Cardiff’s Lost Venues: Some Thoughts from a Concerned Local
It’s clear that independent music, social and cultural spaces face many serious challenges. The rate at which these important venues are closing their doors in cities across the UK is alarming, a situation which the Coronavirus pandemic is sure to make much worse as people spend less and the economy worsens.
Battles are also being frequently lost to landlords and property developers intent on selling or re-developing the land they occupy, forcing them to either be demolished or submit to re-development as a result. The damage done to these venues by profit hungry business people is potentially far more serious than any temporary disruption caused by the recent lockdown and largely irreversible.
No more so is this true than in my home city of Cardiff where I have been a lifelong resident; when I consider the number of independent clubs, gig venues, family owned restaurants and traditional pubs with unique historical links to the city that no longer exist it is hard not to feel a deep sense of regret and concern for the future. How can we have fallen so far so fast?
I first became conscious of this issue with the closure of The Vulcan pub in Adamsdown, opposite the Atrium Campus of what was then the University of Glamorgan. Attending the university and living in the halls of residence close by, I had the opportunity to visit what I knew to be the oldest pub in Cardiff at the time.
The building itself was one of the last remnants of the old Newtown district. This area was built during the nineteenth century and largely inhabited by Irish immigrants that moved to Cardiff to build and work in the nearby docks. The last of the houses comprising this forgotten enclave were torn down during the 1970s; sadly the area had become seriously impoverished and was one of the city’s last remaining slums.
There is no question that this was necessary for Cardiff to modernise and improve the quality of life for people that lived there – but this pub was the last remaining connection the city had to this important part of its history.
When I visited in 2011 it was clear that, for better or for worse, very little of the interior and exterior had been altered from when the pub was first built, which was quite astonishing given the dramatic changes that had occurred in its immediate surroundings which had been transformed into a carpark.
If the pub invested in some modernising touches that did not compromise the uniqueness and history of the building itself, it’s hard to imagine it not succeeding as a viable business given its location directly opposite the university campus, nearby student residences and the city centre. This mattered little when the owners of the carpark decided they could not live without the four parking spaces the building was occupying and the revenue they were losing as a result. The Vulcan was subsequently demolished, with a plan to re-build the pub as a museum piece some ten miles from its original location.
More recently another important city center landmark, Guildford Crescent, a block containing two family owned restaurants along with much loved independent club and music venue, Gwydi Hu, was demolished despite a number of objections and a widely attended grassroots protest. Efforts to save the buildings were successful but limited to the outer façades only; the interiors have been completely gutted and now lie derelict, surrounded by an endless tangle of scaffolding, waiting to be replaced with what is likely to be student flats given the proximity to the University of South Wales campus.
It’s worth noting that Cardiff Council have expressed a wish to re-develop the whole area by creating a new “Canal District” which would see a waterway re-built in close proximity to Guildford Crescent along Churchill Way, originally filled in during the 1940s. This would be a welcome rejuvenation to a tired looking area and could prove to be a popular visitor attraction to which the businesses that once populated Guildford Crescent would have been a welcome addition.
Should the Canal District come to fruition visitors to this part of the city will be met not with three exciting, independently owned businesses offering them food and drink whilst overlooking the newly built waterfront, but with a block of soulless student flats.
These are springing up at such an alarming rate that many newly built apartment complexes have been left unable to fill their rooms, a situation that is sure to be exacerbated by the recent pandemic as student numbers are set to decline further. Cardiff has always been a popular city for students to live and they contribute significantly to the local economy; it’s hard to see this lasting if the city continues on its course to demolish, redevelop or change beyond recognition much of what attracts so many students to the city in the first place.
What could be more tragic than the businesses of Guildford Crescent being replaced with a tower block that lies virtually empty thanks in part due to a lack of interest from students looking to pursue their studies elsewhere; perhaps in cities that care more about preserving their unique cultural heritage and with a more diverse range of independent nightlife and local businesses
Across the city great pubs and popular venues that served an invaluable purpose in nurturing live music and culture are vanishing: Buffalo Bar on Windsor Place; Barfly on Broadway close to Queen Street; Ten Feet Tall on Church Street (currently open on a temporary basis but soon to be re-developed after the owners sacked their original staff with no notice); Dempsey's opposite Cardiff Castle; The Point near Cardiff Bay.
Also recently under threat was Tramshed in the Grangetown area, which has proved to be one the most exciting venues for live music in the city since its opening in 2015. A plan to build apartments directly on the rear of its premises - which would have led to its eventual closure due to the logistical issues this would have caused for the venue – was recently rejected due to the opposition they faced by campaigners. Tramshed is safe for now but given the rate with which similar places are closing their doors, it’s impossible to predict how long this relative safety will last.
Even Womanby Street, the heart of Cardiff’s alternative music scene and nightlife isn’t safe from this cultural desecration. Plans to build a hotel and yet more flats on the historic street, home to multiple independent pubs, clubs and concert venues were recently considered but thwarted thanks to widespread protests. The street has always been a thriving location for live music and entertainment, containing some of the oldest and most unique establishments in the city. It is also of great historical significance because of its status as Cardiff’s first ever waterfront before the nearby River Taff was diverted in the nineteenth century and the city’s main docks were built. Any attempt to change its character or that of the independent businesses it contains would be nothing short of cultural vandalism and an ominous sign for what is to come for the rest of Cardiff’s fledgling music venues that continue fighting for their existence.
So what can be done to reverse this worrying trend? Grassroots protests have already been successful to a degree but were unable to stop the re-development of Guildford Crescent despite a valiant effort to keep the businesses there alive. Once current lockdown restrictions are lifted independent venues are going to face relentless challenges from falling revenues which will lead to more closures and buy outs, after already having gone through months of financial turmoil. It’s fundamentally important that once businesses open people return there to spend money to keep venues that are resisting the current onslaught afloat.
Supporting these invaluable cultural spaces by frequenting them as regularly as possible, whilst engaging in campaigns and petitioning local authorities to fight proposed closures is the best place to start. Those intent on the destruction of our independent venues, therefore turning places like Cardiff into homogeneous cities with nothing unique or interesting for visitors and locals to experience, would do well to consider the impact their pursuit of quick profits could have on their own pockets in the long term: who wants to spend money buying properties or living in expensive apartment blocks in a city with no cultural scene and a noticeable lack of lively or interesting pubs, clubs or music venues? A city of empty storefronts, chain stores and vacant apartments will not be an attractive place for people to live, move to and spend money when the economy eventually returns to normal. Local inhabitants will be the first to feel these effects.
Whenever a pub, restaurant or venue that once thrived closes its doors for good a city loses a part of itself that is impossible to replace because without places for people to meet, drink, chat, laugh, listen to music and fall in love cities like Cardiff become unlivable ghost towns. And a combination of the recent closures of local venues combined with a poor economy could see this become a reality sooner rather than later. Only a concerted effort to raise awareness of this issue and ensure these venues are given the support they need will help prevent this from happening in Cardiff and other cities across the UK.