One of the most remarkable transformations in Cardiff Bay has been that of the Coal Exchange in Mount Stuart Square, from commercial hub to arts and entertainment centre. It’s imposing facade speaks of the days when Cardiff was growing fast to become the greatest coal-exporting port in the world - it’s wealth built on the ‘black gold’ dug from the earth by the miners of the Rhondda and neighbouring valleys The exchange was built between 1883 and 1886 to the designs of James, Seward and Thomas. It was here that Cardiff’s leading businessmen - owners of shipping firms, coal mines and a complexity of allied businesses - met to fix their deals, some with far distant countries. Cardiff, which half a century before had been a market town of 10,000 people with a small coastal trade, had by then become a commercial centre of importance on the world’s stage.

The millionaires have long since turned to dust, but the Coal Exchange remains in all it’s architectural glory. Paired Corinthian columns, an oak balcony, and rich wood panelling adorn the trading hall, which was magnificently reconstructed by Edwin Seward in 1911. Instead of dancing to the tune of commerce, however, the Coal Exchange is now a pantheon of pleasure. Feet tap-tap to traditional jazz and music of all descriptions pulls in the crowds. Courtney Pine, Ultravox, John Williams, Van Morrison and Jools Holland and his big band, have all performed there, while TV companies have found the hall ideal for period dramas and current affairs programmes.