Photo Archive: Merchant Seafarer’s War Memorial, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, 20/08/14.

Tags

Brian Fell, Cardiff, Cardiff Bay, face, memorial, Merchant Navy, Merchant Seafarer's War Memorial Cardiff Bay, prow, public art, sculpture

Viewed from the landward side.

Lost at sea memorials.com informs me that this breathtaking sculpture is by Brian Fell and that it is dedicated to the “MEMORY OF THE MERCHANT SEAFARERS FROM THE PORTS OF BARRY PENARTH CARDIFF WHO DIED IN TIMES OF WAR”. On this particular occasion I approached the memorial from the landward side, having visited the Pierhead Building, and was struck by the beauty of the face at rest, which merges into the distinctive prow of a ship. If you walk around to what you might call the Bay side of the sculpture, the features of the face are completely erased and you are confronted with something that could be the hull of a vessel that ran aground in front of the National Assembly of Wales/Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru building yesterday.

From the Bay side.

The T.A.R.D.I.S, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, 20/08/14.

Tags

Cardiff, Cardiff Bay, Daffodil, Doctor Who, Doctor Who Experience, Police Box, Tardis, The Open Boat, World of Boats

The first sighting.

The sight of this made me smile, which is more than enough reason to share it with you. I expected to see the Doctor’s T.A.R.D.I.S at the BBC Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff, in fact the exhibition has numerous Police Boxes used as props on the show over the years, but I didn’t expect to see one displayed in such a dramatic fashion!

A closer look.

If you head towards the Doctor Who Experience, Discovery Quay, Port Teigr, you wont be able to miss it if you look towards the Bay as you walk along (but the view is currently obscured by a metal fence, as you can see in the photograph above).

The view from “World of Boats”.

To the right of the Doctor Who Experience you will find a sign that reads “World of Boats“, which is a brilliant little collection of boats from around the world with a very well appointed cafe, offering refreshments and an excellent alternative view of the T.A.R.D.I.S and good general view of the Bay area.

If you’re feeling adventurous you can even see the T.A.R.D.I.S from the Bay. I paid £3 to go out on board the Daffodil, “The slowest boat on the Bay”, to quote her skipper. The boat leaves from the quay opposite the Pierhead Building and then works its way around the Bay in an anti-clockwise direct. The round trip took about 20 minutes and we passed right by the Box.

Photo Archive: Captain Scott Antarctic Memorial, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, July 2012.

Tags

Antarctic exploration, Captain Robert Falcon Scott RN, Captain Scott Society, Cardiff, Cardiff Bay, Jonathan Williams, Norwegian Church, Scott Antarctic Memorial, Terra Nova.

The Captain Scott Antarctic Memorial is a very striking sculpture by Cardiff based sculptor, Jonathan Williams and is well worth the walk around Cardiff Bay (however miserable the weather). I have been interesting in Antarctic exploration for many years, but that walk was bracing enough for me! I’d rather have a cup of tea in the Terra Nova Bar, which I did on the walk back. In the background of this photograph you can see the iconic Norwegian Church.

If you would like to know more about the Memorial you can follow the lik here to The Captain Scott Society’s website: http://www.captainscottsociety.com/memorial.html

Another Archive entry from Cardiff can be found here: https://anticsroadshowblogspot.wordpress.com/2014/04/03/photo-archive-view-from-the-sleeperz-hotel-cardiff-2013/