Grandeur of mansion house to be restored
IT’S a familiar sight to anyone who knows Roath – but now a long dilapidated building will be brought back to its former glory.
Work will begin on the councilowned building on September 2 and once the building has been repaired both internally and externally, the plan is to let it out to a business.
The council will spend £575,000 on repairing the building.
Cardiff council cabinet member Cllr Peter Bradbury said: “Roath Park House is of significant importance to the people of Cardiff and I am delighted that it will soon benefit from much-needed renovations.
“The project will include internal and external improvement works to reinstate the historic building, enhancing accessibility and making it fit for purpose.
“When completed, Roath Park House will provide an exciting business opportunity while reconnecting the property with the Pleasure Garden.”
Roath Park House, in Roath Park Pleasure Garden, was built in 1897 as the official residence for the parks superintendent. It was the former home of William Pettigrew and then his younger brother Andrew Alexander Pettigrew, head gardener to the Marquis of Bute.
A history of the building includes it having a telephone line being installed in 1901 for an annual charge of £8 and in 1914 electric lighting was installed.
During World War II, an Anderson shelter was put in the bottom of the back garden, near the tennis courts. The shelter remained until the early 1970s.
The house stopped being the home of the director of parks in 1975 and was then used as accommodation for other parks staff.
From 1981, no-one was living in the house and it had serious damp, no heating and was detoriating.
It would have been too expensive to repair and re-let it.
In 1982, the council agreed to spend £42,000 on making office space on the first floor.