Cardiff Bay

Cardiff owes most of its history to the Industrial Revolution of the 1790's. The machines created during the Industrial Revolution required huge amounts of coal to operate. This which stimulated mining in the valleys of South Wales and the creation of a dock in Cardiff Bay for exportation and transportation of the coal was necessary.

In the late 19th Century, the 2nd Marquess of Bute built the Glamorganshire canal- linking Merthyr Tydfil with Cardiff and the Cardiff docks. He did this to take advantage of the huge coal reserves in the area and made an extraordinary amount of money doing so.

This canal saw Cardiff become the biggest coal exporting port in the world, resulting in Edward VII granting Cardiff city status in 1905.

The port reached its peak in 1913, seeing more than 10 million tons going through the port. Naturally, as Cardiff exports grew, so did the Cardiff population.

After the second world war the coal industry declined and the docklands fell into disuse, but in 1999 new life was given to the area with the construction of the Cardiff Bay Barrage, which transformed an area of tidal mudflats into a 200 hectare freshwater lake and sparked the development of the surrounding area.

Cardiff Bay, just a mile from the city centre, is now popular part of any visit to Cardiff. Visitors can enjoy a wide range of restaurants, cafes and bars in Mermaid Quay, cruise or sail on Cardiff Bay, or explore attractions such as the impressive Wales Millennium Centre, Norwegian Church or Techniquest - an interactive science discovery centre.

Regular free festivals and events, such as the Caribbean Carnival and the International Food and Drink Festival, take place throughout the year.

Cardiff Bay is clean and pleasant, with enough to do around the Bay to keep one there for days.

Cardiff Bay was used as the high-tech urban setting for the Ninth Doctor Doctor Who episode Boom Town and for the Torchwood spinoff. The BBC and the Doctor Who/Torchwood producers deliberately avoided stereotypical portrayals of Wales to portray Cardiff as a modern urban center.

Additionally, Terry Nation, creator of the Daleks, was born in Cardiff.

The second season of Doctor Who (starring David Tennant and Billie Piper) was also filmed in and around Cardiff.

Also, the first episode of Torchwood (starring John Barrowman) was screened at St David's Hotel, Cardiff Bay, in front of an all-star audience.

With the fictional future so bright for Cardiff Bay, one can only imagine what the real future will hold.

I took a day trip out to Cardiff Bay while I was recently visiting the United Kingdom. Cardiff Bay is located in Cardiff, Wales and has an amazing variety of shops, restaurants, plazas, and (of course) beautiful views.

I walk all around the pier areas and the pubic art work and managed to limit myself to about 200 pictures!

This calendar features the best pictures of Cardiff Bay and includes captions for all the sites.

Available here:
http://www.lulu.com/content/935437

All Pictures featured on this lens were taken by Victoria Masters.

To see more photography, visit the other photography lens
or check out the website.