In August 1894 the Parks Committee accepted a donation of 100 gold fish to placed "in the small pond at the park".[1] This was subsequently reported in the Evening Express as follows: "Mr. Pettigrew, the Head Gardener reported that 100 gold fish had been presented by Mr. Press, jun., of Salisbury-road and had been placed in the ornamental pond in the botanical garden at the Roath Park."[2]
The image below is from a postcard posted in August 1911 and shows the fish pond, with the railway bridge beside Fairoak Farm in the background. Ordnance Survey maps for 1901 and 1919 show an oval shape surrounded by paths in this position.
An aerial photograph of the Botanic Garden dated 1930 shows part of an oval shaped pond roughly in the position where there has recently been a "wild flower meadow".[3]
In the aerial photograph the north end of the pond can be seen approximately in the centre. Lake Road East crosses diagonally the top right hand corner. In the bottom left corner are the two glass houses (Cactus House and Chrysanthemum House) on the site of the modern day conservatory.
The pond is believed to have been filled in and grassed over in about 1935.[4]
Sources of Information