Broadcasting House, Cardiff
BBC Broadcasting House, Cardiff | |
---|---|
General information | |
Status | Demolished |
Address | Llantrisant Road, Llandaff |
Town or city | Cardiff |
Country | Wales |
Coordinates | 51°29′51.36″N 3°13′38.28″W / 51.4976000°N 3.2273000°W |
Construction started | 1963 |
Opened | 1966 |
Inaugurated | 1 March 1967 |
Closed | 2020 |
Demolished | 2021–2022 |
Owner | BBC Cymru Wales |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 6 |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Dale Owen |
Broadcasting House was the headquarters of BBC Cymru Wales' radio, television and online services, situated in north Cardiff. The purpose-built facility opened in 1966 and consisted of three blocks containing studios, offices and technical facilities. In 2020 the BBC moved out, transferring to New Broadcasting House in Central Square, Cardiff. The building was demolished between 2021 and 2022, with the site to be used for new housing.
The building housed the national broadcaster for Wales, providing a range of English and Welsh language content for audiences across Wales on television, radio and online.[1]
History
Broadcasting House was designed by Welsh architect Dale Owen (1924–97).[2][3] Construction began in 1963.[4] The BBC moved into the building in 1966, which housed production and technical facilities, and was the principal base for BBC Cymru Wales. It was officially opened by Princess Margaret on St David's Day (1 March) 1967.[5]
The building was located in the Llandaff area of northern Cardiff, near the River Taff. It was close to Danescourt railway station and served by several Cardiff Bus services.
The
In August 2013, it was announced that Broadcasting House and Ty Oldfield (Oldfield House), which is opposite Broadcasting House, was for sale, with plans to move to a new a purpose-built headquarters in Cardiff by 2018. The BBC has said that the "ageing infrastructure at Llandaff is clearly reaching the end of the road and it is time to look to the future". It was said that they considered three possible sites in Cardiff:
- Central Square, which is north of Cardiff Central railway station
- Land south of the railway station
- Land between the Senedd building and the UK headquarters of Atradius.[6]
The Welsh Government's historic environment service
The BBC confirmed in 2015 that Central Square would be the location of their
The site was acquired by the development company Taylor Wimpey for a housing development, and Broadcasting House was demolished between November 2021 through to 2022.[11][12] The site is now called Parc Llandaf, that will eventually include 377 homes with one and two bedroom apartments, plus three, four and five bedroom houses.[13]
Architecture
The building was modernist in style, and aspects of Dale Owen's design reflected
The building incorporated a long low-rise section housing the studios and a tower for the administration offices. The use of a concrete structural frame enabled large areas of glazing, and the main Llantrisant Road elevation was partially glazed.[14]
Programming
Television programmes produced at Broadcasting House Cardiff included
It was announced in March 2009 that the BBC would move the filming of shows such as Casualty and Crimewatch to the Roath Lock studios in Cardiff.[15]
See also
References
- ^ "Nations – Wales – BBC Cymru Wales". BBC. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
- ^ "Obituary: Dale Owen". The Independent. 28 November 1997. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
- ^ "BBC Wales to move to new Foster-designed Cardiff HQ". Architects' Journal. 10 June 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
- ^ "Broadcasting House, Cardiff". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
- ^ a b "Closedown: Broadcasting House Llandaff". Living Magazines Cardiff. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
- Wales Online. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- ^ Billings, Henrietta (11 April 2014). ""Exemplary modernist" Welsh BBC HQ not listed". The Twentieth Century Society.
- ^ Laura, Mark (15 April 2014). "BBC Wales HQ misses out on listing". Architects' Journal.
- Wales Online. 30 November 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- ^ "BBC Wales Today - Final Evening News from Broadcasting House, Llandaff (25th September 2020)". YouTube. 25 September 2020. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021.
- ^ "Going, going, gone: end of an era for BBC Cardiff site". Nation.Cymru. 30 January 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
- Wales Online.
- Wales Online. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
- ^ a b Cherry, Monica (3 September 2005). "The Modern in Wales". The Twentieth Century Society.
- ^ Douglas, Torin (15 October 2008). "Entertainment | BBC evicts top shows from London". BBC News. Retrieved 17 September 2013.