Carolyn Thomas MS	Our Ref.:	LC
Chair, Petitions Committee
Welsh Parliament	Your Ref.:
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff	Date:	14th August 2025
CF99 1SN

Dear Carolyn Thomas,

Thank you for your letter of 11th July and I apologise for the delay in replying.

As far as we can ascertain, we do not hold copies of the original plans of the Cardiff Observatory, either for the building constructed in 1906 or the one developed later in 1925. Our investigations have highlighted the following documents at Glamorgan Archives that might be of some assistance to Amgueddfa Cymru in their reconstruction of the Observatory:

Booklet entitled ‘The Cardiff City Telescope’ by Arthur Mee, 1906 [photocopy available in the Library at Glamorgan Archives, ref: C/512]

Glass plate negatives of new observatory in Heol Yr Ynys, Penylan [ref: DCC/PL/11/58/3-4]. Images of these glass plates are available on our catalogue: https://canfod.glamarchives.gov.uk/en/records/DCC/PL/11/58

Booklet ‘Cardiff City Observatory Handbook’ by Dan Jones, 1931 [ref: D2022/4/2]. This explains how the 1906 building became inadequate in terms of space and heating and how the Council agreed to erect this new building; it was opened by the Lord Mayor, Alderman WB Francis, on 15 December 1925.

Plan of the Observatory when it was next to a Civil Defence Establishment in 1953, but this just records the outline of the Observatory (as a square) [ref: BC/S/1/42211]

We are happy to assist should anyone from Amgueddfa Cymru wish to come in and view the documents that we hold. Appointments for the searchroom can be booked by calling our office on 029 2087 2200.

I hope that this helps, even though we do not hold the exact records that you were enquiring about.

Yours sincerely,

Laura Cotton

Glamorgan Archivist