Save the Vulcan t-shirts!

Behind the scenes we’re working very hard to do everything we possibly can to Save our beloved Vulcan.

We now have t-shirts!

We have very limited numbers at the moment, so if you want one, please order it now!

If you want one,
• Send a cheque for 12 made payable to “Save the Vulcan”
• Send your cheque, and the details below to: David Wilton, 2 Pembroke Terrace, Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, CF64 1DE.
• Please write your name, address and email address on the back of the cheque.
• When ordering a t-shirt, you MUST include:
o Your name
o Your address
o Your telephone number
o Your email address
o The t-shirt size you require – S / M / L / XL

Or, please visit The Vulcan and buy one from behind the bar for 10. T-shirts should be ready in the pub for Wales v. England on 14th Feb 2009.

St Davids 2 and their role in The Vulcan Hotel

As readers of this blog will be aware, The Vulcan Hotel came under threat due to a Compulsory Purchase Order made by the Welsh Development Agency on behalf of the St David's 2 (Land Securities). Although the order was not activated, and Brains did not want to sell, the Vulcan has nevertheless gone into the hands of Rapport (Marcol Asset Management) a property developer. We are informed that Rapport have a contract to supply a car park for St David's 2. Hence Rapport’s excuse for wanting to knock down the Vulcan is that it’s needed for St David's 2.

We call on St David's to discuss their position with us. The Campaign team feel that the St David's 2 development does not need The Vulcan ripped down in order for their development to succeed.

The St David's 2 website use the strapline ‘Cardiff is evolving’ and their website claims '…St David's 2' brings an outstanding opportunity to make a contribution to the emergence of Cardiff as a major European destination…’

We call for St David's 2 / Land Securites to rethink their position with regard the Vulcan – they are not evolving Cardiff, they have a hand in destroying a part of what makes Cardiff. The Vulcan is a beautiful Victorian Pub that has stood since 1853. It is a thriving business, during a time of economic slowdown.

Normally we would wish St David's 2 well, but if they have a hand in destroying an important part of Cardiff, we will not hesitate to make that known to Cardiff shoppers, when St David's 2 is due to open.

David Wilton

david.wilton29@yahoo.co.uk

Disclaimer: As the facts in this case have been extremely difficult to unearth, the above information has been gathered at a best endeavour from what sources we can find. If Rapport or St David's 2 wish to contact me to correct anything of the above, the Campaign team would be delighted to meet and discuss further.

The latest on the campaign

I know this blog hasn't been updated in a while, but fear not, the campaign is still going strong! I will try and update this blog with as much information as possible over the coming weeks, so please check back for details!

What's coming up?
SAVE THE VULCAN public meeting on 29th January at 7pm, in The ATRiuM, Adam Street (opposite The Vulcan). This will be your chance to find out more about the campaign, and how you can get involved.

Join us on Facebook - search 'God have mercy...Save the Vulcan'.

Sign the online petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/savethevulcanhotel/and send the link to friends and family.

Write to the Heritage Minister. Make it clear in your letter or email we want to keep the pub where it has stood for 155 years. Alun Ffred Jones AMalunffred.jones@wales.gov.uk.

We have printed several thousand leaflets. If you can spare time to deliver them anywhere in Cardiff, email rachelthomas753@hotmail.co.uk and we'll get some to you.

Keep writing letters to the press.
South Wales Echo - Email: ecletters@mediawales.co.uk
Western Mail Email: readers@mediawales.co.uk

More coming soon.....

Petition Latest

The on-line petition has so far been signed by supporters from 37 UK towns and cities, 2 German cities, 2 Canadian cities and 2 Swedish cities and the paper 'in pub' petition by hundreds of others.
With the Welsh Beer and Cider Festival due next month at Cardiff International Arena (it's just around the corner) we expect those numbers to grow exponentially.
Now that the local council elections are over we can get down to business with local councillors John Dixon and Nigel Howells about a real local issue in Adamsdown (other than their re-election) and see what if anything they plan to do in support of this campaign.
If you want to express your views to them (Cardiff is a mainly Liberal Democrat City) you can e-mail them via the following links:
Jenny Willot Member of Parliament for Cardiff Central
Jenny Randerson Welsh Assembly Minister for Cardiff Central
John Dixon Local Councillor
Nigel Howells Local Councillor and City Council Executive Member for Sport, Leisure, and Culture

Sausages

Friday night was a busy one with the back room full of returning students, Wonderbrass members and King Django who were at Atrium rehearsing for there upcoming gigs etc. This was another chance to get your hands on Liz's famous locally produced sausages. They appear along with chips and or sandwiches whenever there's a meeting on in the back room or it's Quiz Night (Mondays in Term Time) or the Darts Team are at home (alternate Tuesdays), The German Society (every Tuesday). If you're in the area why not pop in.
P.S. The Quiz Night on a Monday raises money for a Local Pensioners Christmas Fund.

Manic Street Preachers and National Security

The campaign has been running for two weeks now and the petition is going from strength to strength.
Approximately 300 people have signed it in the pub with many more asking to take blank forms away with them.
The on-line version is taking time to get going but it is early days. Google's crawler hasn't found the site yet but it has been verified.
Gossip... The Ministry of Defence are not too happy about the proposed plans for three 11-13 storey tower blocks next door to a secure Territorial Army base which is used for ...deleted.., but it's not surprising really, given anyone could rent/buy an apartment and directly overlook it. Click the image above to see Google Earth's view from 231 feet. The same goes for the overview residents would get of Cardiff Prison across the road.
I think the expression is 'eye shot'.

Gossip... the Manic Street Preachers are to support the campaign to save the Vulcan, due to them being Welsh and drinking in the pub when they're in town. Thanks lads if it's true.

Cymraeg

We're looking for someone to translate these posts into Welsh so that a separate but linked blog can be created.
All you'll have to do is translate the posts and comments (if any) and send them to us at Save the Vulcan and we'll do the rest.
Diolch

Sky Scraper City

is a website about just that and has some details on the proposals for Adam Street which according to them


"was originally part of the St David’s 2 master plan and was in the first outline planning application. It was dropped from the more recent applications and the site is being used as a temporary car park while St David’s 2 is being built. These towers may yet be built after St David’s 2 has been completed."
There are 3 residential tower blocks in the plan and the limited information they have can be found here just scroll down the list and click on Adam Street Developments Blocks 1,2, and 3

Restoration

of the outside of the Vulcan is perfectly feasible given that Craven Dunnill Jackfield the company that originally provided the tiling is still in existence, and specialise in restoration projects. Their name is stamped on the back of each of the pub's tiles. Presumably they also provided the tiles for other Brains pubs, notably the Golden Cross down the road which has a similar exterior but a more extensive tiled interior. The oldest Gent's toilet in Cardiff could also do with a bit of TLC