Cairn Street, Cardiff

[vowlest]

Hiya

I'm trying to find out where my gt grandparents lived and their son (my Gt Uncle) died in 1934.  It is listed on the death cerificate as 71 Cairn Street, Cardiff.  I've looked on Google maps but no luck.  Does anyone know where in Cardiff it is or was.  I know from a visit last week, Cardiff has changed drastically.

Thanks

[Fisherman]

Hi,
Cairn street is now known as Rhymney Street.

Fisherman

[vowlest]

Thanks again Fisherman. 

It makes sense, because we always thought they lived in Rhymney Street.  I think the town planners change names just to confuse us, I'm sure they have a laugh over it.

[olinda]

Don't blame the planners. The name change (in 1935) resulted from a petition to the Council signed by 184 residents who were presumably upset by the poor reputation which the street had acquired. The author Brian Lee records this in his book of photographs of Cathays, Maindee, Gabalfa and Mynachdy pointing out that the street had been nicknamed "Flagon Alley".

[vowlest]

Thanks Olinda

That is really interesting.  Apologies to the planners.  Do you know where I might be able to track down the petition as I wonder if my Gt grandparents signed it?    They were bombed out of Cairn/Rhymney Street during WWII.  They were buried in the shelter and needed to be dug out.  They didn't move far however, just to the next street in Coburn Street.
Tracey

[olinda]

Sorry Tracey. I've no idea whether the petition still exists but it's worth checking at the Glamorgan Records Office.
My memories of Rhymney Street after the second world war are watching the trains go by in my grandmother's garden and collecting a wheelbarrow full of coal from the coal depot. Those were the days !!.

[vowlest]

Hiya

I'll check with the Glamorgan Record Office. 

My mum remembers collecting coal from the Yard when she was a little girl from Coburn Street in the 40's too.   She wonders if you knew her Joan West.

[vowlest]

I have just had a reply back from Glamorgan Record office saying that they don't have a copy of the petition.  They do have copies of the council minutes that may discuss the name change.

Tracey

[Beatle]

I see the Cardiff Council web site shows the location of old streets long gone overlaid on a modern map which make it easier to find where people lived.

http://isharemaps.cardiff.gov.uk/ishare2.6.1/default_cardiff.aspx?MapSource=Cardiff/AllMaps

The layer is called Old Streets in the Envirnoment section. You may need to 'zoom in' quite close

Beatle