| |
|
|
CARDIFF’S ‘LITTLE CHELSEA’
If anyone’s going to know all there is to know about Pontcanna, then it’s local estate agency firm Chris John and Partners. Andrew Thomas of Chris John and Partners gave us the low down on what’s often referred to as ‘Little Chelsea’.
Legend has it that St. Canna was a sixth Century Breton princess who used to sit on a bridge which stood at the corner of Teilo Street and Cathedral Road, enticing people into the local church and converting them to Christianity. Her first husband, St. Sadwrn also got religion, eventually ending up as a hermit on Anglesey.
A more prosaic account of the origin of the name ‘canna’ has it meaning ‘to whiten’ and characterises the Canna as a stream or ‘white brook’ dividing the parishes of Llandaff and Canton. This ran behind a row of thatched cottages opposite our offices before crossing Cathedral Road at the corner of Pontcanna Street (-might explain our perennially damp cellar!), eventually veering east and joining the Taff near Sophia Gardens.
Acquired from the Marquis of Bute in 1947, Pontcanna Fields’ magnificent axial lime avenue runs alongside the site of last year’s National Eisteddfod and all the way up to Western Avenue. In 1982 Pope John Paul II preached to 150,000 at Pontcanna Fields, having been introduced in song by BBC Radio Wales presenter Frank Hennessy. Just after Christmas in 1979 floods left Pontcanna Fields under six feet of water and the best method of getting down Cathedral Road was by boat!
The Bute Estate initially leased much of Pontcanna and were therefore able to employ estate architects to ensure high quality design and construction. The influence of the Bute’s famed Neo- Gothic/Pre-Raphaelite architect William Burges can be felt.
Housing constructed by the Estate is well known for its abundance of late Victorian and Edwardian marble or slate decorative tiled fireplaces, elaborate coving and carved stonework, stained glass, panelled doors and a re
Established in 1973, Chris John & Partners relocated from High Street in the city centre and are the only estate agents in Pontcanna holding membership of all three professional bodies: RICS (for surveys & valuations), NAEA(for sales) & ARLA(for lettings). markable variety of patterned porch tiles and terrazzo flooring.
....................................................................................................................
PONTCANNA
Green textiles arrive at Wyatt’s in Pontcanna
New to Wyatt’s this Spring is a fabulous, fresh and funky range of textiles from environmentallyaware Swedish company, Linum.
The textiles evoke a feeling of simplicity but still keep within traditional values. Classical tickings with a modern feel in three different colour ways, The Reds, The Greens and The Blues make up the collection. Some of these patterns follow a neutral theme with The Whites and Neutrals. Jane Wyatt, owner of Wyatt’s can give advice on integrating these textiles in your home for a touch of Scandinavian simplicity and style.
....................................................................................................................
PONTCANNA
Roger Williams The Jewellery Studio
Roger owns the very popular Jewellery Studio which has been in business for over 25 years.
How is business?
Business is good, despite the current economic climate. Couples are still getting engaged so diamond rings continue to sell well and as platinum has come down in price it continues to be the metal of choice. Our customers continue to appreciate my diamond expertise and trust my guidance when it comes to stone selection. Our oval diamond engagement rings continue to sell well as an existing alternative to the brilliant cut styles. In addition, our range of silver jewellery always sells well. I like to think that there is something for everyone who is looking for a gift. The Jewellery Studio has been here for twenty five years so we've built up an extremely loyal customer base. Customers trust us and they know we'll look after them.
How did you find working with Rachel on the City Life cover photoshoot?
I loved every minute of it. Seeing Rachel transform Jess’s hair into the different styles was fascinating. I’m very proud of her and am thrilled that she has chosen Pontcanna to open her new salon. She has a loyal customer base that other shops here are now benefiting from.
What are the most popular ranges at The Jewellery Studio?
I have to say that the Paris based Dunia range of silver jewellery has been a real success. It is colourful, innovative and well priced. The very collectable range of Thomas Sabo charms also continues to sell well and are the best selling item on our website. They are easily selected on line and dispatched the same day, so adding to a charm collection is made easy. Our range of silver jewellery has also been complemented with our introduction of the Spanish Designer range of Luxenter, a colourful range of earrings and pendants, bracelets set with semi-precious stones. We also have the Vabene range of Italian watches by Georgio Grimoldi which are doing well.
You have become known for your unique designs. Do you have anything new planned for the Spring?
Yes, I have sourced beautiful trillion cut diamonds so am working on a new engagement ring for this season, for those who like something a bit different.
Any new brands to look forward to?
We’re delighted to be the only jewellers in south Wales to stock Stahl, a unique brand which is one of the leading jewellery manufacturers in Europe. Over 1,000 pieces of jewellery in gold and silver for both gentlemen and ladies are created per season, which are influenced by the shapes and colours of the fashion industry.
Any new developments?
Yes, I’m very excited to announce that we are launching our new look website. We have undergone a rebranding exercise with the help of Blindspot Design in Pontcanna and thanks to their efforts, our new look site will be easier for customers to browse or buy online.
....................................................................................................................
PONTCANNA
Rachel Williams The Hair Studio
In this issue the City Life team worked with father and daughter Roger and Rachel Williams who are both business owners in the Pontcanna area.
Rachel set up The Hair Studio a few doors up from his studio six months ago. They teamed up to work with City Life for this issue’s front cover, showcasing both Roger’s amazing jewellery and Rachel’s hair styling skills.
Here we talk to Rachel on how she thought the shoot went and how the new business was doing.
How was your experience working with the City Life team on the photoshoot?
I very much enjoyed working with everyone involved in the photoshoot for this issue of City Life. It was a long day, having had to work at the salon and then hot tail it down to The Cameo Club where the first of the shoots took place. Martin Phillips, the photographer set everything up was amazing, there were so many cables and lights involved.
The studio shoot at Red Kite Studio’s in Porthcawl was just as interesting. Jessica, Martin’s daughter was the model and she did an excellent job of wearing the clothes from Body Basics so well, posing in dad’s jewellery for so long without letting a single hair fall out of place. It was great to be able to style Jessica’s hair in a variety of styles to get the right look we were going for. It certainly brought out the creative side in me!
Who else was involved?
Amanda the make up artist was pure genius. Jennifer (Editor) and I had collaborated beforehand and worked with Amanda on the look we were going for and Amanda transformed Jess into our vision which Martin captured beautifully. For the Cameo Club shoot, Suzi from Flowers with a Twist supplied the finishing touches with her stunning flowers for the backdrop and the props were supplied by both The Cameo Club and Elizabeth Holland Interiors.
The clothing for the shoot was kindly supplied by Body Basics in Pontcanna and from Jess’s own wardrobe.
What was it like working with your dad on the shoot?
Dad and I both loved the buzz of both shoots. We’re both creative and enjoy working with people to get the right result. Sometimes this can get a bit stressful but we’re the kind of people who thrive on stress, otherwise we wouldn’t have started our own businesses!
Are you and Roger happy with the end result?
The images are excellent and give a great representation of Pontcanna and both our businesses.
What’s new at The Hair Studio?
Luckily things have been and are really busy, which is great given the current economic climate. We’ve taken on a new member of staff recently, Trish, who’s been in the industry for 26 years. She’s trained to the highest standards of haidressing and has settled in well. She’s been in Wales for ten years and originates from Dublin, Ireland. She loves Wales and has worked all over. She’s also just as excited and inspired as I am about La Biosthetique, the product range we offer in the salon.
Tell us about La Biosthetique?
Its Trichology based, meaning its all based on the study of the scalp, offering solutions to any type of scalp condition or hair type. The company’s philosophy stems from the discovery of the physiological connection between hair and skin over 50 years ago by the biochemist Marcel Contier. Scientists use this concept as well the most up-to-date findings on cosmetics and medicine to develop first class products.
Each product is carefully created and blended with high quality raw materials. The products are subjected to the strictest tolerability and efficacy tests at European University Clinics to ensure our products are safely created without testing on animals, which is an important factor for me in choosing this product range. Also, the colour results have been excellent, truly spectacular results. Both customers and ourselves have been very pleased.
Any other developments?
I’ve recently added Great Lengths Hair Extensions to our services which enables me to use my creative skills. They’re 100% human and 100% traceable. They give amazing results and offer a huge colour range which is able to match any hair colour. They are the leading brand in hair extensions and take little maintenance.
Many women want the look of long hair but are put off by those that look unnatural and worry about the damage some can cause to their own hair but with Great Lengths they are kind to your hair and scalp, are vitually undetectable by sight or touch, are comfortable to wear, long lasting and can be removed with no damage. We’re currently offering free consultatations for anyone wanting to try them out.
|
|
|
