History

The Building and its Founder

The Temple of Peace was opened on 23 November 1938. It was a gift from Lord David Davies of Llandinam (Montgomeryshire) to the Welsh people. He wanted it to be “a memorial to those gallant men [and women] from all nations who gave their lives in the war that was to end war” and so it was dedicated to the memory of the loss of life as a result of the 1914 - 1918 War.

Lord David Davies had fought in the trenches during this war, and was actively involved in the search for stable international order through the League of Nations and the League of Nations Union. He wanted to see the establishment of a strong International Police force so that international agreement and peace could be obtained. Born in 1880, he died on 16 June 1944, before the Second World War ended, but was continually stressing, as in a letter of 1943, “the vital importance of arousing our people to the need for an International Authority”, posing the question “what doth it profit a nation if it gains the whole world and loses its own soul?”

In founding this public building, Lord Davies hoped to combine the ideals of peace and health. He wanted these two great humanitarian causes to be expressed in the architectural design of the building. The architect of the Temple of Peace and Health was Sir Percy Thomas, who was awarded the Bronze medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects for its design. The foundation stone was laid by Viscount Halifax in 1937, the building as a whole is made from materials from various countries, to emphasise the international nature of the work carried on inside the building.

The Temple’s Layout

The building, built in the form of the letter ‘T’, has two wings. Made out of Portland stone, the roofs of the wings are dark red Italian pattern tiles. It is in these wings that offices and committee rooms, on three levels, are situated. The Temple of Peace and Health, because of its location, has both the busy centre of Cardiff and the rather quieter park close at hand. The main entrance of the building faces King Edward VII Avenue, and at the rear of the building is the Garden of Peace, with North Road behind it.

Entrance Hall / Vestibule:

One is hardly able to miss the large pillars facing you as you enter. Behind these columns of portico are three large windows, above which are panels depicting figures representing Health, Justice and Peace. The arms of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales can also be seen.

Temple Hall:

The central portion of the building, being deliberately higher than the wings, houses the spacious Temple Hall. Situated on the ground floor and facing anyone who enters the main entrance, it is lined with dove-grey marble to symbolise the emblem of Peace. It serves as a meeting place of numerous cultural and social organisations, with lectures and conferences on international issues being held here (featuring speakers from all over the world), as well as it being a venue for campaigning groups and social events.

The Crypt and the Welsh National Book of Remembrance:

Situated immediately below the Temple Hall, the Crypt houses the first Book of Remembrance. 1,100 pages long, it bears the names of 35,000 men and women of Welsh birth and parentage, and the men who served in Welsh regiments who lost their lives in the first World War. As most died on Belgian or French soil, the bronze used on the glass casing of the Book of Remembrance is French, and the marble pedestal on which it rests is from Belgium. Concealed lighting illuminates the book from the roof of the Crypt.

Council Chamber:

This is used as a meeting place, and is also a library, housing many books with international themes. Wood panelled, it is to be found on the first floor of the building. Lord Davies’ own book collection can be found there, in part.
Since its inception, the Temple of Peace and Health has been divided, in terms of its occupancy, into two sections. The first two occupants of the building were the League of Nations Union Welsh National Council, and the King Edward VII National Memorial Association. Now it is the Welsh Centre for International Affairs and the Velindre Health Trust who occupy the building.