Cardiff School of Art & Design

Between the 1830's and the 1880's, successive British governments led by the Board of Trade funded the establishment of art schools throughout the UK. In 1865 Cardiff Council elected to join with the national scheme and set up an art school. Cardiff’s Art School began its classes in January 1866, in a large room off St Mary’s Street in a room that was part of the city's library. In 1867 a distinct School of Art was formed, based on the Art Night School, with 65 young pupils aged between 9 and 17. In 1868 an older intake was accepted, of 50 'artisan' students between 17 and 25 years old. In 1976 the School merged with other colleges to become part of South Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education (later Cardiff Institute of Higher Education and the University of Wales Institute Cardiff). The School is by far oldest constituent part of Cardiff Metropolitan University and since 2015 has occupied a new purpose-built building at the university's Llandaff Campus.

Alumni and staff include Evan Charlton, Glyn Jones, Ceri Richards, Frank Roper, Terry Setch, Norman Toynton, Tom Hudson, David Emanuel, fashion designer and honorary fellow of Cardiff Metropolitan University, Leslie Gilbert Illingworth, Phil Nicol, winner of the Gold Medal for Fine Art at the 2001 National Eisteddfod, Robert Thomas and Ernest Zobole to name but a few.