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Gabalfa

Coordinates: 51°30′00″N 3°12′14″W / 51.500°N 3.204°W / 51.500; -3.204
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Gabalfa
St Marks Church, Gabalfa
Gabalfa is located in Cardiff
Gabalfa
Gabalfa
Location within Cardiff
Population8,790 (2011)[1]
Principal area
Preserved county
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCARDIFF
Postcode districtCF14
Dialling code+44-29
PoliceSouth Wales
FireSouth Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
List of places
UK
Wales
Cardiff

51°30′00″N 3°12′14″W / 51.500°N 3.204°W / 51.500; -3.204

Gabalfa (English: /ɡəˈbælvə/, Welsh pronunciation: [ɡaˈbalva]) is a district and community in the north of the city of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It is characterised by a four-lane flyover road at the Gabalfa Interchange, where the A48 road meets the A470 road (North Road) which leads from Cardiff to northern Wales, and the A469 road (Caerphilly Road).

The name is derived from the Welsh Ceubalfa, literally translated as 'place of the boat'. It was formerly the site of a ferry crossing across the River Taff, upon which a school is now built.[2] The area was first heavily developed in the 1880s, with most of the characteristic terraced housing originating from the next 30 years of construction.[3]

The area around St. Joseph's Church near to Companies House is known as 'the Colonies' due to a number of streets named after former British colonies, including Australia Road and Newfoundland Road.

Education

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Junior Building, Allensbank Primary School

Primary

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Gabalfa has three primary schools, with a combined attendance of more than 720:

  • St. Joseph's (Roman Catholic) Primary School[4][5]
  • Allensbank Primary School[6]
  • Ysgol Mynydd Bychan ('Heath School' in Welsh),[7] which teaches in the Welsh medium

Gabalfa Primary School is not within modern Gabalfa but in neighbouring Llandaff North.

High School

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Gabalfa has one comprehensive school, Cathays High School,[8] with around 900 students[9] (mainly from outside Gabalfa).

University

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Gabalfa has a high student population. There are several halls of residence for Cardiff University in the area, housing about 3,100 students, some 10% of the student body.[10][11][12][13] Liberty House[14] serves mainly medical and nursing students at the nearly University Hospital of Wales. In addition, many students live in privately rented accommodation in the area.

Places of worship

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St. Joseph's Catholic Church

Churches in Gabalfa include St Mark's on North Road (Church in Wales),[15] St Joseph's on New Zealand Road (Roman Catholic),[16] and the All Nations Church on Eastern Avenue (Ministries Without Borders, co-located with the All Nations Centre).

Politics

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Gabalfa electoral ward of Cardiff

The electoral ward of Gabalfa lies within the parliamentary constituency of Cardiff North, which has been represented since 2017 by Welsh Labour MP Anna McMorrin. In the Senedd, Cardiff North is represented by Welsh Labour MS Julie Morgan.

There is no community council for the area.

Gabalfa was served by two Cardiff councillors: Ed Bridges (Liberal Democrat), elected in 2004, and Gareth Holden, elected in 2012. Holden was elected as a Liberal Democrat but resigned from the party in 2013.[17] He lost to a Liberal Democrat candidate in the May 2017 election. The ward is currently served by Rhys Taylor and Ashley Wood (2019).

Gabalfa is bounded by Birchgrove and Heath to the north, Cathays and Maindy to the south, and Llandaff North to the northwest.

Transport

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The area is known for the Gabalfa Interchange (or Gabalfa flyover), where the A48 Eastern Avenue, A470 North Road, and A469 Whitchurch Road (south)/Caerphilly Road (north) meet. The interchange is known for its suicides and suicide attempts,[18][19] although efforts have been made to improve this, with signs to suicide prevention charities now clearly visible on the pedestrian bridge over Eastern Avenue.

Bus

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Cardiff Bus' service 35 bus circles the area before heading to Cardiff Bay via Cathays and Central station. Services 1/2 Bay Circle run along Western Avenue towards Heath or Llandaff. Additionally, the following services stop at the Gabalfa Interchange:[20]

  • 8 (University Hospital of Wales) or (Cathays-Roath-Central Station-Grangetown-Cardiff Bay)
  • 9 (University Hospital of Wales) or (International Sports Village)
  • 21 (Rhiwbina-Coryton-Whitchurch) or (Central Stn)
  • 23 (Whitchurch-Coryton-Rhiwbina) or (Central Stn)
  • 24 (Whitchurch-Llandaff North-Pontcanna-Llandaff)
  • 25 (Central Stn)
  • 27 Capital City Green (Heath-Birchgrove-Thornhill) or (Central Stn)
  • 35 (Gabalfa) or (Cathays-Central Stn-Cardiff Bay)

Rail

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There are no railway stations located within Gabalfa, although a new railway station serving the ward was proposed by the County Council in 2000.[21] The nearest railway stations are Heath Low Level and Heath High Level to the north-west, Cathays to the south and Llandaf to the north-east.

Walking and cycling

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The Taff Trail, a long-distance footpath and cycle route that runs along the River Taff, is connected to Gabalfa by Llys Tal-y-Bont Road.

In 2023, a new cycle path was completed along Allensbank Road on the edge of Gabalfa, as part of Cardiff's Cycleway 1.[22][23] To promote cycling and improve safety, in recent years councillors and residents have campaigned with some success for traffic calming measures, such as Gabalfa becoming a 20 miles per hour (32 km/h) zone, raised crossings being installed,[24][25] and curbs being narrowed.

Gabalfa is within a 30-minute walk or a 10-minute cycle of the city centre.[citation needed]

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  • Africa Gardens
    Africa Gardens
  • Part of the Gabalfa Interchange and flyover
    Part of the Gabalfa Interchange and flyover
  • Subway under Gabalfa Interchange
    Subway under Gabalfa Interchange

References

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  1. ^ "Ward population 2011". Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  2. ^ "Gabalfa". Streets of Cardiff. BBC Wales. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
  3. ^ "Gabalfa". National Museum Cardiff. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  4. ^ "St Joseph's R.C. Primary School, Cardiff". The Good Schools Guide. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  5. ^ "St Joseph's R.C. Primary School | Estyn". www.estyn.gov.wales. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  6. ^ "Allensbank Primary School | Estyn". www.estyn.llyw.cymru. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  7. ^ "Ysgol Mynydd Bychan". Inspection Reports. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  8. ^ "Cathays High School". www.estyn.gov.wales. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  9. ^ "A report on Cathays High School" (PDF). Cathays High School. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  10. ^ "Talybont North". Cardiff University. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  11. ^ "Talybont South". Cardiff University. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  12. ^ "Talybont Gate". Cardiff University. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  13. ^ "Talybont Court". Cardiff University. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  14. ^ "Liberty House". Cardiff University. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  15. ^ "Who we are". St Mark's Church
  16. ^ "Contact Detail". Saint Joseph's R.C. Parish, Cardiff. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  17. ^ Peter Law (21 January 2013). "Lib Dem councillor leaves party in anger at coalition government". Wales Online. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  18. ^ Melville-Smith, Alicia (3 August 2015). "Major Cardiff road reopens after man dies falling from flyover". walesonline. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  19. ^ "Body of a man discovered on A48 Western Avenue in Cardiff". The Independent. 3 August 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  20. ^ "Routes & Maps - Cardiff Bus". www.cardiffbus.com. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  21. ^ "Cardiff County Council - Local Transport Plan 2000-2016". Cardiff County Council. 1 August 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 17 January 2008.
  22. ^ Peskett, Ted (16 September 2022). "Council defends cycle lane roadworks after complaints". WalesOnline. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  23. ^ Gregory, Rhys (27 June 2023). "New Cardiff cycle path hailed a game changer by residents". Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  24. ^ "Clodien Avenue Area Traffic Calming" (PDF). Clodien Avenue Area Traffic Calming. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  25. ^ "Whichurch Road/ Flaxland Avenue Pedestrian Crossing Facilities" (PDF). 21 August 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
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