# Save The Vulcan pub in Cardiff - one of the city's oldest boozers faces demolition



## 1927 (Oct 30, 2008)

Looks like the Vulcan is going to be demolished,but may well be rebuilt at St.Fagans!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/7697091.stm


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## spacemonkey (Oct 30, 2008)

> The Vulcan Hotel in Adamsdown, Cardiff, is due to close next year to make way for a car park.



It's fucking surrounded by car parks. What's the point, you could probably get in another 20 spaces?? The fucking thing never gets full anyway. 

In the last year i've been based in the Atrium across the road and often went in there for a pint after a long day. Such a shame.


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## ddraig (Oct 31, 2008)

old pub oppoisite a college ffs, what's wrong with students these days! 
not that i been there often mind

one last Welsh meet in the Vulcan?

totally agree about the 20 car spaces, totally ridiculous

so many pro's for keeping it, what are the con's


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## ddraig (Oct 31, 2008)

my thread and pics from 2 years... 2 YEARS AGO! 
http://www.urban75.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=181156&highlight=vulcan

col's probably right


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## spacemonkey (Oct 31, 2008)

ddraig said:


> old pub oppoisite a college ffs, what's wrong with students these days!
> not that i been there often mind
> 
> one last Welsh meet in the Vulcan?
> ...



Pint in the Vulcan next week?


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## ddraig (Oct 31, 2008)

yay!

how many urbs can we get at such short notice


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## Udo Erasmus (Oct 31, 2008)

spacemonkey said:


> It's fucking surrounded by car parks. What's the point, you could probably get in another 20 spaces?? The fucking thing never gets full anyway.
> 
> In the last year i've been based in the Atrium across the road and often went in there for a pint after a long day. Such a shame.



The appropriate tactics would be to occupy the Vulcan and stage a "drink-in".

Your absolutely right, the Car Park is gonna have 3000 parking spaces, of which 50 will be situated where the Vulcan is. So a piece of history is gonna be destroyed for such a small number of parking spaces. 

More politically this is linked to the transformation of Cardiff into a commercial Clone-town and huge shopping centre, the complete waste of investment that is "St David's Centre 2"

There is also the issue of our traditional working class social-centres being under threat: http://cardiffrespect.blogspot.com/search/label/public house

In the local papers there's increasing talk of Cardiff being "stripped of its identity" (some of it coming rather opportunistically from the Labour Party, who started the process under Russell Goodway/Good-pay, and links being built between the issues of the big book-sell out (this is now being delayed until the spring, while the council looks at it again - because of popular outcry), Bute Park malarkey, and the fate of historic buildings like the Vulcan.


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## PAD1OH (Oct 31, 2008)

cardiff is a collection of carparks with a load of shit buildings in between.


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## ddraig (Oct 31, 2008)

ahh but do you drink there Udo? have you ever?

that's what they'll say to your opportunist campainging

not that i don't agree with most of what you say mind

we had a good rave up in the club building near it before it came down tho


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## Udo Erasmus (Oct 31, 2008)

I used to drink there every now and again (as some good friends lived in the neighbourhood), but to be honest not much in more recent years.

There was a bit of division among us opportunist campaigners, my comrades were highly sceptical of my idea for a "Cardiff Save our Pubs" campaign saying that their were more important things to agitate about, and one Adamsdown local even said that he didn't really like the Vulcan that much.

Re. The Lansdown, they agreed a compromise with the council that seems to be keeping the place afloat.

What I really hate is that you get some traditional pub where you can go and sit, chill-out and have a chat, and then they gut it, and replace it with some place where the music is absolutely deafening, its packed and you have loads of youth getting completely tanked up. It's all about money.

They did it to my favourite bar, Clancy's on death junction in Roath (now a scream pub - The George), when it changed ownership, the new owners made conscious attempts to change the clientelle (a good mixture of young and old, with great community spirit) actually instructing staff to be rude to older drinkers and serve them last even if they were front in the queue, as it is considered that young people drink more in shorter space of time than older drinkers who prefer to relax with a pint.

etc.


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## ddraig (Oct 31, 2008)

Udo Erasmus said:


> I used to drink there every now and again (as some good friends lived in the neighbourhood), but to be honest not much in more recent years.
> 
> There was a bit of division among us opportunist campaigners, my comrades were highly sceptical of my idea for a "Cardiff Save our Pubs" campaign saying that their were more important things to agitate about, and one Adamsdown local even said that he didn't really like the Vulcan that much.
> 
> ...




totally agree


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## PAD1OH (Oct 31, 2008)

what they should do is work with the Drama department across the road and convert the upstairs into a theatre - where the college and students can put on shows. It maintains the deadly pub, provides a new stream of income and embeds it further into the local.

Just like the Alma Tavern in Bristol.


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## ddraig (Oct 31, 2008)

PAD1OH said:


> what they should do is work with the Drama department across the road and convert the upstairs into a theatre - where the college and students can put on shows. It maintains the deadly pub, provides a new stream of income and embeds it further into the local.
> 
> Just like the Alma Tavern in Bristol.



that's a bloody good idea!


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## phildwyer (Nov 1, 2008)

ddraig said:


> one last Welsh meet in the Vulcan?



The last one was good, must have been over 20 of us. Maybe enough to save the place...


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## Col_Buendia (Feb 1, 2009)

I was just walking to the shops this cold chilly Sunday morning, when a flyer fluttering in the gutter caught my eye. It was nothing less than a "Save the Vulcan" flyer, complete with a date for a public meeting (last Thursday!) that I'd never heard of.


Seems like someone is trying to keep the old boozer in its current location:

http://www.save-the-vulcan.blogspot.com/


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## Biffo (Feb 1, 2009)

Col_Buendia said:


> I was just walking to the shops this cold chilly Sunday morning, when a flyer fluttering in the gutter caught my eye. It was nothing less than a "Save the Vulcan" flyer, complete with a date for a public meeting (last Thursday!) that I'd never heard of.
> 
> 
> Seems like someone is trying to keep the old boozer in its current location:
> ...



Cold today innit?

They've got this on the wall inside the pub too. I was in there end of Novembe after the Wales v Oz game and had a great night.


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## Udo Erasmus (Feb 1, 2009)

There were almost 200 people at the meeting, but something odd is going on . . .
 The campaign is being run by someone who works for the LibDems.
Even Rodney Berman, Leader of the Council now supports the campaign.

What is peculiar is that it was widely reported that the Vulcan was gonna be demolished to make way for a carpark linked with St Davids 2. 

The Council made no effort to refute this story for months, until suddenly declaring that they had nothing to do with it & the land was owned by a private company who were building some restaurants or something on it & the council had no power over the matter.

What I can't get my head around is that the land was seized under a compulsory purchase order by the Council, who decided that they no longer needed it & somehow it has found its way into private ownership. Yet the Council claims nothing to do with it, unfortunately these issues are unlikely to be resolved by the 'Save the Vulcan' campaign as it is now dominated by the Liberal Democrats who also lead the Council/


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## PAD1OH (Feb 1, 2009)

it's a pity when politics gets between the public and their pints.


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## lewislewis (Feb 1, 2009)

Well the poster is asking you to write to Councillors, AMs and MPs, so that's politicising it.

The company developing the land is a Cardiff-based business called M.A Rapport, if that's any help. Most likely the council can't buy back the land now but if the building is listed or given some kind of historic grading then I guess Rapport wouldn't be able to demolish it?


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## rhod (Feb 1, 2009)

lewislewis said:


> I guess Rapport wouldn't be able to demolish it?



So it gets boarded up for a few months and then mysteriously torched by unknown persons one night...there are some nasty "vandals" around. It rook them a few tries to get rid of the Central Hotel, but they managed it in the end.


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## 1927 (Feb 1, 2009)

lewislewis said:


> Well the poster is asking you to write to Councillors, AMs and MPs, so that's politicising it.
> 
> The company developing the land is a Cardiff-based business called M.A Rapport, if that's any help. Most likely the council can't buy back the land now but if the building is listed or given some kind of historic grading then I guess Rapport wouldn't be able to demolish it?



Rapport are the wholesalers who have a depot/office across in Churchill way. I think they own the land where the NCP next door to the Market Trader pub is. In fact they may well own all that land by there.

I onloy saw one of these flyers myself today in The Lewis Arms in Tongwynlais. Methinks they need to publicise a bit better next time.


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## ddraig (Feb 1, 2009)

butbutbut Rhys Ifans is on board now (as well as inverdale) so it must be saved!  godnamit!!

we had them leaflets round pontcanna last month! loads of vulcan regulars here obviously! 
bilingual they were n all


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## Udo Erasmus (Feb 2, 2009)

My criticisms of the campaign were a tad unfair, my point was that the Council seizes the land under a compulsory purchase order from the Vulcan, then decides it no longer needs it and presumably sells it _at a profit _to MA Raport, a private company. If the land was no longer needed then surely it should have reverted back to the original owner. I sense corruption. For Cardiff Council now to claim that it fully backs the campaign to save the Vulcan seems disingenuous.

But I have little knowledge of the intricacies of how this works.

But what is interesting is that the Council made no attempt for months to raise awareness that they no longer owned the land or refute the Carpark allegation.


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## jimadore (Feb 11, 2009)

*save the vulcan*

my friend frank ,drinks there if I dont post this he wont buy me a beer


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## ddraig (May 12, 2009)

Jeremy Vine is the next one on the case of the cause
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8046385.stm - audio clip from radio 2
bout 3mins in til lovely Liz  but entertaining none the less




			
				bbc said:
			
		

> BBC Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine gets behind the bar at the endangered Victorian pub, The Vulcan in Cardiff. It has just won an award by the local branch for Campaign for Real Ale but time is running out for those hoping to save it from demolition.


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## Col_Buendia (May 30, 2009)

Up down, up down... now it seems that it is closing for good, according to today's Echo - or is this another negotiating ploy?

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2009/05/30/closing-time-for-vulcan-91466-23746321/


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## Clint Iguana (May 31, 2009)

Col_Buendia said:


> Up down, up down... now it seems that it is closing for good, according to today's Echo - or is this another negotiating ploy?
> 
> http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2009/05/30/closing-time-for-vulcan-91466-23746321/





Is an urban meet in the Vulcan before the 25th june in order???


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## 1927 (May 31, 2009)

Clint Iguana said:


> Is an urban meet in the Vulcan before the 25th june in order???



Absolutely


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## Col_Buendia (May 31, 2009)

13 months isn't long enough to organise a Welsh meet...


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## ddraig (Jun 12, 2009)

*saved for 3 years!*

news today is that it has been saved for 'at least' 3 years!


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## Build_A_Fire (Jun 12, 2009)

ddraig said:


> news today is that it has been saved for 'at least' 3 years!



That's quality, or at least it's a quality start eh....


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## Build_A_Fire (Jun 12, 2009)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/8097691.stm


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## ddraig (Jun 12, 2009)

Build_A_Fire said:


> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/8097691.stm



thanks 
couldn't find that earlier


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## lewislewis (Jun 12, 2009)

Good to see Dai Wilton quoted, good Plaid member, shame that Ken Clarke gets a mention though, don't recall seeing him supporting the campaign at all apart from a random tory photo op.

Politics aside though this is good news and shows what a popular campaign can do, I go to the vulcan once every few months and am noticeably different to the regular crowd there, but its a wicked building.


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## Build_A_Fire (Jun 13, 2009)

lewislewis said:


> Politics aside though this is good news and shows what a popular campaign can do, I go to the vulcan once every few months and am noticeably different to the regular crowd there, but its a wicked building.



Yeah me too, though the regular crowd are always friendly enough, and they serve a CRACKING pint of Brains


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## Clint Iguana (Jun 13, 2009)

Col_Buendia said:


> 13 months isn't long enough to organise a Welsh meet...



Well it looks like we have three years to organise one now


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## pigtails (Jun 13, 2009)

That's great news!!


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## brix (Jun 13, 2009)

Excellent news.  ddraig and softy took me for a drink in there when I was in Cardiff over Easter and I thought it was a fantastic place.  Far too good to lose.  I hope this is more than just a temporary reprieve - it would be criminal to destroy a place of such character.


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## ddraig (Apr 25, 2012)

apols for bumpage

Brains accused of neglecting Vulcan as heating breaks down and due to close in May
http://yourcardiff.walesonline.co.uk/2012/04/24/vulcan-campaigners-accuse-brains-of-abandoning-pub/


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## Col_Buendia (Apr 25, 2012)

National brew of Wales, lol. Sad times.


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## bi0boy (Apr 25, 2012)

I thought this was going to be about the bomber.


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## 1927 (Apr 25, 2012)

bi0boy said:


> I thought this was going to be about the bomber.


 Atleast people cared enough to save the bomber, and rightly so.


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## Kingsway91 (Apr 29, 2012)




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## ddraig (Apr 29, 2012)

cheers!


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## 1927 (Apr 29, 2012)

Kingsway91 said:


>


 
Put the word out. lets make this an Urban meet day!


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## editor (Apr 29, 2012)

I'll do a piece on this on my blog to try and drum up some support.


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## William of Walworth (Apr 29, 2012)

Good luck with this demo folks.


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## editor (May 1, 2012)

Feature here. Tweeted'n'Facebooked. 

Save the Vulcan pub in Cardiff!
http://www.urban75.org/blog/save-the-vulcan-hotel-pub-in-cardiff-demo-on-11th-may-2012/


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## ddraig (May 4, 2012)

looks like they've closed it today! sly 



> Historic Cardiff Pub Saved for the Nation​Following the decision to close the Vulcan Hotel, Cardiff, the property’s owners Marcol Asset Management Limited, have agreed to donate it to St Fagans: National History Museum in order to preserve the building for the Nation.​The Vulcan was built in 1853 to serve the new, mainly Irish, community in Adamsdown then known as New Town. The exterior of the two storey building is virtually unchanged, the lower half of the façade being tiled in green and white and the upper floor faced in brick.​With the agreement of Marcol and licensees Gwyn and Sandra Lewis, the tenants, SA Brain & Co Ltd, today (Friday 4th May) closed the Vulcan. St Fagans staff will now move in to measure, photograph and document the building, before dismantling and placing it in storage.​


 
plans to move it to St Fagans museum
http://www.andrewwilcox.net/2012/05...to-move-to-national-history-museum-st-fagans/


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## editor (May 4, 2012)

The fuckers.


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## Ranbay (May 4, 2012)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-17955268


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## Infidel Castro (May 4, 2012)

Will it still be a proper boozer when it's in the museum?  St Fagans is crying out for a real pub, and I'd love to be pissed wandering about the grounds at night.


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## Gavin Bl (Jul 3, 2012)

drove past it today, sad sight indeed.


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## Kingsway91 (Jul 12, 2012)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-18816130


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## editor (Jul 12, 2012)

> Work has started on moving one of Cardiff's oldest pubs brick-by-brick to be rebuilt at St Fagans National History Museum.
> 
> The Vulcan Hotel served drinkers for more than 150 years but finally shut due to dwindling customers.
> 
> ...


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## pepper78 (Jul 12, 2012)

This makes me sad. What will happen to the space after? Nothing I presume, will it just create more parking spaces?  Cardiff city centre frustrates me, why is no importance placed on retaining period buildings. Seems the planning dept are too keen to make Cardiff indistinguishable from any other town or city in the country. 

The Vulcan was a proper pub, no food no music just beer and people at the bar coughing up a lung.
Only went on there a few times, I remember there was a butchery round the corner and one time two guys who worked there walked in wearing bloody overalls pushing a trolley full of bagged up meat. They then proceeded to call out names of locals in the bar and hand out their preordered meat: "two pounda mince, that you tommo?"
Shame it has to go at all but at least it will be preserved in st fagans. Wonder how long it will take to relocate?


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## ddraig (Jul 12, 2012)

agreed
a pub from 1853 should be preserved

they did have a jukebox in the back room, a flippy cd one with a lot of decent stuff alongside the dross

it gives some indication of how long it will take in the video in Kingsway91's bbc link
and apparently it will serve beer when rebuilt at st fagans


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## Maggot (Jul 17, 2012)

Such a shame.


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## coltrane (Jul 19, 2012)

I was only at The Vulcan the once - 24th May 2008 - and it was a fucking great boozer. Nothing fancy, excellent pint of Brains and a truly lovely bunch of locals - decent jukebox too, remember dancing to some of the jukebox tunes. Learned the Mafi and Tipoki jig outside the front of the pub. Bumped into a friend from Goldsmiths' College that i hadn't seen for over a decade, whose local it was - so we were even better looked after. At Last Orders we were stood outside the front sucking on ciggies, a kind lady asked us if we wanted to carry on drinking (sure we did, Munster had just won Heineken Cup again), so in we went for an old school lock-in.

The craic continued for quite a while. At one point, going from the back bar to the front bar, i saw the lady who had asked us if we wanted to carry on drinking slumped down lying on the floor by the front door - i asked if she was OK, she answered "Don't mind about me, I'm minding the door". Seriously ace night really. The Vulcan stood proud against encroaching development.

The thought of such a proper boozer being removed for more fucking car parking space is truly saddening. The Vulcan had soul.


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## cybertect (Jul 31, 2012)

Not the best pic, but as I happened to be passing today

http://t.co/otlnwr3O


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## ddraig (Jul 31, 2012)

you got the olympic footballs in too


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## editor (Oct 12, 2020)

It's currently being rebuilt at St Fagans museum - can't wait to visit it in 2023 - and it's going to serve beer too!

(It's featured on the BBC's 'Inside Museums' series)


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