Alexander Street

Built on land belonging to Alfred Mackintosh around 1885. Probably named after both his father Alexander Mackintosh who fought in the American War of Independence or his son Angus Alexander who fought in WWI, injured at Ypres in 1914, spent six months in hospital back in England then went to work in Canada as the aide-de-camp to Prince Arthur, the Governor General of Canada. A year later the Governor General of Canada was replaced by Victor Cavendish, Duke of Devonshire but Angus Mackintosh stayed in his role as aide-de-camp. The Duke of Devonshire was accompanied to Canada by his family and Angus Mackintosh and the Duke’s daughter, Maud Cavendish, fell in love and were married at Christ Church Cathedral, Ottawa in  Nov 1917. They moved to Washington DC where Angus was appointed Honorary Assistant Military Attaché in the British War Mission. A few weeks after the birth of their daughter Anne Peace Arabella Mackintosh, Angus caught the Spanish flu and died of pneumonia on 13 Oct 1918 aged 33. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia (plot L.4140).

Bruce Street

The houses date from around 1893. The street so famous they seem to have named it twice!    Named after Francis Villiers Bruce, Land Agent, who worked for the Earl of Plymouth, St Fagans.  This Cathays parcel of land was owned by Colonel Edward Wood.  His daughter Leticia married Francis Bruce in 1888.  The other neighbouring streets are also named after Wood family members. 

Picture included the double street names, Leticia Eugenie Bruce née Wood (1855-1906), Francis Villiers Bruce (1864-1928), Bruce Street today, early map showing Bruce Street before houses were built and before street was extended up to Fairoak Road and beyond land owned by the Wood family.

Monthermer Road

Probably named after Ralph de Monthermer (d.1325), Keeper of Cardiff Castle, son-in-law to Edward I.  His clandestine marriage to the King’s widowed daughter, Joan, greatly offended her father, who had Ralph Monthermer imprisoned in Bristol but King Edward I was quickly persuaded to pardon Ralph.   The houses in Monthermer Road, some with Dutch landscape porch tiles, date from 1897. Crwys Hall church, now Highfields church,  had an unusual exterior preaching balcony.

Mundy Place

What’s the origin of the street name Mundy Place in Cathays? The land used to be owned by Edward Priest Richards who was killed in city Road following a collision with a manure wagon. His widow Harriet remarried to Major Pierrepont Henry Mundy who played cricket for MCC.