Captain Scott's Connection to Cardiff: Childhood Home and Memorials

Captain **Robert Falcon Scott (1868–1912)**, the Antarctic explorer, has a direct biographical link to **Cardiff, Wales**:

The Connection

• Born: Devonport, Plymouth, England (June 6, 1868).
• Moved to Cardiff: Age ~2 (1870) when his father, John Edward Scott, bought a brewery business there.
• Home: Lived at **29 Newport Road, Roath** (then a suburb, now central Cardiff) until joining *HMS Britannia* at 13 (1881).
• Formative Years: Attended local schools; developed love of outdoors on Welsh coast/Glamorgan hills.

Memorials in Cardiff

• Statue: Bronze by Kathleen Scott (his widow) in **Roath Park** (unveiled 1915) — depicts Scott in polar gear, facing south.
• Scott Road: In Roath, named in his honor.
• Plaque: At former home (29 Newport Road).
• Cardiff Bay: *Terra Nova* expedition (1910) departed from **Bute Dock** — commemorated by a plaque.

Why Cardiff Claims Him

Though born in Devon, Scott spent his **childhood (ages 2–13)** in Cardiff. The city embraced him as a local hero; the *Terra Nova* was largely funded by Welsh coal magnates (David Davies, etc.) and carried Welsh coal. The Roath Park statue was the **first public memorial to Scott anywhere in the world**.