National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales preserves and celebrates the sound and moving image heritage of Wales, making it accessible to a wide range of users for enjoyment and learning. Its film collection reflects every aspect of the nation’s social, cultural and working life across the 20th century, giving a fascinating insight into Welsh filmmaking, both amateur and professional.
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VIth British Empire & Commonwealth Games Wales 18-26 July
The sporting event for which the Wales Empire Pool was built in Cardiff, reflecting the city's promotion, in 1955, to capital of Wales.
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Overview
Cardiff City Corporation's Parks Dept film unit, which had made a number of films showing the city in bloom, set to work to record the various elements of the games which took place in 1958, setting the seal on Cardiff's 1955 promotion to capital city. They record the Duke of Edinburgh visiting, the Empire Games Village at RAF St Athan, hurdling at Cardiff Arms Park (main stadium) and cycling at Maindy Stadium. A marathon is referred to but there are no accompanying shots.
The film closes with shots of the opening of the Empire Games Running Track at Maindy Stadium in October 1958, an event which was used to close the Festival of Wales which also occurred in 1958. The track had been laid in the main stadium – Cardiff Arms Park – on the understanding that it would be swiftly removed once the games were over. The Wales Empire pool remained in place for 40 years, being demolished in 1998 to make way for the Millennium Stadium (once Cardiff Arms Park). It was replaced with the Cardiff International Pool, opened in 2008.
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