The Olympic rings being raised on Sunday, April 22, 2012…
On the way back from Cardiff’s RHS Garden Show in the rain on April 22, I was surprised to see the Olympic rings being raised in front of City Hall. I guess it’s because Cardiff is the venue for some of the London 2012 football events.
As I had my camera with me, I snapped the rings, along with some general views of a few of the wonderful Edwardian buildings of Cathays Park.
Corinthian capitals…
And with the Olympics in mind, I got to thinking how Greek, how classical, the architecture of this area of Cardiff is. Lots of columns and statues…
The pillars of the Glamorgan Building, formerly Glamorgan County Hall…
A bronze lion’s face on the Glamorgan Building…
Figures on the right in front of the old Glamorgan Building…
Figures on the left in front of the Glamorgan Building…
There are two versions of the story of why these huge figures are on the ground in front of the Glamorgan Building. One says the architect liked the figures so much that he decided to leave them on the ground so they could be seen better. Alternatively, perhaps the platforms built for the statues on top of the building were not strong enough to bear their weight…
This is the roof-top platform where the figures were supposed to sit…
And here’s the empty platform at the other end…
I have learned something – I hadn’t realised this statue, which I had seen so many times before, was a Boer War memorial…
Cardiff Boer War (South African) Memorial by Albert Toft, raised in 1909 – the figure is of Peace and the building behind is Cardiff Crown Court…
Cardiff Crown Court building…
Magnificent black metal dragon in front of the Doric columns of the Cardiff Crown Court building …
Figures high up on the corner of Cardiff Crown Court…
Cardiff Crown Court with Cardiff City Hall’s dragon-topped dome beyond…
Cardiff City Hall with the National Museum of Wales to the right…
The Olympic rings being raised in front of Cardiff City Hall, April 22, 2012…
The pedestrian subway between Queen Street and Cathays Park…
The City Hall clock tower…
Looking across from the old Edwardian quarter towards the new in Queen Street…
One Kingsway, Cardiff…
Another view of the lovely modern statue in front of One Kingsway, Cardiff
These images are just of the buildings I happened to pass by that day, but maybe I will go back and snap the other buildings, too, such as the National Museum of Wales. And not forgetting the formal gardens, although this picture is just taken in a university car park…
Cathays Park is full of cherry blossom in Spring…
Did you ever see my Nereid picture? http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_seligman_cardiff/3620047209/
I just found more on the fine Toft sculpture at http://www.victorianweb.org/sculpture/toft/14.html
Anglo-Boer War?
I’m afraid so. Although we always tended to call it just the Boer War.
I see in South Africa they are known as freedom wars against British rule.
All I can say is sorry we’ve had our differences in the past and I hope we can be friends now!
Best wishes
My mother was born in London, so the Anglo-Boer war leaves me perched on the hyphen.
Those figures must be so very heavy?..It is funny that we drive by something all the time and just don’t see it..I live close to Niagara Falls and haven’t been up there in years…of course it is usually crowded….Michelle
Thanks for sharing some glimpses of a place rich with art and architecture!
Thank you – and you ought to see the INSIDE of the National Museum of Wales in Cathays – we have a great collection of Impressionist paintings…
Best wishes