Roath Park is one of the jewels of Cardiff City, located in the center of the busy Welsh capital. This park still retains the classic Victorian atmosphere. It was first constructed at a cost of ?63,000 on a piece of land donated by the Butes family. This sparked off a tradition of land donation, which has made an enormous contribution to public ownership of open space and parkland in the city
On 20 June 1894, the Roath Park was opened by the Earl of Dumfries - son of the Marquess of Bute on his 13th birthday. The opening ceremony was a gala affair with a lunch for 300 followed by a carriage procession from the Town Hall to the Park attended by local dignitaries. Mr.W.W Pettigrew was appointed Head Gardener of the Public Parks and Open Spaces. It was largely due to his efforts and cooperation from the Cardiff Naturalists Society that the Botanic Garden came to be so successful. Once the Roath Park was opened, ice-skating proved to be a crowd puller, with people skating till wee hours. However, since the Second World War, skating has only been possible on a few occasions
The Roath Park also has a huge lake, which occupies 30 acres of the 130-acre park and is unique in that it is fully manmade. The Roath Park and the lake offer a pleasant environment for walks and children's play area. Visitors can enjoy rowing on the lake or just feeding the ducks. The Roath Park also houses a Conservatory
