In 1855, the first horse race took place at Ely Racecourse, which took over from the Great Heath racecourse.[4]
The Ordnance Survey map from the early 1880s shows just how isolated the ancient Ely village was from the rest of Cardiff. Reports about travelling along the main road over Ely Common to Cardiff talk of potholes and no shelter and a terrible journey on foot. Most of Ely was still farmland feeding Cardiff's population. A railway station had only recently been constructed, and this gave the surrounding area further potential for mass housing development.
The 'Ely Industrial School' on Cowbridge Road East was home to orphaned children originally from Cardiff. It had been set up to accommodate "pauper children" from 1863. It was very much a product of the Victorian age, and workhouse mentality, increased social awareness and responsibility saw it closing in 1903 and converted to additional workhouse accommodation for adults (though never used for that purpose), known as Ely Lodge. The children lived in what became known as Ely Homes.[5] The school was demolished some years later and an infectious diseases isolation unit was built on the same site.
The land was once owned by the Earl of Plymouth, who dictated that alcohol may not be sold on the land.[citation needed] As a result, like other plots of land with similar conditions, the boundaries of the old estate can be approximated by the locations of public houses around the area.[citation needed] To attract business from nearby areas, establishments would be built as close to it as possible without actually being in Ely (local establishments are actually in Caerau and Fairwater).[citation needed]
Ely's rapid expansion of housing began in the 1920s to provide 'homes fit for heroes' after World War I.[citation needed] This came with the construction of council houses to rehouse people from Cardiff's inner-city slums.[citation needed]
Ely Racecourse had its grandstand destroyed in a fire in 1937 and was then closed in 1939.[6]
The area is widely considered to be one of Cardiff's less desirable areas in terms of crime and standard of living. But the residents of Ely are keen to dispel this reputation, citing the fact it is a very large, close-knit community.[9]
Crime and disorder
The area was scarred by rioting in September 1991 when shops and houses were vandalised and burnt in one of several waves of rioting around that time which occurred nationally and resulted in extensive damage and casualties.[10] The trouble was said to be started after a dispute between Wilson Road shopkeepers over the right to sell bread.[11] Some of the buildings targeted in Ely have since been demolished under more recent redevelopment projects.[citation needed]
In June 1993, 45-year-old former steelworker Les Reed was beaten to death after he challenged a gang of youths on the estate after he and a friend witnessed them vandalising a bollard in the middle of a road. Three local youths were later found guilty of Mr Reed's murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, and a fourth was cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter and received a lesser sentence. Mr Reed's friend, Phillip Tull, was also attacked but survived. After the trial in March 1994, it was revealed that three of the gang had previous convictions for violence, including one gang member who had a conviction for wounding against Mr Reed's teenage son Martin in 1991. Around this time, The Independent reported that unemployment on the estate stood at more than 30% (at least three times in the national average) and there was an ongoing problem with car crime and gang warfare.[12]
On the night of 22-23 May 2023, rioting broke out in the area after two teenage boys, Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans, were killed when the electric bike they were riding crashed.[13][14][15]
Transport
Cowbridge Road West (the A48) is the predominant road running through Ely as it runs on to Canton and Cardiff city centre to the east, and to Culverhouse Cross interchange to the west near the Western Cemetery. The parallel Grand Avenue links Cowbridge Road West to the northern estates of Ely.
All three council seats are safely held by the Labour Party, with one of the long-term representatives being former Council leader, Russell Goodway,[16] though in 2004 when Labour lost the Council to the Liberal Democrats, Goodway retained his seat by only 62 votes.[17]
The Ely electoral ward consists of the area north of Cowbridge Road West, while the Caerau electoral ward consists of the area south of Cowbridge Road West.[citation needed] However, a misconception is Caerau being a subsection of the Ely area.[citation needed]
Notable people
Steve Andrews, the "Bard of Ely"; singer-songwriter, writer and journalist
Ely features several shopping parades. Two large supermarkets are located just off Cowbridge Road West on nearby Treseder Way. Many small shops and local businesses are notably on Wilson Road and Grand Avenue; and other chain stores are in the Caerau ward.
Education
Primary Schools in Ely:
Windsor Clive Junior School on Grand Avenue
Herbert Thompson Primary School on Plymouthwood Road
Hywel Dda Primary School on Cambria Road
Saint Fagans Church in Wales Primary School on Drope Road
