Going, going, gone: end of an era for BBC Cardiff site

The old BBC Wales Broadcasting house in Llandaff Cardiff has been demolished marking the end of an era.

Demolition at the site – which consists of 10.5 acres at Broadcasting House and 6.95 acres at Ty Oldfield – began in November 2021, following the BBC’s move to the new £120m headquarters in Central Square in Cardiff city centre.

According to the BBC’s history website the Broadcasting House in Llandaff was the first BBC Wales building to bring together the Corporation’s radio, television, news and other functions into one site.

When the BBC bought the 10-acre site in Llandaff in 1952, the planned build on the grounds of a Victorian villa ran up against escalating costs.

This caused a delay which meant the first Welsh TV broadcasts came from the former Broadway Methodist Chapel in Roath from 1959 and then additionally from premises in nearby Stacey Road.

Radio studios were in use by late 1966 and the building was officially opened by HRH Princess Margaret on St David’s Day, 1967.

During the early 1970s television studios were built on the site, including the original outdoor set for the S4C drama Pobol y Cwm.

Going…going…gone

In March 2012 the newly-constructed Roath Lock Studios took over drama production with nine studios, three external filming lots and post-production facilities.

BBC Cymru Wales began moving out of the Llantrisant Road site in 2019 to their new headquarters at Central Square next to Cardiff Central station.

As the demolition of the site came to an end BBC Wales journalist, weather presenter and DJ, Sue Charles tweeted “Going… going… gone. The final demolition of BBC Wales Broadcasting House in Llandaff, Cardiff. Hard not to feel sad, watching your workplace for more than 20 years reduced to rubble.”

Going… going… gone.

The final demolition of BBC Wales Broadcasting House in Llandaff, Cardiff.

Hard not to feel sad, watching your workplace for more than 20 years reduced to rubble. pic.twitter.com/IFBZJgoWLz

— Sue Charles (@Sue_Charles) January 30, 2022

The former studios were home to some popular TV and radio programmes, news and audio drama. Along with  Pobol-y-Cwm, shows such as Satellite City, episodes of Crimewatch, Scrum V and scenes from Grand Slam were filmed in and around the site.

The BBC finished moving into its new Cardiff central HQ during 2020 and the old site will be replaced by a housing development, with plans for 364 new homes built over the two sites will include one and two-bedroom apartments, as well as three, four and five-bedroom houses.