Mount Stuart Square

Mount Stuart Square is a residential and commercial square in Cardiff, Wales. It is located in the Butetown area of the city. Originally developed in the late 1800s as a residential location for nearby dock workers, it quickly became a centre for upscale residential properties which revolved around the main square. By 1900, commercial activity had taken its place, dominated by the Coal Exchange, which occupied the once open central space. The square contains a high concentration of listed buildings, which represent a range of architectural styles and some of Cardiff's finest examples of late 19th and early 20th Century commercial architecture. Mount Stuart Square area was designated a Conservation Area in July 1980. GeographyMount Stuart Square is an urban area, bordered by the A4119 James Street, a major road to the south, early twentieth century social housing to the north (on a site which had previously been used as a rail yard), historic commercial properties to the west on West Bute Street, and the historic Glamorganshire Canal to the east. The canal was drained in December 1951 when a steam suction dredger crashed into the inner lock gates, forcing them to collapse, and all the water was released into the estuary. The gates were never repaired, and for a number of years the canal remained dry until the land was filled in and converted to parkland, named Canal Park. The square lies approximately half a mile to the south of Loudoun Square, which was also built as a residential square but never developed a commercial hub. Junctions with James Street and West Bute Street provide vehicular access to the square, and pedestrian access exists to the parkland to the west. The square has a one way traffic system, where vehicles enter at the junction with James Street to the south west, and exit via either James Street or West Bute Street. Mount Stuart Square has a distinctive form with buildings on four sides facing the Cardiff Coal Exchange building in the centre. It is not a square in the true sense because the building area was limited by the physical restrictions of the canal to the west. The nearest railway station is Cardiff Bay.

Mount Stuart Square is a residential and commercial square in Cardiff, Wales. It is located in the Butetown area of the city. Originally developed in the late 1800s as a residential location for nearby dock workers, it quickly became a centre for upscale residential properties which revolved around the main square. By 1900, commercial activity had taken its place, dominated by the Coal Exchange, which occupied the once open central space. The square contains a high concentration of listed buildings, which represent a range of architectural styles and some of Cardiff's finest examples of late 19th and early 20th Century commercial architecture. Mount Stuart Square area was designated a Conservation Area in July 1980. GeographyMount Stuart Square is an urban area, bordered by the A4119 James Street, a major road to the south, early twentieth century social housing to the north (on a site which had previously been used as a rail yard), historic commercial properties to the west on West Bute Street, and the historic Glamorganshire Canal to the east. The canal was drained in December 1951 when a steam suction dredger crashed into the inner lock gates, forcing them to collapse, and all the water was released into the estuary. The gates were never repaired, and for a number of years the canal remained dry until the land was filled in and converted to parkland, named Canal Park. The square lies approximately half a mile to the south of Loudoun Square, which was also built as a residential square but never developed a commercial hub. Junctions with James Street and West Bute Street provide vehicular access to the square, and pedestrian access exists to the parkland to the west. The square has a one way traffic system, where vehicles enter at the junction with James Street to the south west, and exit via either James Street or West Bute Street. Mount Stuart Square has a distinctive form with buildings on four sides facing the Cardiff Coal Exchange building in the centre. It is not a square in the true sense because the building area was limited by the physical restrictions of the canal to the west. The nearest railway station is Cardiff Bay.