Billy Banks Estate, Penarth, Cardiff

I've seen this place in other posts and came down to Cardiff for the weekend. I had today free so went for a look around. The majority of the site has already begun to be re-developed. However, the workmen told me about a quarter of the original estate was still standing, although there were gypsies on the site. Apparently one family still resides in the estate as well.

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Welcome to DP ! Good first post interesting place - Can't understand why anybody would still want their family to live there but I suppose sombody has to be the last out!

Welcome!
Love the photographs and the place

Billy Bragg Estate, Penarth, Cardiff. Second Day

So yesterday I checked out the Billy Bragg estate. I spent about an hour or so there but was riding solo so decided not to venture too deeply into the flats. However, today I went back with somebody else with the intention of getting further inside the estate. Unfortunately, it was impossible to get much further inside the complex so I spent a bit of time going round some of the flats that I missed out yesterday. Hope you enjoy the photos, x

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How Big Is This Place?
& Nice Shot's, But All Black & White? A Bit Of Colour Would Like nice

MMckay395 said:

The Billy Bragg estate

Click to expand...

Surely, you mean the Billy Banks Estate? I'd hope they haven't named an estate after that particular irritating socialist songsmith yet.
Looks like an interesting place regardless.

Welcome aboard I bet this place could tell a few stories,Good work

Fantastic photos, M...and welcome to DP. Good to see an update of the site.
I've merged the two threads together, btw.

The Archivist said:

Surely, you mean the Billy Banks Estate? I'd hope they haven't named an estate after that particular irritating socialist songsmith yet.
Looks like an interesting place regardless.

Click to expand...

Apologies, it is indeed the Billy Banks estate. I knew Billy Bragg didn't sound correct.

The place is still quite big although major renovation has begun on the majority of the estate. There is still approximately a quarter of the original estate still derelict to explore around and plenty more than what I have ventured through.

"The Billy Banks flow west from Paget Terrace in an almost pristine sixties line. They have that mid-century failed social solution look about them. District heating stacks. Communal grass. Balconies. Grey pebble dash. Connecting walls perforated by chequer-board laid bricks. Today the flats themselves have largely been abandoned. There are hundreds of them, named after a curious mix of Welsh and English royalty - Prince Charles Court, Prince Llywelyn Flats, Prince Rhodri House. The windows are boarded with ventilated metal, the doors blocked and broken. Crap in the courtyards. Aluminium bell and intercom plates belted by stones, dented out of their recesses. In their time the blocks won prizes for their architecture. They also suffered the standard sink estate disasters of asbestos, damp, leaking water systems, and being belted out of shape just for the fun of it vandalism. They became a ghetto for the municipal dumping of problem families. Punk music like an electric saw day and night. Dope in the flowerbeds."

From http://www.peterfinch.co.uk/billy.htm