Cardiff Arms Park (Original)

The original Cardiff Arms Park, with its famous north stand terrace, was the atmospheric home of Welsh rugby for over a century. The noise generated by 60,000 Welsh fans singing hymns and arias made it one of the most intimidating grounds in world rugby. It was demolished to build the Millennium Stadium (now Principality Stadium) on the same site.

The stadium was named after the Cardiff Arms Hotel, a coaching inn that stood on the site and was owned by the Marquesses of Bute. The original ground was built on land reclaimed from the River Taff after the legendary engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel diverted the river's course in the 1840s. Cardiff Arms Park hosted the world's first-ever live televised rugby union international match when Wales played Scotland on February 5, 1938. To coordinate the famous atmosphere, the stadium frequently used a 'song leader' who would stand on the pitch to conduct the 60,000 fans in four-part harmony singing. When the Millennium Stadium replaced the original park, the entire pitch layout was rotated 90 degrees to fit the larger structure into the tight city-center site.