Gabalfa


Gabalfa is a district and community in the north of the city of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It is characterised by a four-lane flyover road at the Gabalfa Interchange, where the A48 road meets the A470 road which leads from Cardiff to northern Wales, and the A469 road.
The name is derived from the Welsh Ceubalfa, literally translated as 'place of the boat'. It was formerly the site of a ferry crossing across the River Taff, upon which a school is now built. The area was first heavily developed in the 1880s, with most of the characteristic terraced housing originating from the next 30 years of construction.
The area around St. Joseph's Church near to Companies House is known as 'the Colonies' due to a number of streets named after former British colonies, including Australia Road and Newfoundland Road.

Education

Primary

Gabalfa has three primary schools, with a combined attendance of more than 720:
Gabalfa Primary School is not within modern Gabalfa but in neighbouring Llandaff North.

High School

Gabalfa has one comprehensive school, Cathays High School, with around 900 students.

University

Gabalfa has a high student population. There are several halls of residence for Cardiff University in the area, housing about 3,100 students, some 10% of the student body. Liberty House serves mainly medical and nursing students at the nearly University Hospital of Wales. In addition, many students live in privately rented accommodation in the area.

Places of worship

Churches in Gabalfa include St Mark's on North Road, St Joseph's on New Zealand Road, and the All Nations Church on Eastern Avenue.

Politics

The electoral ward of Gabalfa lies within the parliamentary constituency of Cardiff North, which has been represented since 2017 by Welsh Labour MP Anna McMorrin. In the Senedd, Cardiff North is represented by Welsh Labour MS Julie Morgan.
There is no community council for the area.
Gabalfa was served by two Cardiff councillors: Ed Bridges, elected in 2004, and Gareth Holden, elected in 2012. Holden was elected as a Liberal Democrat but resigned from the party in 2013. He lost to a Liberal Democrat candidate in the May 2017 election. The ward is currently served by Rhys Taylor and Ashley Wood.
Gabalfa is bounded by Birchgrove and Heath to the north, Cathays and Maindy to the south, and Llandaff North to the northwest.

Transport

The area is known for the Gabalfa Interchange, where the A48 Eastern Avenue, A470 North Road, and A469 Whitchurch Road /Caerphilly Road meet. The interchange is known for its suicides and suicide attempts, although efforts have been made to improve this, with signs to suicide prevention charities now clearly visible on the pedestrian bridge over Eastern Avenue.

Bus

' service 35 bus circles the area before heading to Cardiff Bay via Cathays and Central station. Services 1/2 Bay Circle run along Western Avenue towards Heath or Llandaff. Additionally, the following services stop at the Gabalfa Interchange:
There are no railway stations located within Gabalfa, although a new railway station serving the ward was proposed by the County Council in 2000. The nearest railway stations are Heath Low Level and Heath High Level to the north-west, Cathays to the south and Llandaf to the north-east.

Walking and cycling

The Taff Trail, a long-distance footpath and cycle route that runs along the River Taff, is connected to Gabalfa by Llys Tal-y-Bont Road.
In 2023, a new cycle path was completed along Allensbank Road on the edge of Gabalfa, as part of Cardiff's Cycleway 1. To promote cycling and improve safety, in recent years councillors and residents have campaigned with some success for traffic calming measures, such as Gabalfa becoming a zone, raised crossings being installed, and curbs being narrowed.
Gabalfa is within a 30-minute walk or a 10-minute cycle of the city centre.