Quirky Cardiff

Cardiff’s history goes back beyond the Roman fort that was established there, to the tribes of Ancient Britain. The Normans later built a castle in the fort and the settlement continued to grow around it and the increasingly important port on the Bristol Channel, at the mouth of the River Taff. During the Industrial Revolution, Cardiff’s wealth and population exploded as the port became the main outlet for Welsh coal. Although the coal and iron industries declined in the late twentieth century, the city regenerated its docks and the Cardiff Bay area.

In Quirky Cardiff author Mark Rees delves into lesser known but fascinating tales from Cardiff’s past. In this book, readers will find stories of a long-lost church hidden inside a department store; the sculpture of the Victorian ghost hunter that looms large over a botanical attraction; the streets that fired the twisted imagination a young Roald Dahl; the oldest surviving example of a romantic love spoon; the statue of the actor who inspired Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and much, much more.

Quirky Cardiff celebrates the unusual and often strange history of Cardiff and its characters over the years. This fascinating insight into Cardiff will be of interest to all those who want to know more about the city’s quirky history.