Coopers Fields

Coopers Fields is the area between the Castle and the Fisher's Bridge / Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama entrance, bounded on the west by Old Man's Wood. The origin of the name is uncertain, but this area has been called Coopers Fields since the late 18th Century. It was originally part of Blackfriars Farm and used as pasture.[1] Much of it had been reclaimed from the river bed in the nineteenth century.[2] Beginning in 1873, Andrew Pettigrew laid out the Castle Grounds as an ornamental pleasure ground. He retained the open nature of Coopers Fields, enabling the space to be used for garden parties and other events from the late nineteenth century onwards.[3]

The page below, from The Bystander weekly tabloid magazine, shows a garden party being held in Coopers Fields, just north of Blackfriars, on the 2nd September 1910.

Garden Party

The Bystander weekly tabloid magazine 7th September 1910, page 473

During the 1939-45 world war Coopers Fields were used for vegetable cultivation.

In June 1978 the Oouncil decided to enter an agreement with Music Centre Promotions Ltd. to use Coopers Fields for popular music concerts during that year.[4]

The Cardiff Horticultural Show was regularly held in Coopers Fields in the 1980s.[5][6]

Today the fields are one of the main venues for open air events in Cardiff. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Flower Show has been held in Coopers Fields since 2005. Other events including concerts and sporting occasions regularly take place throughout the year. In July 2017 Coopers Fields was the venue for the hospitality village associated with the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Champions League Final, after which the entire field was re-seeded.

Sources of information

  1. Bute Park Restoration and Development Plan March 2005, pages 83-4
  2. Bute Park Restoration and Development Plan March 2005, pages 109-110
  3. Bute Park Restoration and Development Plan March 2005, pages 193-4
  4. Meeting of the Leisure and Amenities Committee 5th June 1978
  5. Meeting of the Leisure and Amenities Committee 7th January 1985 and 30th March 1987
  6. Personal communication (MC)