The incredible old pictures of Tiger Bay and the Docks from 140 years ago
A new exhibition in the Pierhead building gives a glimpse of life in Tiger Bay and the Docks from as early as the 1880s
If you're looking for a free activity for people both young and old in Cardiff this summer, you might not consider the Senedd your first port of call. But people of all ages are welcome to visit a new exhibition at the home of the Welsh Parliament which celebrates the history and communities of Tiger Bay and the Docks.
The free exhibition is comprised of three photo displays located in the Grade-I listed Pierhead Building. They give a glimpse into life in Tiger Bay - which was the local name for an area of the city which covered Butetown - and the Docks from the 1880s to the 1950s.
The Senedd is showcasing the stories of locals from long ago in partnership with the Heritage and Cultural Exchange (HCE), a community organisation that aims to chronicle the heritage and cultural diversity of Tiger Bay and Cardiff Docklands and bring it to the world.
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The HCE's collection contains images, oral histories and other materials that give a snapshot of life in Tiger Bay in the early to mid-1900s. For the new exhibition, the organisation has selected some favourite photos - 40 in total - from its collection and other local archives to show what the area looked like and how it has changed.
There are examples of the types of jobs people did in the docks and the wide variety of leisure activities enjoyed by the community, such cricket and street parties. There are also images of Tiger Bay’s thriving commercial district. The exhibition is semi-permanent and will be there for the foreseeable future, a spokesperson for the Senedd has confirmed.
Gaynor Legall, chair of the HCE and former Butetown councillor, said: “It’s a story that is, I think, inspirational. It’s about social cohesion, it’s about the way in which people from all nationalities, religions and cultures lived and worked together successfully.”
As well as regular free public tours of the Senedd, the Pierhead is also displaying design images of the Senedd building and the architect’s early sketches.
Here are some of the incredible images on show at the exhibition:
Clarence Road School, 1924/1925
(Image: © unknown, OWLS000339-1)1 of 14
Greek Orthodox church of St Nicholas, 1919
(Image: © unknown OWLS000339-17)2 of 14
Workers in Cardiff Docks, 1900s
(Image: © unknown, OWLS000339-12)3 of 14![]()
South Church Street School, 1930
(Image: © unknown, OWLS000339-24)4 of 14![]()
Children at a street party, c.1953
(Image: © unknown, OWLS000339-22)5 of 14
