Roath Park Recreation Ground - Cardiff, Wales, UK
Posted by: Superted
N 51° 29.868 W 003° 09.856
30U E 488597 N 5705197
Roath Park Recreation Ground is a 23 acre grassed area for sporting and relaxation purposes. A stream, the Roath Brook (Nant Fawr), boarders the park on three sides. The park is known locally as 'The Rec'.
Waymark Code: WMH4VD
Location: South Wales, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 05/23/2013
Views: 2
Roath Park Recreation Ground is part of a series of ribonated parks collectively known as Roath Park that stretch through the Cyncoed and Roath areas of Cardiff. The parks were established in Victorian times and the land donated to the city of Cardiff by the Marquess of Bute. The park is owned and maintained by Cardiff Council. More information concerning Roath Park as a whole can be found at: (
visit link)
A tarmaced path runs around the perimeter of the park and is popular with walkers, runners and dog walkers. On hot days the park is packed with people relaxing and nowadays having impromptu picnics (maybe not to everyone's approval as there are no formal picnicking facilities present).
The park is laid out with a series of sports pitches which vary depending on the time of year. In the winter months both rugby and football pitches are marked out. In the summer months there are baseball pitches marked out.
The Rec is the home of Welsh baseball and the Wales versus England international is regularly held here. Baseball in UK is very different to American baseball, one of the main differences being that the bat has a flat surface. It is not a widely played sport, centred in Wales within Cardiff and Newport and in England within Liverpool. A video of a Wales vs England international match from the 1980s can be found here: (
visit link)
In the south east corner is the Penylan Library and changing facilities for people playing organised sports on the Rec.
Plaque:
In 2012 (the year of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee) Roath Park Recreation Ground was awarded with the status of Queen Elizabeth II Field, which should give it added protection against commercial developments. A plaque and newly planted oak tree in the north-west corner of the park commemorate this event.
History:
The “cutting of first sod” ceremony for Roath Park was performed in the Recreation Ground by the Marchioness of Bute on the 24th August 1887. More information concerning the history of the Recreation Ground can be found at:- (
visit link)