
Old St Mellons has been deemed an area of special architectural or historical interest and lies in a conservation areaConservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
which Cardiff County Council first adopted in 1977. The area was reassessed and updated in July 2007 to cover a smaller land area. A number of Grade II listed buildings lie inside the boundary of the conservation area including the Bluebell and Coach House (previously named White Hart) public houses, St Johns College, the two churches and the Kingdom Hall
Kingdom Hall
A Kingdom Hall is a place of worship used by Jehovah's Witnesses. The term was first suggested in 1935 by Joseph Franklin Rutherford, then president of the Watch Tower Society, for a building in Hawaii...
for Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
. The Fox and Hounds public house, though widely considered an important landmark, is only covered by a local listing.
Coastal Defences
Much of the newer estates were built on the Wentloog LevelsCaldicot and Wentloog Levels
The Caldicot and Wentloog Levels are two areas of low-lying estuarine alluvial wetland and intertidal mudflats adjoining the north bank of the Severn estuary, either side of the River Usk estuary near Newport in south east Wales...
, areas of low-lying farmland which regularly became flooded until they were reclaimed from the sea during Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
times. A system of drainage reens
Rhyne
A rhyne , rhine/rhyne , or reen is a drainage ditch, or canal, used to turn areas of wetland at around sea level into useful pasture....
and sluice gates together with a seawall
Seawall
A seawall is a form of coastal defence constructed where the sea, and associated coastal processes, impact directly upon the landforms of the coast. The purpose of a seawall is to protect areas of human habitation, conservation and leisure activities from the action of tides and waves...
which runs from the River Usk
River Usk
The River Usk rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain of mid-Wales, in the easternmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially it flows north into Usk Reservoir, then east by Sennybridge to Brecon before turning southeast to flow by Talybont-on-Usk, Crickhowell and...
in the east to the Rhymney River
Rhymney River
The Rhymney River is a river in the Rhymney Valley, south-east Wales, flowing through Cardiff into the Severn estuary.The river forms the boundary between the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire.-Path of the river:...
in the west protect the area from the risk of coastal flooding as the land is still only a few metres above sea level.
Wildlife
Despite large scale development, a lot of wildlife can still be seen especially to the eastern fringe: foxFox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
es, rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
s, grey squirrel
Eastern Gray Squirrel
The eastern gray squirrel is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus native to the eastern and midwestern United States, and to the southerly portions of the eastern provinces of Canada...
s, buzzard
Buzzard
A buzzard is one of several large birds, but there are a number of meanings as detailed below.-Old World:In the Old World Buzzard can mean:* One of several medium-sized, wide-ranging raptors with a robust body and broad wings....
s, heron
Heron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
s, moorhen
Moorhen
Moorhens, sometimes called marsh hens, are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family Rallidae. They constitute the genus Gallinula....
s, swan
Swan
Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...
s, mallard
Mallard
The Mallard , or Wild Duck , is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia....
s, green woodpeckers and many other birds are a common sight.
Transport
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 30, 44 and 45 serve the area. Services run frequently between the area and Cardiff 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...
.
There is no local railway station, despite Hendre Lake park being adjacent to the Freight Terminal Port, situated along the main line between Cardiff and Newport. The nearest main line station is 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...
.
Main roads have a 30 mph speed limit, except for a section of Newport Road which is 40 mph. There are no permanent speed cameras and very few speed bump
Speed bump
A speed bump is a speed-reducing feature of road design to slow traffic or reduce through traffic, via...
s, pedestrian crossings or traffic lights. A number of road-related deaths in recent years has led to residents campaigning that these traffic calming measures be implemented before more lives are lost. In late 2008, Cardiff Council began implementing new traffic calming measures outside the primary schools, including Zebra Crossing
Zebra crossing
A zebra crossing is a type of pedestrian crossing used in many places around the world. Its distinguishing feature is alternating dark and light stripes on the road surface, from which it derives its name. A zebra crossing typically gives extra rights of way to pedestrians.The use of zebra...
s and speed bumps.
The area is located next to Junction 29a of the A48 (M)
A48(M) motorway
The A48 is a motorway in Wales between Cardiff and Newport. It is a spur off the M4 into eastern Cardiff. It is long and is a 2-lane motorway throughout its length. At St Mellons it runs continuously into a further of the dual-carriageway A48, which also features hard shoulders.It opened in...
/Eastern Avenue Junction, where the A48
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,...
continues eastbound through Coedkernew
Coedkernew
Coedkernew is a community in the south west of the city of Newport, South Wales, in the Marshfield ward.The parish is bounded by Percoed reen to the south, Nant-y-Selsig to the southwest, and Pound Hill to the west. The northern boundary is formed from Gwern-y-cleppa to junction 28 of the M4, then...
and the A48(M) rejoins the M4
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
.
Proposed M4 relief road
Plans are in place to utilise the area's motorway links by creating a new dual carriageway. The St Mellons / Wentloog Link road would become part of the Cardiff Ring RoadA4232 road
The A4232, which is also known either as the Peripheral Distributor Road or the Cardiff Link Road , is a distributor road in Cardiff, the capital of Wales....
, crossing the railway line to serve the existing freight terminal and industrial land built on the Wentloog Levels
Caldicot and Wentloog Levels
The Caldicot and Wentloog Levels are two areas of low-lying estuarine alluvial wetland and intertidal mudflats adjoining the north bank of the Severn estuary, either side of the River Usk estuary near Newport in south east Wales...
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The plans, however, are not without objection from local residents who fear their health, safety and the value of their homes will all be affected. The road is set be built in low lying marsh land, which is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
External links
- Old St Mellons community council
- A Community website for New St Mellons
- www.geograph.co.uk : photos of St Mellons and surrounding area
- Brynderwen Surgery
- CardiffPubs.co.uk guides to The Fox and Hounds,The Star Inn, The Coach House, The Bluebell Inn and the Willows.
| Pontprennau Pontprennau Pontprennau is a district in the east of the city of Cardiff, Wales.-History:Pontprennau is the Welsh language for Bridge of Trees .... |
Castleton Castleton, Newport Castleton is a small hamlet in the city of Newport, South Wales.__FORCETOC__- Location :Castleton is located in the Marshfield ward, an affluent fringe region to the west of the city of Newport, also near the eastern fringes of Cardiff... |
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| Llanrumney Llanrumney Llanrumney is a district and suburb in the east of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales.-History:The land where modern Llanrumney stands was left to Keynsham Abbey by the Lord of Glamorgan after the Norman Conquest... |
St Mellons | Marshfield Marshfield, Newport Marshfield is an electoral ward and smaller village community and parish on the fringe of the city of Newport in South Wales. The area is governed by the Newport City Council.It is considered to be an affluent and sought-after area.... |
| Rumney Rumney, Cardiff Rumney is a district in the east of the city of Cardiff, Wales. It lies east of the Rhymney River, and is historically part of Monmouthshire... |
Wentloog Caldicot and Wentloog Levels The Caldicot and Wentloog Levels are two areas of low-lying estuarine alluvial wetland and intertidal mudflats adjoining the north bank of the Severn estuary, either side of the River Usk estuary near Newport in south east Wales... |
Peterstone Peterstone Peterstone or Peterstone Wentlooge is a small hamlet on the to the south west of the city of Newport, South Wales.- Location :Peterstone Wentlooge lies six miles to the west of Newport, close to the eastern edge of Cardiff.... |