On 1 March 2010, following months of extensive refurbishment, the iconic Pierhead building reopened its doors as a unique visitor attraction and a venue for public debate in Cardiff Bay, says Anna Milewski, Media Relations Coordinator, External Communications, National Assembly for Wales.

Part of the National Assembly’s estate and nicknamed the ‘Welsh Big Ben’, the redbrick landmark has been a recognisable feature of Cardiff Bay since its construction in 1896. It has stood witness as Cardiff Bay transformed from one of Britain’s most important industrial hubs in the 19th century to the seat of democracy in Wales today.

History

The Grade One-listed Pierhead was built by Welsh architect William Frame. Frame was the assistant to William Burgess, who was the architect involved with two other Welsh landmarks: Castell Coch and Cardiff Castle.

The towering terracotta structure opened in 1897 as the headquarters of the Cardiff Railway Company, to replace the original Bute Dock Company offices, which burnt down in 1892. It took nearly three years to build, at a cost of around £30,000. At the time the Pierhead was built, the surrounding docks were dominated by tall ships. As the hub of the lucrative international trade in steam coal, Cardiff became the world's largest port of the time.

In this rapidly evolving area, the Pierhead stood unchanged. It was here that the Docks Master oversaw his ports and finances were settled. In these bustling rooms, accountants, hydrographers, surveyors and typists worked shoulder to shoulder to maintain what were once the most prosperous docks in the world. But by 1913, the coal trade had begun to steadily decline. In 1922, the Cardiff Railway Company was taken over by the Great Western Railway and the Pierhead became a key office in its operations in South Wales.

After the 1947 Transport Act saw the nationalisation of the railways, the building became an administrative office for the Port of Cardiff. Further changes meant that in the 60s and 70s it was home to offices of the British Transport Docks Board, and by the 80s the Cardiff offices for Associated British Ports. It remained this way until the building was leased to the National Assembly for Wales in 1999.

Design

The Pierhead was designed in a gothic revivalist style, combined with elements of French renaissance, extremely popular at the time. The distinctive terracotta building is dominated by the multi-directional clock tower over the main entrance, which has helped it earn its unofficial title as the ‘Big Ben of Wales’. The clock has an almost identical mechanism to its larger London cousin; unsurprising as its construction was overseen by Edmund Beckett Denison who also designed the movement for Big Ben. The sight of this imposing clock tower, which was illuminated by gas at night, would have been many sailors' first glimpse of South Wales, a welcoming sight on their return.

The architecture is noted for the strong influence of Burgess, with its hexagonal chimneys, carved friezes and gargoyles – reminiscent of his refurbishment of Cardiff Castle. The sculptural ornament and detailing – including a steam train and ship – combine with slate roofs and small pane glazing to create an imposing figurehead in Cardiff Bay’s landscape. The Cardiff Railway Company’s coat of arms – bearing the motto ‘wrthddŵr a thân’ (‘through fire and water’) – is still visible on the building’s façade and under foot on the reception’s mosaic tiled floor. This motto refers to the Cardiff Railway Company’s method of transporting coal and iron from the renowned South Wales mines to ‘Tiger’ (now Cardiff) Bay, by barge and later by rail.

The future

Having lived through a rich Welsh industrial history, the Pierhead now seeks to inform, involve and inspire a new generation to forge a Wales for the future. Since opening, more than 15,000 people have already visited the building.

Exhibition and display specialists, Houghton Kneale Design (HKD), were tasked with satisfying the huge public interest in the building’s history, whilst simultaneously enabling it to function as a venue for Assembly-sponsored events, external exhibitions and conferences. The exhibitions were installed by Realm Projects.

The design therefore not only also provides visitors with an insight into the building’s remarkable history through exhibitions and showcases, but can also function as a space where communities and organisations can highlight issues that are important to them.

Telling the story of the Pierhead

As visitors enter the heavy, cast iron doors to the Pierhead, one of the first spaces they will encounter is a multimedia exhibition that anchors the Pierhead in the chequered history of Cardiff Bay, and tells the story of the materials from which it is built.

The Main Hall

Just across from this space is the Main Hall, which still houses the giant safe where the first million-pound cheque was rumoured to have been kept, having been signed in the nearby Coal Exchange building.

Though structurally the same as it was over 100 years ago, the views from both sets of windows in the Main Hall have changed greatly over the years. Visitors can therefore stand and enjoy a stirring and immersive multimedia presentation that uses archive footage and imagery to reconstruct some of the major historical events that the building has witnessed during its lifetime.

The Pierhead Suite

Moving upstairs, visitors come across the Pierhead Suite, a three-room celebration of Cardiff Bay and its history. Here, they can view a collection of artefacts that showcase milestones in Welsh history from 950 to 1997, including replica items from the Chartist Rising of November 1839.

Visitors can also listen to audio accounts of individuals’ experiences of Cardiff Bay, including former Welsh First Minister Rhodri Morgan and Tiger Bay-born author and historian, Neil Sinclair.

The Pierhead Suite also houses the original binnacle – the case that supports and protects a ship’s compass – from Scott of the Antartic’s ship the Terra Nova, which set sail from Cardiff docks in 1910. Another key item in the collection is the Pennal Letter sent by the then Prince of Wales Owain Glyndwr to Charles VI of France.

The Pierhead Suite also offers visitors a window onto the past, with an opportunity to ‘dine’ with historical Welsh heroes who have made significant contributions to Wales’s cultural and political identity.

The room’s walls – already witness to 114 years of history – now bear the names and quotes of such famous Welsh figures as Welsh King Hywel Dda, boxer Jim Driscoll and designer Laura Ashley.

There is also a centrepiece display of digital photos and biographies to celebrate the lives of a selection of men and women who have helped shape Wales.

The Futures Gallery

The Pierhead now also has an interactive ‘Futures Gallery’, designed to host events and discussions, as well as to house external exhibitions from community and voluntary groups. After learning about the past and the present, the gallery encourages visitors to think about the future of Wales.

Visitors are then invited to leave messages on an interactive feedback station which then transmits their messages to a digital tickertape for all to view.

Throughout the month of March, the Futures Gallery hosted a powerful photographic exhibition entitled Recollections, by world-renowned photo journalist, Philip Jones Griffiths.

While Cardiff’s docklands have witnessed many changes over the last century, the Pierhead has remained an unchanging icon of the Bay, with its rich history and status ensuring it is viewed fondly by locals and visitors alike. Now it has been reshaped for generations to come, to help them forge a Wales for the future.