sPRINg 2014 | eDITION 5 At home in CArdiff Official publication of THE TIGER THAT LOST ITS STRIPES How Tiger Bay transformed into the Cardiff Bay we know today CENTRE Pages 4, 5 & 6 STAGE SPRING Warwick Davis on his CLEANING Four steps to a less cluttered life adventures in acting Pages 10 & 11 Pages 8 & 9 DREAM HOMES How what you love can sell your house PAGE 12 cpswelcome It’s not often that the path of Hollywood royalty crosses that of an estate agent, but lately we had the delightful experience of speaking with Warwick Davis, actor and founder of the Reduced Height Theatre Company. From my childhood favourites of Willow and Star Wars, to Harry Potter, to Ricky gervais and steve Merchant’s comedy series ‘Life’s Too Short’, Warwick has achieved career longevity beyond many of his peers. We’re thrilled to be able to share our time with him with our readers. enjoy! Wooden spoons and mixing bowls at the ready! the Great roath Bake off is back, and this year we are thrilled to be sponsoring the charity event organised by the ever-passionate Wayne Courtney. It’s what With brighter mornings and lighter evenings, summer is starting to feel like it’s around the corner. if the signs of spring have you feeling like you need to sweep away the winter cobwebs and get organised, our articles on giving your property ‘kerb appeal’ and getting ‘tidy’ should lay that cleaning itch to rest. we do Sunny days are perfect for trips down to the as a local company born and bred in Cardiff, we like to think waterfront, so check out our features on life we know our city and its people pretty well. and having been and lettings in Cardiff’s hottest of hotspots, the Bay. We take a tour through the history doing business for over a decade, we’re confident we know its of tiger Bay and its transformation into the property market like the backs of our hands too. booming Bay we know today. here at CPS homes, we bring a refreshingly Let’s raise a glass to the lighter nights, honest approach to everything we do. Whether you’re a vendor or buyer, landlord or tenant, our friendly and knowledgeable staff are on-hand to lend their expert advice whenever you need them. if you’re working nine-to-five and/or juggling a hectic family life, our residential Sales team has a service to suit. flexible viewing times, legal advice, unrivalled area knowledge and aftercare - you name it, we’ve got it. our investment Sales team help prospective landlords enter the world of buy-to-let. We market properties with potential and arrange plans to help you picture what you could make of your investment, then organise architects and contractors to put those plans into place, if that’s what you’d like us to do. having developed close relationships with plenty of investor clients over the years, we’ve got a large database of buyers who are just waiting for the right house to arrive Residential sales on the market. our Lettings team offer 02920 454555 landlords a variety of different services, all 66 Albany rd, roath, Cf24 3rr dependent on how much involvement they’d like or can afford to have. if you require full Investment sales and Lettings management – meaning we’re the tenant’s 02920 668585 first point of contact – or if it’s just a tenant- 34 Woodville rd, Cathays, Cf24 4eA find you need, we’re confident we’ll fill your property quickly. our average void period sales and Lettings is just six days, compared to the national 02920 480490 average of three weeks. 18 James St, Cardiff Bay, Cf10 5eX So, next time you’re thinking of buying, [email protected] selling or renting, give us a call. 2 cpshouses My two young daughters were desperate for something pink in the house,” Liz revealed to us. “Plus, I wanted something bright that would cheer me up every time I came home. Opportunity knockwon’t twice The old adage about not getting a second chance to make a good first impression is never truer than when selling your Top tips... home, says Becky Jones, a Property advisor at CPs Homes. for a sophisticated note, we suggest ‘Night Fever’ or ‘City Break’ from Crown (£34.99 for 5litres, crownpaint.co.uk) it’s been said that a prospective buyer will make a everything in working order. decision on a property within the first 30 seconds if that creaky gate won’t quite close and the of a viewing. more worrying still, the clock starts doorbell doesn’t work, anyone viewing will start ticking when they are on the pavement outside. wondering, ‘What else isn’t up to scratch?’. A seamless entry to your home will give them A pastel lends an air of country elegance, and driveways, front gardens, porches and hallways no cause for concern, so dig out the Wd-40, we love Crown’s ‘Hollywood’pale blue and – these are the first things a visitor sees. And oil the squeaky gate hinges, and change the the pale pink ‘Fairy Dust’ (price as above). yet, because we tend to spend little time in doorbell batteries. these areas when at home, it may result in them looking a little unloved. So how can you make stand out from the crowd. your home sing during its half-minute audition? if you live in a terraced or semi-detached house, a potential buyer can instantly for a touch of class, accessorise your Weed out the unnecessary. compare your home to identical properties up freshly-painted door with some vintage Whether that means literally picking up a and down the street, so ensure yours stands ironmongery. for reclaimed gems, check gardening fork or moving the bins out of sight, out for the right reasons. Command their out our local favourite – the Pumping ensure that the lead up to your front door is rubbish- attention with an eye-catching front door. Station on Penarth road. free and uncluttered – you don’t want viewers to everyone expects red, white or blue, so why feel like they’re navigating an obstacle course. not try something different? CPsHOMes.CO.UK | 3 The Tiger that lost its stripes Cardiff Bay has brought a whole new dimension to our enjoyment of the city. With fuzzy heads, we soaked up sunshine at these days, homes populate former wasteland BOOMTOWN CATS a quayside café the morning after Wales’ and there are spaces for leisure where once was in the years after the industrial revolution, vast friday-night Six nations triumph over france. As great commerce, industry and toil. it’s almost quantities of coal and iron ore were brought to french conversation and laughter wafted on the impossible to imagine the vast smoky docks, the port from the Valleys by canal and steam breeze, it felt as though we were abroad. as rough and ready as the Bristol Channel’s locomotives. By the turn of the 20th century, currents – said to be reminiscent of raging tigers Cardiff’s docks saw more traffic than new York, “When the sun is out and the nights are long, and the reason for the exporting more coal there is no better place to be than sitting in the fierce, romantic name “When the sun is out and than any port in the Bay with a cool breeze off the sea,” says dr rhys ‘tiger Bay’. the nights are long, there world. the peak, in 1913, Jones, Cardiff University lecturer, BBC presenter saw nearly 11 million and Bay resident. “it’s got a fantastic variety “James Street, the is no better place to be than tonnes of Wales’ black of restaurants, bars and some interesting niche one-time hub of dock sitting in the Bay with a stuff shipped to meet shops. it reminds me of Lisbon, actually.” life, pulsed with vitality,” cool breeze off the sea.” the world’s demand wrote famed tiger Bay for fuel. By 1920, there poet harry ‘Shipmate’ Cooke. “tall buildings full were 122 shipping companies based here. of clacking typewriters, clerks, shipbrokers, agents and things maritime. At street level, shops of As we exported raw materials, so we imported every degree, elbowing each other for attention.” people. one of the oldest multi-cultural communities in Britain, people of 45 different these days James Street is a shadow of its former nationalities could once be found in the tightly- self, and the evocative tiger Bay all but extinct. packed homes and boarding-houses But the splendour of the 19th century façades of Butetown and tiger Bay. still display the wealth and power that rose here thanks to the export of coal. But the rise of oil and cheap German coal meant that things were on the slide long before “take a walk around Loudoun and mount Stuart the depression of the 1930s. A post-war slump Squares and you soon get a grasp of the history,” in coal demand meant that by 1964, coal says resident martin m. Jones. “historic photos in export had ceased, and the demolition of the the Waterguard, Bute Street Post office and events old housing began in earnest. today, only roath such as 2013’s deGabay production all help to and Queen Alexandra docks are still in use, Photograph: Capt’ gorgeous, ‘Bute West’ Flickr.com educate us newcomers of the area’s rich history.” handling 2.1 million tonnes annually. 4 cpslocation “ I regularly see foxes, rabbits and a variety of interesting birds, including long-tailed tits and even waxwings.