Latest petition info.

The Petitions Committee have given further consideration to petition to save the Vulcan at its meeting on 7 July, where it was agreed to await an outstanding response from the WLGA. The minutes from the meeting are available here.

Welsh Bloggers in the Pub

Thankfully, with the Vulcan safe for the next few years, the first Welsh Bloggers in the Pub event is free to go ahead as planned this Wednesday.

The brain child of the Cynical Dragon, the event aims to give Welsh bloggers the chance to meet up and socialise in the real world, improve relations and promote better communication throughout the Welsh bloggosphere.

For more info visit the Welsh Bloggers site, join the Facebook group, or keep up-to-date via Twitter.

Mark Thomas and a return visit from Vine to the Vulcan

Comedian Mark Thomas performed his new show at the Sherman Theatre this week and was lucky enough to receive his very own Save the Vulcan T-shirt.



For those who haven't seen the show, Mark is putting together a new manifesto, by the people for the people, and has been taking suggestions from audiences around the country. Campaigners Rachel Thomas and Joe Cable put forward the suggestion to Save the Vulcan which was met with a resounding cheer from the audience.

In other news Radio 2's Jeremy Vine has followed up his last visit to the Vulcan and his interview with campaigner Rachel Thomas should go out on tomorrows show.

No Listing for the Vulcan

Despite the recent success in winning a three year lease for the Vulcan, there is inevitably some bad news. After careful consideration by the Minister for Heritage, Alun Ffred Jones, a decision has been made NOT to list the Vulcan. According to the Minster, the pub fails to meet the required listing criteria although he does acknowledge the importance of the Vulcan in Cardiff’s history and the ‘welcome element of diversity’ it brings to its surroundings.

On a positive note, Cadw will begin a review of its principles for the selection of listing this November and you can rest assured that the Petitions Committee are still working hard on the case.

Thank You!

A big THANK YOU needs to go out to everyone who's been involved in the campaign so far and to those of you who came and celebrated the pub's 3 year reprieve last Thursday.

For anyone who missed it, Stu and Bob recorded a short film throughout the night.



The campaign is not over yet and work will be starting very soon to find a permanent solution for the pub. More coming soon...

25 June is V-Day!

Photo used with permission from WalesOnline

The Save The Vulcan campaign is holding a celebration event at 8pm on 25 June. We have recently learnt that our hard work and the support of thousands has led to owner and would-be developer Rapport to offer a new three-year lease to The Vulcan. There's still work to do in order to secure the long-term future of this great pub but a small celebration is certainly in order!

Everyone is welcome - see you there!

View Points - Council Leader Rodney Berman

This is a recent letter from Cardiff Council leader Rodney Berman to the Echo's View Points.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I should like to pay tribute to the members of the "Save the Vulcan" campaign group for the hard work they have put in and maintained over a period of many months promoting their cause. I'd also like to thank the Echo for its part in publicising the campaign throughout. Without the efforts of both, it would undoubtedly not have been easy for me and my colleagues on Cardiff Council to persuade all the parties involved – the site's owner Derek Rapport, Brains Brewery, the St David's Partnership and the John Lewis Partnership – to work together to secure a solution.

I am delighted that a new three-year lease for the Vulcan has now been agreed and I sincerely hope all those concerned will now carry on working towards an even longer-term reprieve for the pub.

Thanks to the efforts of all concerned a piece of Cardiff's history will remain in place. This is very much a victory for "people power".

Yours sincerely,

Rodney Berman
Lib Dem Leader of Cardiff Council

Pint of 45: The Vulcan Hotel

Pint of 45 - the users guide to drinking in Cardiff - have just posted a review of the Vulcan which you can read here.

Guest Blogger - Jon Blake

Jon is a local children's author and Vulcan fan. For his latest project, he worked with children from the three primary schools within Adamsdown to write and record a song that celebrates the areas rich history.

You can find out more about the project here and listen to the song, which has been aired on BBC Radio Wales and topped the SoundClick charts here.







As an Adamsdown resident for the past 19 years, I've been grateful to the Vulcan for providing an exact half way reference point on the walk home from Central Station, although I have to admit I went 18 of those years without actually entering the pub.

This was a mistake. The Vulcan's back bar still has the ambience of those sociable old pubs which existed before people knew what ambience meant.

There is another reason why it was essential the pub was saved. Newtown, the appallingly overcrowded area which the pub served, is no more. But a flavour of that area still exists in one remarkable corner of the Vulcan: the gents' toilets.

Now that the Vulcan has been reprieved, at least for now, we should insist that there is no redevelopment of this historical place of relief, and should it ever come to pass that the pub is relocated to St Fagans, we should also insist that no sanitisation takes place, and that the said bog is rebuilt exactly as it now stands, with its unique aroma intact.

I'm not sure if it's technically possible, but it would be nice if MA Rapport could also produce a luxury watch bearing the Vulcan's name, housed in a presentation case which emits a Vulcan-bog vapour when opened.

Well done to all those who have mounted the campaign to save the pub. However, as a socialist I feel the 'Save The Vulcan' slogan never went far enough. I would have much preferred 'Nationalise the Vulcan without compensation under workers' control', although I realise it might have been difficult to win SA Brain to such a slogan, never mind the Lib Dems.

The Vulcan is immortalised in the video to Adamsdown Song at http://adamsdown.wordpress.com. I hope everyone who cares not just about this historic pub but the area in which it stands will check it out.

Drinkers raise a glass to The Vulcan’s future

From Wales Online:

DRINKERS were last night raising their glasses to the news that Cardiff’s historic Vulcan pub is to remain open for at least another three years.

Brains announced yesterday that an 11th-hour deal had been clinched between the brewery and landowner Derek Rapport.

The tiled Victorian drinking spot will not now be turned into a block of flats or knocked down for parking.

Landlady Elizabeth Smart and husband Brian had already been told to pack their bags and be out by June 25.

But now Mrs Smart is planning on staying in the Adamsdown alehouse.

Her husband is planning to semi-retire. The couple have bought a home in Victoria Park, Cardiff.

The 72-year-old said: “I’m really surprised but it came up trumps in the end.

“My wife had the meeting with the brewery today.”

Mr and Mrs Smart told locals last night that the tavern’s doors are to remain open.

He said: “The Western Mail and the South Wales Echo have helped us a lot.”

Read the full article here.