Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TOP OF CHAPTER
1
Llandaff
Llandaff is a peaceful suburb 2 miles northwest of the castle - a former village clustered
around a green that has been swallowed up by the expanding city. Buses 25 and 62 run
along Cathedral Rd to Llandaff every 10 minutes (twice hourly on Sundays).
Llandaff Cathedral
( 029-2056 4554;
www.llandaffcathedral.org.uk
;
Cathedral Green; 9am-6.30pm Mon-Sat, 7am-6.30pm Sun)
Set in a hollow on the west bank of the River Taff, this imposing cathedral is built on the
site of a 6th-century monastery founded by St Teilo. His tomb is on the south side of the
sanctuary and an ancient stone Celtic cross stands nearby.
The present cathedral was begun in 1120, but it crumbled throughout the Middle Ages,
and during the Reformation and Civil War it was used as an alehouse and then an animal
shelter. Derelict by the 18th century, it was largely rebuilt in the 19th century and extens-
ively restored after being damaged by a German bomb in 1941. The towers at the western
end epitomise the cathedral's fragmented history - one was built in the 15th century, the
other in the 19th.
Inside, a giant arch supports Sir Jacob Epstein's huge aluminium sculpture
Majestas
-
its modern style a bold contrast in this gracious, vaulted space. Pre-Raphaelite fans will
appreciate the Burne-Jones reredos (screens) in St Dyfrig's chapel and the stained glass by
Rossetti and William Morris' company.
CHURCH
