Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff

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When I was a child I spent most Summers in Cardiff, visiting my Aunt and my cousins. In those days the cousins in Wales, Helen and Sheila, were among my best friends and some of my fondest memories are of the times I spent with them.

My cousins lived in the very pretty area of Llandaff, which is a City within a City. Llandaff itself was considered a village until the Cathedral was built, and then it was named a City in its own right.

I played here as a child - sacrilegious kissing chases around the grounds and hide and seek behind the gravestones.

In February 2008 I returned for the first time in 20 or more years. This time I was accompanied by my 21 year old cousin Sam, the son of my beloved cousin Helen. We wandered the grounds together as I took pic after pic, and saw a side of this magnificent building that I never recalled from childhood. It's an architect's paradise. As i wandered among the gravestones I saw an eagle perched on a broken Celtic cross. As I lifted my camera he flew high into the trees, later landing on another headstone which allowed me a lucky pic.

The Cathedral itself houses the very famous sculpture of Christ in Majesty by Epstein. Sadly, the doors were locked this time and I was unable to take a pic.

This place is so well woth a visit for many many reasons.

Otherwise known as 'The Cathedral Church of SS Peter & Paul, Dyfrig, Teilo and Euddogwy', but let's just keep it at Llandaff Cathedral... ;-)

Situated in a small hollow in the ground and founded in the 6th C., Llandaff is one of the oldest Christian sites in Britain. It is a fairly small cathedral, not much larger than a big church, but it is its setting by the wooded banks of the River Taff and the history of the place that makes it so impressive.

Given its age and the many changed that have occurred over the ages, including being heavily damaged by bombing in WWII, the cathedral is a mix of styles ranging from Norman to Modern. Indeed, one of the centrepieces of the cathedral is also one of its most controversial - the reinforced concrete arch surmounted by Sir Jacob Epstein’s aluminium statue of Christ in Majesty added in the 60's as a striking contrast between new and old...

Personally I think it is one of the best features of the cathedral, because it is so different - but purists may beg to differ... ;-)

The other great piece of art housed in the cathedral is Rosetti's triptych of the Seed of David in the St Illtyd Chapel.

The Cathedral is also home to the Welsh Regiment Chapel which commemorates actions around the World since the regiment was formed.

Admission is free and there are plenty of services if you're that way inclined, including ones in Welsh if you want to hear this ancient language...

For me, the best way to come up here if you have the time is to walk up the Taff Trail along the banks of the River Taff, which you can do through park and woodland right from the city centre.

Unlike most Welsh churches, Llandaff is not named after a saint, but rather the area in which it is located. The name translates as "Church on the River Taff." Situated on one of the oldest Christian sites in the British Isles, the cathedral was begun in the 12th century but rebuilt and modified over and over again throughout its history. During a bleak, terrible night in January, 1941, a huge German mine exploded, destroying much of the cathedral and it was not until the 1960's that restoration was completed.

You could set aside a few hours to explore around Llandaff, a lovely village in its own right. The jewel in the crown of Llandaff is undoubtedly the Cathedral.

Firstly the Cathedral then. The present cathedral dates from 1107 when Bishop Urban, the first Bishop appointed by the Normans, instigated the building of a much larger church. The arch behind the High Altar was built at that time and the doorway that now leads to the St David (or Welsh Regiment) Chapel may have been the West door of Urban’s church until it was moved to its new site when the Cathedral was extended and widened and a new West front built about 1220. This West front is judged by many to be one of the two or three most notable mediaeval works of art in Wales.
A great deal of the 19th century work inside the Cathedral perished when the building was heavily damaged and the roof destroyed in the 1939-45 War. Its restoration was entrusted to George Pace who aimed at blending new work with what remained of the old and at giving the Cathedral a sense of spaciousness which it previously lacked. Pace built the Welch Regiment Memorial Chapel but his greatest achievement is the reinforced concrete arch surmounted by Sir Jacob Epstein’s aluminium statue of Christ in Majesty. Many would say Christ in Majesty is worth a visit in its self.

After a visit to the Cathedral you could go for a walk along the riverbank of the Taff, which is on the doorstep, or an explore of the village. Once upon a time Llandaff was a village, now of course, it has been enveloped by the City, but still manages somehow to maintain a bit of the old village charm. There's the black & white of some of the houses and shops on the High Street, and the Village Green.

The Brains beer ,one of Cardiff's favourites), can be had in the Malsters Arms - I can recommend the Bitter, Mild and SA (SA officially 'Strong Ale' but known to locals as 'Skull Attack'). Tea shops also available!