Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan. free admission, open daily
Details
Accessibility:
Level ground with car parks, including disability parking. public toilets with disability toilets, dog walking parks allowing assistance dogs.
For further accessibility information contact venue directly
Brief description:
Penarth is the wealthiest seaside resort in the Cardiff Urban Area, and the second largest town in the Vale of Glamorgan, next only to the administrative centre of Barry.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penarth
2025: "Penarth (/pɛnˈɑːrθ/ pen-ARTH, Welsh: [pɛnˈarθ]) is a town and community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Cardiff city centre on the west shore of the Severn Estuary at the southern end of Cardiff Bay.
Penarth is a seaside resort in the Cardiff Urban Area,[3] and the second largest town in the Vale of Glamorgan, next only to the administrative centre of Barry.
During the Victorian era Penarth was a highly popular holiday destination, promoted nationally as "The Garden by the Sea",[4] and was packed by visitors from the Midlands and the West Country as well as day trippers from the South Wales valleys, mostly arriving by train. Today, the town, with its traditional seafront, continues to be a regular summer holiday destination (predominantly for older visitors), but their numbers are much lower than was common from Victorian times until the 1960s, when cheap overseas package holidays were introduced.
Although the number of holiday visitors has greatly declined, the town retains a substantial retired population, representing over 24% of residents, but Penarth is now predominantly a dormitory town for Cardiff commuters. The town's population was recorded as 20,396 in the United Kingdom Census 2001.[5] The built-up area had a population of 27,226, but this figure does not include nearby suburb Dinas Powys.[6]
The town retains extensive surviving Victorian and Edwardian architecture in many traditional parts of the town.
"Penarth" is a Welsh placename and could be a combination of pen meaning head and arth meaning bear, hence 'Head of the Bear' or 'Bear's Head'. This was the accepted translation for several hundred years and is still reflected in the town's coat of arms which depicts bears. Modern scholars have suggested that the name is shortened from an original "Pen-y-garth", where garth means cliff, hence 'Head of the cliff' or 'Clifftops'.[7] and the Welsh-English dictionary Y Geiriadur Mawr (The Big Dictionary: Gomer Press) reveals that penardd/penarth eb (feminine noun) means 'promontory'.
The civic town coat of arms was drawn by the town's architect in 1875 from a detailed brief prepared by the Town Board.[8] It features a bear's head above a shield supported by two further bears standing. The shield contains a Draig Goch to denote that the town is in Wales and a sailing vessel recognising Penarth's long association with sea commerce."
Address:
Penarth Library
9-10 Stanwell Road
Penarth
CF64 2AD
+ Penarth Town Council, West House, Stanwell Road, Penarth CF64 2YG
Email:
enquiries@penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
Phone:
02920 70 0721
Website:
https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/once-beautiful-welsh-home-allowed-30893561?int_source=nba
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/welsh-homes/landmark-former-hotel-most-risk-31691613
https://cadw.gov.wales/open-doors-penarth-masonic-hall
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74jevlv19go
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gp0g0exleo
Directions:
Follow the A4160 West from Cardiff to Penarth
OS SO 185717
Opening Times:
Open Daily
Transport:
Bus: 92, Morristown – Cardiff
94, Barry - Cardiff
88, Lower Penarth- Barry Docks
Closest train station is Penarth
For more travel information visit https://www.traveline.cymru or call 0800 464 00 00
Amenities:
Penarth has public toilets, banks, a beach and pier, docks, public transport, shops, eating establishments, public park, post office, hospital, hotels and golf club.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penarth#Landmarks_and_attractions
Travel Information
For further travel information in Wales please see: www.traveline.cymru/travel-info
Or call Traveline Cymru on 0800 464 0000
Location
Nearest Venues
Train Station, Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan
194 metres*
*Distances are calculated in a straight line from the current venue, please allow extra time/distance based on available paths or roads.