Vulcan almost gone!

The careful demolition of the Vulcan pub in Cardiff is almost complete, with just the ground floor to be removed. The pub is to be rebuilt in St Fagans Musuem, full details were reported back here.
Top picture - Vulcan in June 2012
Bottom Picture - September 2012

Vulcan Saved!

The historic Vulcan pub in Cardiff has been saved for the nation and will be rebuilt at St Fagans Musuem. As someone who has been involved in trying to save the pub for years this is great news that the pub will rebuilt at the national museum. In fact I can remember saying that in the Western Mail some 12 years ago that this pub should be preserved for the nation, now finally, just a few weeks before the threatened demolition of the pub, the Vulcan has been saved and will be rebuilt at St Fagans Museum for future generations to enjoy.

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 4^th 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. 

Scott Waddington, Chief Executive at Brains said:

“It is with regret that we confirm that the Vulcan pub has closed as of today. As we have previously stated, and despite attempts to attract more customers, the pub is no longer commercially viable for either Brains or the tenant who operated the pub.

“We have found ourselves the target of negative publicity as a result of us having to sell a pub due to a compulsory purchase order to accommodate the St David’s 2 development some four years ago. In essence, we had no other option than to sell the pub. We have kept the pub trading over this period despite declining customer numbers and therefore income. The uncertainty surrounding the future of the premises has also made justifying any significant investment in the pub unrealistic.

“Brains continue to invest in the City, with some of the most recent refurbishments being Greenwood & Brown, The Duke of Wellington and The City Arms which has recently won CAMRA, Cardiff pub of the year.

“The Vulcan is an important part of our history, which is why we have been working with its owner, Marcol, and the National History Museum, to relocate the building to St Fagans and preserve the history of the pub for the future.”

Gwyn and Sandra Lewis, licensees, added:

“We, and our family, would like to thank all the customers who have supported the pub since we took over two years ago. We look forward to visiting St Fagans and will have good memories of the short time we were at the Vulcan.”

Mark Richards, Deputy Director General of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales said:

“The Vulcan hotel will be a welcome addition to the collection of historical buildings at St Fagans.  We are grateful to Marcol for donating the building and giving us the opportunity to save and preserve this important part of Cardiff’s heritage for the nation and to tell some of the area’s rich history.”

“We are also very grateful to Brains for their willingness to assist us as we ensure the historical accuracy of the fittings used in the Vulcan before we eventually rebuild at St Fagans.”

Due to current commitments, work on rebuilding the Vulcan is not expected to start for several years. In the meantime, Museum curators will work on an interpretation strategy to decide on how and which period to display the building.”

An appeal will be made for photographs, objects and stories relating to the Vulcan and its history.

Background on The Vulcan pub:

1853                 The Vulcan opens.Named after the Roman god of fire, the name referred to the nearby iron works.

1914 Vulcan was altered by Cardiff architect Fred Veall, who is normally associated with the Ebbw Vale steelworks general offices

1956 The Vulcan was purchased by Cardiff brewers SA Brain, from wine merchants Greenwood & Brown, together with 4 other pubs for around £100,000. The other pubs were the York Hotel on Canal Wharf (Still standing but has been closed for 20 years and is awaiting demolition), Model Inn (still open but as Greenwood & Brown Restaurant), Ship Hotel (closed), Cross Inn on Newport Road, Rumney (still open)

1957 It was around this time that a refurbishment occurred, with the pub attaining its present layout. The lounge to the rear was created by converting the landlords' private accomodation.

1967 Nearby pubs such as The Crichton Arms, the Cambridge and The Duke of Edinburgh were demolished as the Little Ireland area of Newtown was 'improved'.

1997 The Vulcan is awarded 'Pub of the Year' by the Cardiff Branch of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale.

2005: Brains given compulsory purchase order for the Vulcan so land could be used as a car park while St David’s 2 is built. Compulsory Purchase Order was made by the Welsh Development Agency on beh

2007: The South Wales Echo reveals it was not sold to St David’s 2, but bought by businessman Derek Rapport (Marcol Asset Management) for £500,000.

2008: Cadw rejects attempts to list property.

2008                 Brains sells The Vulcan to Marcol (Compulsory Purchase Order as part of the St David’s 2 development plans)

2009 January. Over 150 people attend a public meeting at the Atrium to try and Save the Vulcan.

 2009 February: Campaigners give 5,000-name petition to the Assembly Petitions Committee.

2009 March: Cadw urged to step in after campaigners offer new evidence of historical worth.

2009 March. The Vulcan is awarded 'Pub of the Year' by the Cardiff Branch of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale.

2009 April: Drinkers were told the pub would stay open for at least another three years after being given a reprieve.

2009                 Brains agreed to operate the pub until May 2012

2010 February: A Welsh Assembly Government report calls for a change in legislation to give more powers to local authorities to safeguard the future of “culturally significant” buildings like The Vulcan.

2009 – 2012      Marcol, National Museum Wales & Brains discuss the relocation of the Vulcan to St Fagans Museum.

Save the Vulcan time again

Above: The Vulcan pictured in 2000

The Vulcan Hotel in Adamstown looks like it is going to close its doors for the last time at the end of May this year. Its 3 year stay-of-execution is over and the bulldozers will be demolishing this historic piece of Cardiff to build another car park. Media Wales announced the story today and also has some celebrity endorsements of the pub. The BBC also run the story on their website. 

We all realise that trade has dropped off since the UWIC building opposite built their own student union but everyone agrees this is a pub worth saving. Okay the effort could have been made by Cardiff Council and CADW over 10 years ago but the Council is more interested in car parks for the shopping centre than preserving the heritage of the City. CADW, the Welsh equivalent of English Heritage, have consistently ignored the pleas from people wishing to save this piece of heritage from the bulldozer, even saying that the Golden Cross nearby has been given Grade II listed status as its a better quality building, completely missing the point that this 160 tiled-frontage building is historic in hardly changing in all those years. The inside was refurbished in the 1950s and this is the layout that remains today, although the unique outside gents toilets with their brown porcelain urinals are no doubt older and possibly original to the 1850s building. Apparently a collector in the States is interested in buying this bit of Cardiff history but I would prefer it to stay where it is.

Above: the unique brown urinals

An idea put around a few years ago was for the pub to be removed to St Fagans Musuem, other heritage sites such as Ironbridge Gorge Museum have their own pubs and its been rumoured that St Fagans have been looking around for one for years. As the pub is no longer viable and the students opposite are not using the pub, surely the best option now is to see the building rebuilt at the museum where future generations may be able to experience it for themselves, rather than being just another demolished Cardiff pub?

Your Cardiff announce the Campaign is set to resume!

Facebook group here - please click on it to rejoin as over 1000 members were lost during the recent Facebook Groups migration.

Above: Guinness is Good For You sign on the side of the pub

Assembly Member in call to Save the Vulcan

 

Above: Assembly Member Andrew RT Davies pours a beer brewed in his constituency at the Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival

The Assembly Member for South Wales Central AM, Andrew RT Davies, has urged developers to

look again at plans to demolish the Vulcan Hotel in Cardiff City Centre. He has called on developers to

incorporate the 19th century public house into amended plans, thereby preserving one of Cardiff ’s oldest

pubs. Mr Davies, who sits on the National Assembly for Wales ’ Petitions Committee, said: "I agree

wholeheartedly with petitioners that it must be possible to incorporate the Vulcan into their designs, and to preserve this piece of Cardiff ’s cultural and architectural history. It is very sad to witness the gradual decline of the traditional pub and this is one of the last of its kind in the heart of Cardiff city centre."
The petition, raised by Rachel Thomas, urged the Welsh Assembly Government to use all of their power to protect the Vulcan from closure and received 5000 signatories. Mr Davies said: "It is to be welcomed that the Minister for Heritage has pledged Welsh Assembly Government support for the UK government’s proposed Wales and England Heritage Protection Bill. However, given the legislative timetable at Westminster that bill
may not arrive in time to save The Vulcan."
"The Minister also mentions the fact that discussions are on-going with his officials in Cadw and those within
the Assembly ’s Planning Division about possible measures to protect buildings of local importance. Given
the urgency here, one can only offer direct appeals to the developers themselves, in the hope that they
may acquiesce and work the current site into their plans. I remain hopeful that they will see sense and pay due
respect to the wishes of locals in recognising the cultural and historic significance of the site."

Old pictures of the Vulcan wanted

The Cardiff Story Museum, based in the Old Library in Cardiff is looking for some old photos of the Vulcan pub. The oldest found so far, pictured left, is on the Facebook Group, dates to 2000 and was taken by me! On my the trusty old Canon A1 as well.
Tom Hoare from the Cardiff Story Museum has already searched the National Museum, Cardiff Library and Glamorgan Records Office, all to no avail in the search for old photographs of this pub.

The Vulcan pub in Cardiff, now almost 2 years into its 3 year reprieve from demolition.

The Cardiff Story,
The Old Library,
The Hayes,
Cardiff,
CF10 1BH

Tel: (+44) 029 2078 8334
cardiffstory@cardiff.gov.uk

Save the Vulcan - one year on

A year ago today,outside the Welsh Assembly in Cardiff Bay, the Save the Vulcan Campaign presented their petition with over 5000 signatures on it to save the pub to Assembly Members. Around 50 people turned up to brave the cold on the steps of the Senedd and a number of AMs came out to listen and talk to the protesters.

Above: Jenny Randerson AM addressing the protesters outside the Senedd last year whilst (below) Nick Bourne AM listens to the protesters.

Today, the National Assembly for Wales’ Petitions Committee released the report ‘Save the Vulcan: Protection of historic buildings’

Recommendations from the committee are:

1. We recommend that the Welsh Government considers the introduction of guidance, or legislation if necessary, to allow the protection of buildings that are of importance for social and cultural reasons.

2. We recommend that the Welsh Government consults with Welsh local authorities and the WLGA with a view to strengthening the powers available to local authorities to prevent the demolition of buildings that meet the criteria for local listing.

The report is a response to a petition of 5,000 signatures calling to save the historic Vulcan Hotel from demolition.
Save the Vulcan campaigner Rachel Thomas said, “We are pleased the Assembly’s Petitions Committee took time to examine our petition. However, this is by no means the end. This is just the beginning of the Vulcan campaign, and our aim is to see the Vulcan thrive for another 157 years.
“The fate of the Vulcan now lies in the hands of the developer Derek Rapport, and we strongly urge Mr Rapport to comment immediately on the future of this Victorian watering hole.
“According to the BBC, pubs in Wales are closing at the rate of five a week. The Vulcan should not be allowed to become a statistic.

“We strongly urge the Welsh Government to act on the report’s recommendations as soon as possible”.
Save the Vulcan campaigner Graham Craig is keen to see strengthened powers for Cardiff Council to prevent the demolition of buildings that meet local listing criteria. Graham said, “The Vulcan must be protected, and listing the building is the best way to do this. We understand why the Vulcan cannot be listed under Cadw’s current criteria, but the Welsh Government and the WLGA must now move swiftly to introduce legislation to protect buildings which are socially and/or culturally important”.

Local architect Jonathan Adams said he could see no reason why the Vulcan could not be incorporated into a future redevelopment of the site, and that it would pose an exciting architectural opportunity.

Save the Vulcan campaigner David Wilton added, “Don’t forget to visit the Vulcan during the 6 Nations. The atmosphere is unrivalled, and the beer’s pretty good too!”

The Vulcan is the only building to survive from the area formally known as Newtown.

Above: Window pane from the Vulcan

BBC Also cover this story here

As does the Save the Vulcan blog

As does Media Wales

Save the Vulcan Timeline:

2005: Brains given compulsory purchase order for the Vulcan so land could be used as a car park while St David’s 2 is built.

2007: The Echo reveals it was not sold to St David’s 2, but bought by businessman Derek Rapport for £500,000.
2008: Cadw rejects attempts to list property.
February 2009: Campaigners give 5,000-name petition to the Assembly Petitions Committee.
March 2009: Cadw urged to step in after campaigners offer new evidence of historical worth.
April 2009: Drinkers were told the pub would stay open for at least another three years after being given a reprieve.
February 2010: A Welsh Assembly Government report calls for a change in legislation to give more powers to local authorities to safeguard the future of “culturally significant” buildings like The Vulcan.

Demolish the Vulcan?

From Brew Wales

Demolish the Vulcan? Well that was the headline in the Echo the other day as customer Alan Grainger attempted to plug his book that features the Vulcan.
He may not like the new customers in the pub, but it is now thriving every night whereas a few years ago it was closing at night due to lack of trade. The Vulcan is the last old building standing in the area and there are no more terraced houses for the foundry workers who originally frequented the area. The Vulcan has moved with the times, where once it slaked the thirsts of dehydated iron workers today thirsty media studies students from across the road crowd the small bar and lounge to quench their thirsts on pints of Brains SA and Bitter. Move with the times, that is what this successful old pub has done and the Brew Wales editor enjoyed a good night in there the other Monday, washing down a few pints of Brains Bitter, the best pint to be had of it in Cardiff.
Long may the Vulcan survive as the great little pub that it is.

There is also a response to Alan Grainger on the Save the Vulcan site here.

From Brew Wales

Culture Show does pubs - tonight

Tonight the BBC Culture Show is featuring the British Pub. Some of the footage was filmed in the Vulcan Cardiff.


From BBC Pravda:

This edition of the Culture Show is presented by Lauren Laverne, and looks at the past, present and future of the British pub. With an estimated 50 pubs a week now closing across the UK, 2009 could be the worst ever year in the history of British pubs. What's behind the decline? What's being lost as pubs go to the wall? Writers, thinkers and philosophical drinkers join Lauren to discuss whether it's now last orders for pubs.

For the Culture Show, Sting goes the Cumberland Arms, one of the oldest pubs in Newcastle and the heart of the city's folk scene. Sting performs from his new album If on a Winter's Night, accompanied by Kathryn Tickell on Northumbrian pipes, Peter Tickell on the fiddle and Julian Sutton on the melodeon.

Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy has written and performs a special poem - John Barleycorn - for this pub-themed Culture Show. It's both a lament for and a celebration of the pub, once a cornerstone of British cultural life.

There's also a rare TV interview with John Cale. He talks about his life in music and the recent performance of his most celebrated album Paris 1919, at the newly reopened Cardiff Coal Exchange, his only UK date in 2009.

With the crucial Climate Change Summit starting in Copenhagen in December, Simon Mayo, Mark Kermode and a room full of film fans debate the pros and cons of films which deal with the end of the world including Deep Impact, Beneath the Planet of the Apes and both versions of The Day the Earth Stood Still.

All that plus Martha Wainwright, who joins Lauren in the bar to sing a song from her new album - a tribute to Edith Piaf called Sans Fusils, Ni Souliers, a Paris.

Not a mention of the Vulcan in the BBC write-up.






Broadcast times are:

1. Thu 26 Nov 2009
   19:00
   BBC Two (England, Wales only)
2. Thu 26 Nov 2009
   19:00
   BBC HD
3. Thu 26 Nov 2009
   23:20
   BBC Two (except Northern Ireland (Analogue), Wales (Analogue))
4. Thu 26 Nov 2009
   23:20
   BBC HD

The programme should be on the Pravda I-player later (UK only).

"Windowlicker" Minister refuses to list Vulcan

+++++BREAKING NEWS++++
Alun Ffred Jones, Minister for Kulture and windowlicking at the Welsh Assembly Government has refused to grant listed building status to the Vulcan pub in Cardiff. The pub was recently granted a 3 year reprieve by the developers of the site and campaigners were hopeful of a more permanent solution to saving the pub. The Welsh Assembly Government and "Two fs Jones" have put the dampners on the roaring flames of protest to Save the Vulcan.
More on this story tomorrow.

UPDATE
Okay had a few complaints about referring to the Heritage Minister of the Welsh Assembly Government as a 'windowlicker' but he has sat on this for months and only gives his decision after the pub has been granted a 3 year reprieve.
According to the Minister "The pub fails to meet the required listing criteria although he does acknowledge the importance of the Vulcan in Cardiff’s history and the ‘welcome element of diversity’ it brings to its surroundings"
So why does the Minister not protect it if he acknowledges the importance of the Vulcan?

Anyway Alun Ffred Jones AM does seem quite happy to have the taxpayer pay his party, Plaid Cymru, £345 a year for his website, which is not the greatest site in the world and appears not to have updated since June last year. Why not chuck all the AMs onto blogger - it will save the taxpayer a fortune as its free and better looking than his website.
Oh and the rent for his constituency offices is paid for by the taxpayer as well. And the owners of his offices in Bangor ( rent: £715.00 a quarter) and Caernafon ( rent £1650.00 a quarter) are, Plaid Cymru, who are in effect subsidised by the taxpayer. £79.64 is also paid by the taxpayer for 'Office Maintenance' which includes 'Repairs, lighting & heating, cleaning, waste disposal'. So not just the rent is overcharged to the taxpayer, but we have to pay for the upkeep of the building! The BBC have covered this troughing by AMs to fund their own parties.
Elsewhere on the internet, there are some questions as to the involvement of the AM with a company called Arianrhod of which according to the Assembly List of Members Interests, he is shareholder. A quick check at Companies House reveals that the accounts of the company are 7 months overdue. Nearly as bad as not updating your website for a year.
He is also listed in the Members Interests as a director of Moreia Ltd, which according to Companies House is in liquidation.
All in all, with all these outside interests is a wonder that "2Fs Jones" can find the time to make any decision, let alone the wrong one.

Vulcan Saved for 3 years

From Brew Wales

Vulcan Saved
Thursday 25th saw the celebrations at the Vulcan in Cardiff as the pub has been granted a reprieve from demolition, albeit for only 3 years. The campaign to save the pub is not over yet and the campaigners are trying to work out a way of saving the unique atmosphere of this famous Cardiff watering-hole for another 156 years.

More on the story from the BBC here.

And at Wales Online here

Save the Vulcan website here

Vulcan update. National Assembly Petitions Committee

Brew Wales attended the National Assembly Petitions Committee this morning where evidence was heard regarding the Campaign to Save the Vulcan pub. The heritage organisation CADW have consistantly refused to protect the Vulcan by listing it and the council have local listing powers but there do not protect a building against demolition. There is a Heritage Protection Bill floating in the ether of the Westminster Government which will give local authorities more power to protect old buildings, however it may be becoming law next year. However locallisting does not provide any inhanced powers to protect a building. Adding a building to a local list has not stopped a building from being demolished in at least the last 10 years. CADW see no national significance of the Vulcan and hence it falls to Cardiff Council to act to save the pub. Meanwhile reports on the front page of the South Wales Echo today suggest that the Vulcan may be saved amid rumours of meetings between brewers Brains and developers Rapport. The Vulcan was closed Monday due to flooding, preventing Brew Wales from his usual lunchtime Brains Bitter, but hopes to reopen today.

Curse of Jonah Brown hits the Vulcan

Labour Party takes the piss to follow the “Save the Pub” bandwagon.

Above: The unique urinals of the Vulcan

Euro Election leaflets are dropping through the letter boxes of voters throughout the UK at the moment, but voters in Cardiff may be a bit surprised to see the spring edition of the Cardiff Mail, the local Labour Party rag, with a “Please support OUR campaign”caption, to Save the Vulcan. Hang on a bit, Brew Wales regularly drinks in the Vulcan and attended a public meeting to try and save the pub and this is the first time he has heard of widespread support for the Campaign from the Labour Party. Now the Save the Vulcan campaign is non-political, attracting a broad spectrum of political views, though the Chair of the Campaign to Save the Vulcan does work for the Liberal Democrats. Nothing wrong with that, Brew Wales has often been known to have the odd jar of ale with Lord Dholakia or the Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire. What is annoying though is that when the original plans for the demolition of the Vulcan were passed by the Cardiff Council, it was being run by the Labour Party and not a word of disquiet was heard from those Labour Councillors on the Planning Committee. Suddenly, the Labour activists can see a popular Campaign to save a successful pub is winning public support and decide they are going to attempt to claim the Save the Vulcan Campaign as their own.

Now on another site, Guido has written about the “Curse of Jonah Brown”, where the Prime Mentalist has often come out supporting some cause or sports team which then go on to fail. Last week as issues of the Liebour-published Cardiff Mail were dropping onto the carpeted hallways of Cardiff voters, it was announced in the South Wales Echo that the Vulcan would be closing on the 25^th June. So the Curse of Jonah Brown has now been extended to any cause to which his failing party attempts to support.

Meanwhile, the Culture Minister of the Welsh Assembly, Alun Ffred (so good they gave him 2 Fs) Jones, seems unable to come to a decision on whether to save the pub or not. No Doubt he is too busy window-licking at the view of Cardiff Bay and Penarth from his office, rather than trying to save an important part of Welsh cultural life.

Even failed UK politician and professional Euro gravy-train milker Lord Kinnock of Bedwetting has come out in support of the Vulcan. Mind you he once said that his favourite pub was the Fountain in Troedrhiwgwair, South of Tredegar, a pub which made the toilets facilities in the Vulcan seem the height of modernity.

Brew Wales does not often do politics any longer, despite, in a previous life, once working for a London MP, however the cynical, bandwagon-following attitude of the Cardiff Labour Party is something that deserves to be treated with contempt and hopefully on June 4^th the voters will know where to put their X on the ballot paper.

Brew Wales will not be voting for the party that has a teetotal Scottish Presbyterian, pub-hatting, nail chewing, cyclopean, snot-gobbling, unelected, trouser-pissing, bisexual (References: Lords Mandelson and Levy), incompetent, bunker-dwelling troglodyte from the tundra beyond Hadrian's wall as a leader. Indeed any other party, with the exception of the BNP, who could not even make a Hornby train set run on time, would be worth voting for other than the disastrous Labour Party and their Son of the Manse.

With 6 pub closures a day now occurring, it's time for change, so let's all give Gordon the message on Thursday and don't vote Labour.

Jeremy Vine at the Vulcan

BBC presenter Jeremy Vine was in the Cardiff CAMRA pub of year, the Vulcan tonight. The pub threatend with demolition will be featured on the Jeremy Vine Show on BBC Radio 2 on tuesday 12th May between 12 and 2pm.

Vulcan Videos

For those of you who have not seen the Vulcan pub in Cardiff, here are some videos.





There is a Facebook page to join as well


Save the Vulcan blog
Save the Vulcan on Twitter

Vulcan update

The Vulcan in Cardiff is now set to be demolished in June. The 25th is the date for the pub 'to walk the Green Mile'. This pub has been serving customers since 1853 and is the last surviving part of the Newtown area of the city, everything else having been bulldozed away in the name of progress. The Vulcan is to be demolished, not for being unsuccessful but to make way for 50 parking spaces! Any other city would be trying to keep their heritage, not destroy it. Save the Vulcan!
Dom has some excellent photos of the pub and the locals who drink there here.

Save the Vulcan – Bar Trek

Drink Long and Prosper

From Brew Wales

To celebrate the launch of the new Star Trek film, where better than to have a fancy dress party than at the Vulcan in Cardiff, a pub threatened with assimilation into a car park in the next few months? Now I don't think that Frosted Bajoran Ale, Synthahol or Klingon Blood Wine will be making an appearance alongside the excellent Brains Bitter and SA or that gach would appear on the menu instead of the filling rolls, but the bar of the Vulcan is more welcoming than Ten-Forward and the range of customers would not be out of place at Quark's.

Will the enterprising Save the Vulcan campaign be able to put up a strong defiance against the dominating developers who are already preparing their quantum torpedoes to level the site?

Will Liz be dressing up as Guinan for the night?

Will Brian make an appearance as Quark?

Will Yamok sauce make it as far as the kebab shops on Caroline Street?

To be continued.................

So lets not see the Vulcan disappear into the wormhole forever and support the Save the Vulcan campaign by dressing up as your favourite Star Trek character and coming along to the pub to celebrate the launch of the film. Prize for the best fancy dress outfit.

Kahplah!

Vulcan Bar Trek fancy dress party 08.05.09. 2000 hrs

Future of the Left - Video shot in the Vulcan

Now I'm not one for normally pushing videos by bands BUT it was filmed in the Vulcan.

Official video for the 4AD single 'The Hope That House Built' by Future of the Left (out 16th March 2009). Directed by Casey Raymond and Ewan Jones-Morris.

How old is the Guinness Advert?

Above: The east wall of the Vulcan

There have been a few comments on Facebook on the age of the Guinness advert painted onto the side of the Vulcan pub in Cardiff, after my posting yesterday on Brew Wales.

Well thanks to the Book of Guinness Adevertising I may be able to put a date on it.

The Guinness is Good for You slogan ran from 1928 until the 1960s. Similar fonts have been used in posters from 1932 until at least 1956, on advertising material designed by the artist John Gilroy. Is it too much to hope that we have a Gilroy Original painted on the side of the pub?

The font is similar to this 1938 poster - no hook on the 'G', angle on the beginning of 'S'. I'm not an expert on fonts but there is a chance this wall advert is pre-World War Two?

The sign was covered by a building for many years and is on the left hand wall of the Vulcan pub. The above image was taken in May/June 2000 before the demolition of the adjoining buildings. And before a certain RAT who hates his photo being taken could move out of shot!
Save the Vulcan blogspot

Ken Clarke MP joins campaign to Save the Vulcan

Save the Vulcan – update

From Brew Wales

Former Chancellor of the Exchequer, former Home Secretary and Campaign for Real Ale member, Ken Clarke MP has lent his support to the Save the Vulcan campaign. After a trip to Brains Brewery, Ken popped into the threatened pub with the South Wales Echo and said, “I like traditional pubs, as do most other people living in Britain. It is always very sad to see them go......It would be very sad if it [the Vulcan] was to be flattened to be replaced by a car park. If the campaign is successful I'll definitely come back and have another pint!”

Full interview is on the Wales Online website here.

Ken Clarke MP is just one of a long list of politicians who have put their name to the Save the Vulcan Campaign. Others include:

Lord Kinnock

Jenny Willott MP (Cardiff Central)

Kevin Brennan MP (Cardiff West)

Kim Howells MP (Pontypridd)

Jenny Randerson AM

Chris Franks AM

David Melding AM

Nick Bourne AM

Leanne Wood AM

Andrew RT Davies AM

As well as 5000 other people including Rhys Ifans and James Dean Bradfield.

The Vulcan was built in 1853 and has many noteworthy architectural features including:

the glazed tile frontage

part stained glass and frosted front windows

cast glazed brown terracotta urinals, which are outside the pub

www.save-the-vulcan.blogspot.com

Vulcan pub timeline

1853 The Vulcan pub was built. Named after the Roman god of fire, the name referred to the nearby iron works.

1914 Vulcan was altered by Cardiff architect Fred Veall, who is normally associated with the Ebbw Vale steelworks general offices

1956 The Vulcan was purchased by Cardiff brewers SA Brain, from wine merchants Greenwood & Brown, together with 4 other pubs for around £100,000. The other pubs were the York Hotel on Canal Wharf (Still standing but has been closed for 20 years and is awaiting demolition), Model Inn (still open), Ship Hotel (closed), Cross Inn on Newport Road, Rumney (still open)

1957 It was around this time that a refurbishment occurred, with the pub attaining its present layout. The lounge to the rear was created by converting the landlords' private accomodation.

1967 Nearby pubs such as The Crichton Arms, the Cambridge and The Duke of Edinburgh were demolished as the Little Ireland area of Newtown was 'improved'.

1997 The Vulcan is awarded 'Pub of the Year' by the Cardiff Branch of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale.

2005 A Compulsory Purchase Order was made by the Welsh Development Agency on behalf of St Davids 2 (Land Securities).

2007 According to the South Wales Echo, the Vulcan ends up in the hands of a property development company, Rapport (Marcol Asset Management) run by Derek Ivor Rapport for just over £500,000.

2008 CADW rejects calls for the pub to be listed, stating that it was not as special as other city pubs.

2009 January. Over 150 people attend a public meeting at the Atrium to try and Save the Vulcan.

2009 February. 5000 name petition to Save the Vulcan is handed to the Welsh Assembly Government.

2009 March. The Vulcan is awarded 'Pub of the Year' by the Cardiff Branch of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale.

2009 March. CADW is once again urged to give the building statuary protective status due to the historical worth the Vulcan offers to the City of Cardiff.

Marcus Binney says in 'Time Gentleman Please', “Pubs are undoubtedly the most visited and the most popular of all Britain's historic buildings”. Yet in Wales, CADW, the body responsible for protecting old buildings through listing them has constantly let down the Welsh nation with their refusal to protect historic pubs.

One notable example of this was in the demolition of the Green Meadow at Waterloo, Near Machen, Caerphilly. Despite overwhelming evidence, found by research by historians, that this was the undisputed birthplace of Chartist and cremation pioneer Dr William Price, the pub was demolished in 1998 to make way for housing.

From Brew Wales

Vulcan, Cardiff

An excellent drinking establishment serving Brains Bitter and SA but unfortunately threatend with demolishion to make way for a car park. The Vulcan has been serving excellent beer for over 150 years and attacts a wide clientele. It's attracting a lot of students recently due to the fact that the university building opposite does not have a bar! This 2 bar pub - unique in Cardiff if you don't count chav palaces, offers good beer and is decorated with old photos of Cardiff and its maritime past. Settles around the wall provide seating and a trip to the gents to see the Original brown porcelin urinals is a must. Surely a case must be made for listing this tilled pub with its Brains brewery windows and Guiness is good for you hoarding on the side. The Vulcan has previously been Cardiff CAMRA branch pub of the year and has appeared in the Good Beer Guide and the Rough Pub Guide. Loosing the Vulcan would be a loss not just to Cardiff but to the country as a whole. It's a proper pub for real people, not a concept, theme or chav-palace superpub. Save the Vulcan