Cardiff Dark History Walking Tour

Cardiff is a young city but one steeped in history and culture. It is also a city which contains a darker edge, a hidden past and a mysterious historical underbelly.

The Welsh capital has a long association with murders, slums, disease, hangings and even ghosts. From the age of Norman invasion, through the days of the Tudor dynasty, Cardiff may have been a small town but it was a haven for pirates and capital punishment, and the threat of danger lurked around every corner.

The rapid growth of Cardiff across the 19th century didn't remove that reputation, despite becoming the biggest town in Wales. The success of the coal trade and the influence of the Bute family have given us the city we have today, but the changing face and rapid growth of the city came at a cost, as people lived in horrific conditions, disease and poverty were all around, and a hanging was never out of the question.