Penarth: The Garden by the Sea on Cardiff's Doorstep
Penarth is a Victorian seaside town in the Vale of Glamorgan, directly south of Cardiff across the barrage. The population is around 27,000. The Victorians developed Penarth as a fashionable resort and residential area for Cardiff's wealthier residents, and the town retains that character. The restored Penarth Pier, reopened in 2013 with the Penarth Pier Pavilion art gallery at its end, is one of few remaining piers in Wales. The Esplanade along the clifftop offers views across the Bristol Channel to Somerset and Devon on clear days. Alexandra Park, between the town centre and the seafront, has formal gardens and mature trees.
Penarth's town centre along Windsor Road and Stanwell Road has independent shops, cafes, and restaurants that give it a distinctly different feel from Cardiff's chain-heavy high street. Turner House Gallery, the first purpose-built gallery in Wales (1888), is on Plymouth Road. Penarth station has trains to Cardiff Central in seven minutes. The Cardiff Bay Barrage provides a walking and cycling route into Cardiff Bay. The A4160 and A4055 connect to the M4 via Cardiff.
The docks at Penarth were once a significant coal exporting port. The Custom House on the waterfront dates from that era. Lavernock Point, just south of Penarth, is where Marconi transmitted the first radio message across water in 1897.
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Penarth is a Victorian seaside town in the Vale of Glamorgan, directly south of Cardiff across the barrage. The population is around 27,000. The Victorians developed Penarth as a fashionable resort and residential area for Cardiff's wealthier residents, and the town retains that character. The restored Penarth Pier, reopened in 2013 with the Penarth Pier Pavilion art gallery at its end, is one of few remaining piers in Wales. The Esplanade along the clifftop offers views across the Bristol Channel to Somerset and Devon on clear days. Alexandra Park, between the town centre and the seafront, has formal gardens and mature trees.
Penarth's town centre along Windsor Road and Stanwell Road has independent shops, cafes, and restaurants that give it a distinctly different feel from Cardiff's chain-heavy high street. Turner House Gallery, the first purpose-built gallery in Wales (1888), is on Plymouth Road. Penarth station has trains to Cardiff Central in seven minutes. The Cardiff Bay Barrage provides a walking and cycling route into Cardiff Bay. The A4160 and A4055 connect to the M4 via Cardiff.
The docks at Penarth were once a significant coal exporting port. The Custom House on the waterfront dates from that era. Lavernock Point, just south of Penarth, is where Marconi transmitted the first radio message across water in 1897.
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