Pontcanna Fields and Llandaff Fields adjoin each other above the west bank of the River Taff. The ground is mostly level, being part of the floodplain of the Taff, but rises gently on the western edge of Llandaff Fields. Together they form a well-preserved central urban park which, with nearby Bute Park (nprn 301558) and Sophia Gardens (301657), make up an unusually large open space in the heart of Cardiff. The magnificent axial lime avenue forms a very striking feature of the parkland. It was mainly constructed in 1879 and 1899-1901.  

The larger area, Pontcanna, is a large, level open space, most of which is uninterrupted mown grass, and it survives almost intact. Its chief ornamental feature is a great north-south lime avenue and broad walk which runs the entire length of this part of the park. A second lime avenue, along the river, is aligned east-west on the cathedral. Pontcanna is notable for its municipal chalet gardens at its north-west end, a row of eight small individual garden plots rented by the council as independent gardens for combined leisure and productive use. The gardens all originally had the same internal layout, which mostly remains, each plot sub-divided into an informal ornamental section and a productive section separated by an informal lawn surrounded by beds with a wooden chalet facing on to it on its north side.

To the west of the north end of Pontcanna Fields lies Llandaff Fields, an area of open mown grass crossed by a network of tarmac walks and bounded on all but the east side by roads. It survives intact although it has lost some of its original features. The two are separated on the east side by a stone wall flanked by sycamores. The area is planted with deciduous trees flanking the walks. Along the east side, next to the wall, are various recreational facilities, including a children's playground, a bowling green and tennis courts. At the north end was an open-air swimming pool (415045). Features recorded in the 1920s, such as fountain, pool, rockery and fern dell, have all gone.

This is a well-preserved central urban park which, with nearby Bute Park (NPRN 301558) and Sophia Gardens (301657), together form a huge tract of open space in the heart of Cardiff. The magnificent axial lime avenue forms a very striking feature of the parkland. It was mainly constructed in 1879 and in the period 1899-1901.

Sources:
Cadw 2000: Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales, Glamorgan (ref: PGW(Gm)59(CDF).
Ordnance Survey Second Edition 25-inch map of Glamorgan sheet XLIII.10 (1901).

RCAHMW, 7 July 2022