Inside the new Cardiff Sixth Form College(Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)

Inside historic Cardiff Bay building after incredible restoration

by · Wales Online

For three decades, one of Cardiff Bay’s most historic buildings had been left empty, slowly falling into disrepair. In more recent years, the Cory's Building has been covered in scaffolding and sheeting while work went on inside.

But now, it's reopened as the new teaching building for Cardiff Sixth Form.

Built in 1889 the building, plus the neighbouring Merchant Place, have been skilfully combined and brought back to life with students now attending classes inside.

The buildings, on the corner of Bute Street and Bute Place, are now home to hundreds of students, many from overseas, who have come to Cardiff. The majority of students are from Hong Kong or China, but they have a scholarship programme and 80 Welsh students. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here

Routinely recognised for its academic results, the college doesn’t just have a new teaching block now. A custom building has also been built for accommodation. That 17-storey building, known as the boarding house, is on Pierhead Street and has its own gym, cinema room and basketball court.

The expansion means the college has increased its roll too, enrolling more students than ever before with 405 currently studying, although the building has a maximum capacity of 500.

The arrival of the students has made a marked difference to Cardiff Bay already, with students walking between the new custom built accommodation block near the Senedd to the teaching block.

Principal Tom Arrand said he hopes the students will bring an economic benefit to the wider Bay area, with businesses already seeing a boom with their new captive market of students on their doorsteps.

In an era where many independent schools are facing pressures, or closure, they see their growth as a sign of confidence in their teaching model.

Tucked away in the design are pieces of history. In one classroom, the original safe from the Cory's Building, in another, a window shows the original lift mechanisms. Outside, an 1881 fireplace remains set into the garden wall.

The students, he said "love" being in the Bay. "We have got the home of democracy, the Senedd, the home of culture, in the Millennium Centre, and the home of education with the leading independent school in the UK, in terms of our academic results," Mr Arrand said.

"When I am showing prospective parents around, I don't just show the inside of the school, but we take a walk to Mermaid Quay, to the Pierhead, and the Wales Millennium Centre and it's an asset to the school," he said.

For parents, the appeal is not only the custom-designed buildings, but also how safe the area feels, he said.

The new facilities are considerably bigger, allowing a large auditorium with views over the Bay, plus a bigger dining room, where they offer two lunch sittings, serving 200 students and 50 staff in each, in 13 minute windows. Things like food waste output are monitored to encourage sustainability.

See pictures from inside below:

The new facility combines two historic buildings - Cory's Building and Merchant Place, with the new Skyview Place built in the centre. Cory’s was built for the influential firm Cory Brothers & Co, whose extensive business interests spanned over chandlery, brokerage, colliery and wagon ownership, and coal exporting. Merchant Place was originally housing offices for merchants, shipowners, and coal exporters who did business in what was then one of the busiest ports in the world.(Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)
They now have more space than in their former home off Newport Road including a larger dining room and auditorium.(Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)
A new building has been created on wasteland between the two sites(Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)
Students come from all over the world to study at the college(Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)
Principal Tom Arrand says it has taken years to get the building completed, and credited staff with their hard work to ensure a smooth move(Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)