Butetown is the southern part of Cardiff's medieval settlement and was situated outside of the town's southern wall. Until the end of the 18th Century this was largely an area of salt marsh and rough grazing, known as 'the Moors'.

Butetown was constructed on reclaimed land and many of the buildings here are almost 'floating' on top of the mud flats. Ballast from incoming boats was used both in the foundations and construction of buildings, and although much of this can't be seen, Butetown is built with extraordinary rock from all over the world.

Iron, coal and the Marquis of Bute

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Welsh community in Butetown, or Tiger Bay - as it became known - were joined by settlers from all over the world. The success of Cardiff as a major port encouraged an influx of sailors, shipbuilders and dockworkers, who established among others Somali, Chinese, Greek and Norwegian communities.

Butetown lies in the Parish of St Mary's, which was owned by the Bute family, and it was the 2nd Marquis of Bute who financed the building of the Glamorgan Canal. He also realised in the 1820s that the canal was not sufficient to cope with the ever increasing demands of the iron trade and he initiated a development plan.

The plan included: the construction of Bute Street as a main route of transportation in and out of the area, (completed 1830); the construction of Bute Dock (1839); the construction of the Taff Vale Railway, (1841); and the leasing of land within the area for development, most of which was completed by 1840.

Walking along Bute Street look out the line of flats - beyond the railway line - which mark the edge of where Bute West Dock was situated. The bridges on the left hand side of the road are where the feeder canals ran into the dock.

Today the train to Cardiff Bay runs along the old Taff Vale Railway and the surrounding land is now a wildlife corridor. The Bute Road train station was built as the offices of the Taff Vale Railway Company, from 1862 the offices were let as consulates - for the growing number of people of all nationalities coming through the port.