Bute Park (Cardiff)

 park, region

Bute Park is the principal park of the city of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It is 130 acres of landscaped gardens and parkland that once formed the grounds of Cardiff Castle. The park is named after the 3rd Marquess of Bute, whose family resided in the castle.

The Castle Green was landscaped in the late eighteenth century by Capability Brown, but the park itself was laid out from 1873 on by Andrew Pettigrew, Head Gardener to the 3rd Marquess. The 5th Marquess of Bute presented the park to the Council in 1947 and the park is still owned and managed by Cardiff Council.

Originally straddling the River Taff, it offers a combination of arboretum, flower gardens and recreation grounds. Within the park's original grounds was Sophia Gardens, home to Glamorgan County Cricket Club. Most of the park is laid to grassland but there is also an abundance of woodland and tree-lined avenues. The castle begins the park in the city centre.

www.cardiff.gov.uk/objview.asp?Object_ID=15069&language...