Llanishen is the home of the former HMRC tax offices, the tallest buildings in north Cardiff and a landmark for miles around. The office complex overlooks the Crystal and Fishguard estates, the Parc Tŷ Glas industrial estate, Llanishen village, leafy suburban roads and parks that constitute the district. Llanishen is also home to a leisure centre and the former 60-acre (24 ha) Llanishen Reservoir, which is connected to a green corridor which bisects the city.
History
Originally wooded farm land, in A.D. 535 two monks came eastwards from the small religious settlement of Llandaff, aiming to establish new settlements, or "llans", in the land below Caerphilly Mountain. With fresh water from the Nant Fawr stream, one of the monks, Isan, founded his llan on the site of the modern day Oval Park.
In 1089 at the Battle of the Heath, the Normans fought the Welsh Celts north of the settlement. The victorious Normans expanded Llanishen, starting work on a church to the north which was completed in the 12th century.[citation needed]
Although Oliver Cromwell had ties with Llanishen and the neighbouring village of Lisvane, the village remained undisturbed until 1871, when the Rhymney Railway was given permission to break the stranglehold of the Taff Vale Railway into Cardiff Docks. Building a line from Caerphilly to Crockherbtown Junction just north of Cardiff Queen Street, its 1.5 miles (2.4 km) tunnel to the north resulted in the accidental deaths of a number of people, many of them buried in St Isan's church.
The railway and the development of Llanishen railway station allowed wealthy Cardiff businesspeople to commute from the village to the city centre easily, resulting in the expansion of the village's population by 20,000 between 1851 and 1871. In 1887, the two new reservoirs of Llanishen were built to allow distribution of water collected in the Brecon Beacons to the city. In 1922, after expansion north by the city and south by the village, Llanishen became a suburb of Cardiff. Llanishen Golf Club was established in 1905.[2]
Development of the village since has been through redevelopment of former farming and military land into commercial usage and housing development.
Thornhill was part of the Llanishen civil parish until November 2016, when a new community of Thornhill was created north of the Linear Park.[3][4]
Commerce and industry
Parc Tŷ Glas Industrial Estate
HM Government buildings, Phase 2 (left) and Gleider House – Phase 1 (right) with Ty Rhodfa in the foreground
Parc Tŷ Glas is home to the offices of the television station S4C and of the National Eisteddfod of Wales. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) formerly occupied Ty Glas, an 18-storey tower block (Phase 2), the 11-storey Gleider House (Phase 1), Ty Rhodfa (formerly the Valuation Office Agency)[5] employing more than 2,700 staff on site in 2007[6] and ground floor offices for an enquiry centre or IREC. In 2020 the tax office vacated the site and moved to Central Square in the city centre.[7]
The HM Government buildings are due to be demolished and replaced by up to 250 houses, 70 retirement apartments, a care home, employment units, and a health centre.[8][9]
In 2003, Cardiff Lifestyle Shopping Park was built, comprising six stores. The current occupants are Marks and Spencer Simply Food, Boots, HomeSense, Starbucks, DW Sports/MiFit and Pets at Home.
ROF Cardiff
Llanishen played a role in the Second World War effort. With the development of ROF Bridgend, a Royal Ordnance Factory, ROF Cardiff was opened in 1940 to take the explosives from Bridgend and produce tank, anti-tank and field guns.[10] Air defences against paratroopers were placed in nearby fields, and facilities were strengthened in 1941 when the Royal Air Force established both a RAF Regiment base and a glider training facility. In 1943 the United States Army began using the facilities to hold troops and undertake local training, including basic flight in Tiger Cubs. The Americans left in June 1944 as the Allies prepared for D-Day. In 1987 ROF Cardiff became an Atomic Weapons Establishment.[11] It closed down in February 1997.[10]
Since its closure, ROF Cardiff has become the site of major housing developments by George Wimpey (called Parklands), Barratt (Ty Glas Square) and Leadbitter (Llys Enfys. Bellway and Persimmon/Charles Church created further housing between the AWE site and the HMRC building. The site will also host a new public open space, the final element to be constructed (2010), to include a children's play area, sports pitch and community garden. Part of the George Wimpey development has been named Watkins Square and the Barratt development Tasker Square – after Wales' famous Victoria Cross winner Sir Tasker Watkins, who died during 2007.
The area includes two non-functional reservoirs, Llanishen Reservoir and the smaller, adjoining Lisvane Reservoir. Llanishen Reservoir forms the end of a Victorian water supply system stretching from the Brecon Beacons to Cardiff. It was previously threatened by an American-led commercial development for domestic housing, where the proposed houses would be built around a reduced lake. However, the site was designation by Cadw and as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, making it difficult for the developer to gain building permission. Locals have campaigned to make the area a registered village green.[14][15]
Llanishen Leisure Centre[19] is situated in Llanishen and is the largest in the city. It has a pool with a wave machine, Squash courts, multi-activity sports hall, gym and cafeteria. It is built in a very similar layout to the leisure centre in Pentwyn.
There is a public skatepark next to the leisure centre, featuring two quarter-pipes, a jump box, two flat banks, a driveway, a spine, a rail, a wallride and a halfpipe.[20] Llanishen is also home to RampWorld Cardiff, which is Wales' largest indoor skatepark and operates as a non-profit making charity to provide indoor extreme sports training facilities.
GoAir Trampoline Park is located on the Ty Glas Business Park in Llanishen.
Llanishen RFC is based in the area and has a 3G rugby ground, built in 2018 as part of a new partnership with Llanishen High School. The club house is off Ty Glas Avenue nearby. The club's former training ground and pitch was located off Usk Road and was sold to a housing developer to fund the new 3G pitch facilities [21]
Public houses
Llanishen's pubs include the Church Inn, believed to be the oldest surviving pub in Cardiff, and the Wolf's Castle.
