Heath Park is a small remnant of the Great
Heath, which was a large expanse of the common land north of Cardiff, extending
out to Llanishen and Rhiwbina. In the eighteenth century, there was a
racecourse on the part of the Great Heath approximately where Heath Park Avenue
now is. A.A. Pettigrew wrote that the exact date of its establishment was not
known, "but it was there at least as early as the year 1784 when the
Cardiff Corporation contributed the sum of £10-10-2 to the funds of the Races.
Early in the nineteenth century the Great Heath was enclosed. An Act of
Parliament, the Heath Enclosure Act of 1802, came about because the Cardiff
Corporation sought to raise revenue by the sale of common land. The Corporation
retained part of the Great Heath, including the racecourse, but much of the
land was acquired by freeholders, often wealthy individuals such as the Marquis
of Bute. Subsequently, three farms were created where originally there was
rough pasture land: Heath Farm, Allensbank Farm and Ton-Yr-Ywen Farm. Racing at
the Heath came to an end in 1848 and the racecourse was sold to Wyndham Lewis,
a member of another wealthy and influential family which was acquiring a
substantial estate in the area.
Post War Cardiff
After the war, plans were again drawn up
for the development of Heath Park as a recreational space. The Parks Committee
approved a tentative layout costing £87,000, but it could not be implemented
until the requisitioned land was released, which in the event was not until
1950. Meanwhile, the former military camp was used for a teacher training
college and for emergency housing (known as the squatters camp). In the early
the 1950s it was also decided to allocate approximately 53 acres of the Heath
Estate to a new teaching hospital & medical school. Nonetheless, the
playing fields were returned to recreational use and were designated as a King
George's Field in 1952, guaranteeing that they would be preserved in perpetuity
for outdoor sports, games, and pastimes. In 1953 the Parks Committee approved
plans for a bowling green, 6 tennis courts, and public conveniences, though the
proposed bowling green was later abandoned as too expensive.
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