Locations Fragments & Exit Wounds

Fragments & Exit Wounds

‘While the Doctor is away, I’m filling in for him. For all I know, he could be regenerating again!’

Captain Jack Harkness

The Royal Navy Propellant Factory, Caerwent, Monmouthshire later known as RAF Caerwent

Caerwent Army Depot, Dinham Road, Caerwent, Caldicot NP26 5XL

The first scene takes our intrepid team, bar Gwen, to an abandoned building outside the city, where they suspect an alien creature is lurking, only to discover that once more, Captain John Hart wants to eliminate the team, only this time, not to win Jack back. Of course, we know there was a reason behind John’s behaviour, don’t we?  

In 1936, plans were drawn up for a new factory that would become the Royal Navy Propellants site, which would consume the entire village of Dinham located on the northern edge of the RNPF Caerwent.

After the Second World War, the call for the factory to close transferred the propellants to a new site in Bishopton. In the 1,580 acres of land originally used by the factory, it now uses 1,500 acres for training troops, using the operational railway and road system, for training and exercises.

Of course, it is partly available to farming and to filming. Both Torchwood and Doctor Who have used the site extensively for interior and exterior locations. In 1995, Scrapheap Challenge held its series there, and Top Gear have used the site too, not to mention a certain Hollywood blockbuster – Captain America: The First Avenger and Big Nothing starring Simon Pegg and David Schwimmer. 

Caerwent location was used for Jonah Bevan’s care home in Adrift, the booby-trapped building in Fragments, and the army base in Sleeper. If you recognise it from another series, do let us know?

How to get there:

It’s only accessible by car.

Take the slip road to Cardiff (W)/Caerdydd, (Gn)/Cardiff Airport from North Road/A470 for six miles.

Follow Eastern Avenue/A48 (M) and M4 to A48 in Newport.

Take Exit 24 from M4 for 16.3 miles.

Follow A48 to Caerwent, should take about 12 minutes. The base is to the north of the village on Dinham Road.

Dumballs Road, Tresillian Terrace, Cardiff, CF10

This is where Toshiko met with the woman holding her Mother prisoner for the blueprints of a sonic device that Toshiko herself had ‘fixed’. It has since been rebuilt and has become the Huggard Centre, and it takes about 14 minutes to reach it going through St Mary’s Street and Penarth Road for about 0.7 miles.

How to get there:

Walk south-east on St John Street towards High Street Arcade (259ft) helpful if you have a measuring stick!!!

Turn right but stay on St John Street. This street turns slightly right and becomes Church Street. Turn left onto St Mary Street.

Turn right onto Penarth Road. Go slightly left but stay on the Penarth Road. Continue onto Dumballs Road, Huggard, Huggard Centre is on the left.

Maindy Road, Cathays, Cardiff

Ianto introduces himself several times in this episode to Jack Harkness, this time is when he helps the Captain against a savage Weevil. Through research, I’ve discovered that there are two areas used in this scene, one here in Maindy Road and the other in Bute Park. We’ll cover this one first.

How to get there:

Head north on Kingsway/A4161 towards North Road, continuing on the A4161 for 0.2miles. Continue onto North Road/A470 for 0.4 miles.

Turn right onto Corbett Road for 0.2 miles. Continue onto Cathays Terrace for 315 feet. Turn left onto Maindy Road for 0.3 miles and you’ve arrived.

AvestaPolarit Panteg Steelworks, Station Road, Griffithstown, Pontypool, Gwent, NP4 5YH.

The Steelworks operated for well over 100 years, closing in March 2004. It’s difficult to isolate its exact location now, as it has become a housing estate, so I can only give you the location of Station Road, from there you’d have to ‘ask a local’ who may point you in the direction – possibly!

The location has been used many times in the past for both Torchwood and Doctor Who. For this particular episode, it was used for Jack and Ianto capturing Myfanwy.

How to get there:

You can travel by car, bus or by train, but the car seems the quickest to arrive there.

Take the slip road to Cardiff (W)/Caerdydd (Gn)/Cardiff Airport/Maes Awyr Caerddydd from North Road/A470 for 1.8 miles.

Follow Eastern Avenue/A48(M) and M4 to Malpas Road/A4051 in Newport. Take exit 26 from M4 for 12.4 miles.

Continue on the A4051. Drive to Station Road in Griffithstown for 6.3 miles.

Glyntaff Crematorium, Cemetery Road, Glyntaff, Pontypridd, CF37 4BE

Filming took place in 2007 for the moment when Owen said goodbye to his wife, and saw Jack Harkness watching from the shade of the trees. Owen’s rage gets the better of him, and Jack takes the brunt of it.

Ponty as its locally known as is the birthplace of Tom Jones and the resting place of Eugene Jones from Random Shoes.

To get there:

Follow the North Road to Merthyr Road/A470 for 2.1 miles. Follow the A470 to Cardiff Road/A4054 in Pontypridd, taking the A473 exit from A470 for 8.5miles.

Follow the A4054 to Cemetery Road for 0.4 miles.

BBC Broadcasting House, Llantrisant Road, Llandaff, Cardiff, CF5 2YQ

This location was used for the Lodmoor Research Facility, Cardiff

To get there:

Head south-west on Duke Street/A4161 towards Duke Street Arcade. Continue to follow the A4161 for 0.4 miles.

Turn right onto Cathedral Road/A4119, continue to follow the A4119 for 1.0 miles.

Turn right onto Cardiff Road/A4119, again continue to follow the A4119. Go through (although not literally, the Police hate that – trust me) one roundabout for 1.0 mile.

Turn right for 66ft, then turn left, and BBC Cymru Wales will be on the right at 341 ft.

Bute Park, North Road, Cardiff, CF10 3DX

The second location where Ianto introduces himself to Jack after a scrap with a Weevil.

To get there:

The quickest route would be to go via A4161 and North Road/A470.

Head north on Kingsway/A4161 towards North Road. Continue following the A4161 for 0.2miles. Continue onto North Road/A470 for 0.1 mile. Turn left for approximately 20feet, and there you have it. Bute Park.

Mermaid Quay

This location has been covered in previous Location articles, and it’s one that anyone could find, just heading down to the Bay.

This was the location for the scene where Ianto presents Jack with a cup of coffee and practically begs the Captain for a job.

Cardiff Royal Infirmary, Newport Road, Cardiff

This was the location for Owen’s place of work before his wife died, and before he joined Torchwood.

To get there:

Head north on Kingsway/A4161 towards North Road. Continue to follow A4161 for 0.2 miles. Use the right two lanes to turn right onto Boulevard De Nantes/A4161. Continue again to follow A4161 for 1.0 miles.

Turn right onto Piercefield Place for 305 feet. Turn right at the first cross street onto Gold Street for 220 feet. Turn left onto Newport Road/A4161. The hospital is on the left.

Exit Wounds

Broadcast 4^th April 2008, everything is in chaos. Gray makes an appearance. Jack is missing, and takes some time to return to his team, and we say a sad farewell to two of Torchwood’s finest.

Whilst looking up the locations for these scenes, some of the buildings no longer exist under the title of old, so finding some buildings have been renamed, takes a little bit longer to locate up to date photographs or directions. So, bear with, as sometimes, when reviewing locations, we're lead down a merry path.

Portland House Offices, (the Old Natwest Building), 113 – 116 Bute Street, Cardiff, CF10 5EQ.

In Exit Wounds, these issues arise in the very first location - the Old Natwest Building, which doubled as a police station, where PC Andy Davidson called Gwen regarding the Weevils that were causing chaos within the building.

The building had changed its name since those early days so the old search engines were finding it difficult to locate what I requested. Not being a local, it took a bit of tracking down the new name. As seen above, these are now offices for Portland House.

To get there:

It takes only 5 minutes to reach this destination on foot.

Walk east on Queen Street, towards Queen’s Arcade, and the building is on the right. Ideal if you carry a compass!

Roath Police Station, 142 Clifton Street, Splott, CF24 1LZ 

Where Andy shows Gwen the Weevils currently housed in a cell after savaging high ranking officials. We're happy to note that this building still exists.

To get there:

Head north on the Kingsway/A4161 road towards North Road. Continue to follow the A4161 for 0.2 miles.

Use the right two lanes to turn right onto Boulevard De Nantes/A4161, and continue on this road for 1.0 miles.

Turn right onto Four Elms Road for 367 feet. Turn right onto Clifton Street, and Roath Police Station is on the right. It's still used as a Police Station and I'm not certain you can gain public entry unless you're looking to spend the night - without your camera!

Cardiff Castle, Castle Street, Cardiff, CF10 3RB.

Again, another location that doesn't require much walking in order to find it. It's animal figures leaning on the wall surrounding it are pretty difficult to miss, and the castle does tower above the streets around it.

The Castle has been used for many BBC Wales dramas including Merlin, Doctor Who and indeed good old Torchwood. From high on the Keep to down in the tunnels, Cardiff Castle has a wealth of opportunities, and a wonderful place to walk around. We went twice!

In this episode, the Keep was used for the scene where Jack saw the destruction of Cardiff, before disappearing into the Rift to the year 27AD.

To get there:

Walk north-west on St John Street towards Duke Street/A4161 for 30 feet. Turn left onto Duke Street/A4161 and continue on the A4161 for another 364 feet until you see the castle. To be fair, it's a large castle you can hardly miss it. Just be careful crossing the road as some drivers think they're in Italy!

Helmont House, Premier Inn, 10 Churchill Way, Cardiff, CF10 2NB

Helmont House (roof) was used for the scene where Tosh and Ianto saw the devastation of the City. This building has been used once before, for the moment in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang when John Hart pushed Jack Harkness from the roof and he plunged to his 'death'. Again, the roof!!!

To get there:

The quickest route is by train. TrainArriva/Trains Wales/Aberdare. If leaving at 9:41 am from Cardiff Central on Platform 6. It will take 5 minutes to arrive at the Helmont House.

You can also walk to the Helmont House building, it will take roughly 2 minutes.

Walk south on Station Terrace, turn right towards Churchill Way. Turn left onto Churchill Way, the building is on the left.

School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Tower Building, Park Place, Cathays, Cardiff, CF10 3AT.

This is the location where Owen saw the devastation of the bomb blasts across the city.

To get there:

You will need the Bus 36/Mynachdy which will take roughly 1 minute in which to arrive at the location, it goes directly to the University, it doesn't stop along the way. You can walk also but again will only take you a minute to arrive.

Ogmore Farm, Ogmore-by-Sea, Bridgend, CF32 0QP

Ogmore Farm, Bridgend was to be Cardiff in 27AD - where John teleports both him and Jack to meet with disgruntled younger brother - Gray.

There is a history regarding Tusker Rock that ships were lured onto the rocks for their cargo way back in the day. Good topic for TW short stories there.

It takes about 32 minutes by car to reach it from Cardiff, using the M4.

How to get there:

From the A470 head to the M4. Follow the M4 to the A473 in Pencoed. Take the A473 exit from the M4 for 11.3 miles. Continue on the A473. Drive to B4524 in Vale of Glamorgan for 6.0 miles.

This area is now the Ogmore Farm Riding Centre.

Cardiff Stadium House, 5 Park St Ln, Cardiff CF10 1XR

Whilst researching this location, I was informed that the Alcatel-Lucent, Newport had been the location for the Central Server Building, but looking up the location via search engine maps, this proved a small area of white houses and a long stretch of road. So if that were correct, it had either been torn down in favour of residential properties, or was a red herring from the start. According to the Torchwood Yearbook, the official building for the Central Server Building is Stadium House in Park Street – which coincidentally, since a recent visit to the city, had been one of my main focal points, and photographed at every possible angle throughout my journey.

Stadium House is one of the tallest buildings in Cardiff.

How to get there:

If walking, travel south east on St John Street, towards the High Street Arcade for 259 ft.

Turn right but stay on the St John Street for 151 feet. This street does turn slightly right and becomes Church Street for 272 feet. Turn left onto St Mary Street for 472 feet.

Turn right onto Golate Y Gwter for 243 feet, then turn left onto Westgate Street, for 187 feet.

Turn right onto Park Street. Stadium House is on the right.

Roath Basin, Frigate Rd, Cardiff CF10 4

Roath Basin was the location for Weevils on the loose.

To get there:

A car may be the quickest mode of transport.

Take the A4161 and A4234 to Pierhead Street for 2.2 miles. Head north on Kingsway/A4161 towards North Road, and continue following the A4161 for 0.2 miles.

Use the right two lanes to turn right onto Boulevard De Nantes/A4161. Continue following the A4161 for 0.6 miles.

Use the right two lanes to turn right onto Fitzalan Place/A4160 for 0.2 miles. Turn right onto Adam Street/A4160 for 0.1 miles. Turn left onto Central Link/A4234.

At the roundabout, take the first exit towards Docks/Dociau/Porth Teigr/Glannau’r Brifddinas for 0.2 miles.

Take Tyneside Road to Porth Teigr Way for 0.2 miles. Turn left onto Pierhead Street for 177 feet. Turn right onto Tyneside Road for 0.2 miles. At the roundabout, take the second exit onto Porth Teigr Way. Roath Basin is on the right.

Plantagenet Street, Riverside, Cardiff, CF11 6AQ

Where Weevils attacked pedestrians

How to get there:

By Bus – You will need the Bus 92 Morristown from Wood Street JC. One comes every 10 minutes, and only takes 3 minutes and non-stop to reach Plantagenet Street.

On foot – If travelling via the A4161 will take approximately 11 minutes to arrive.

Walk north-west on St John Street towards Duke Street/A4161 for 30 feet. Turn left onto Duke Street/A4161, continue following the A4161 for 0.2 miles. Turn left onto Cowbridge Road/A4161 for 361 feet. Turn left onto Coldstream Terrace for 0.1 mile.

Turn left at Brook Street for 272 feet. Turn right onto Despenser Street for 207 feet. Turn left onto Plantagenet Street for 367 feet.

I often wonder if you should take a yard stick for all these feet you should travel in!

UFit Fitness, Glass Avenue, Trident Park, Ocean Way, Cardiff, CF24 5EN

As we mentioned before, these locations have changed over the years, new names, new businesses, and sometimes completely flattened to make way for residential properties. The Trident Park was once known as Nippon Electric Glass UK, Cardiff Bay. It was used as the inside of the nuclear power station, where Owen found himself trapped, towards the end of the episode.

The 50 acre site was purchased by PMG Developments in 2006 and was renamed Trident Park. Demolition began in mid 2007, undertaken by the Cuddy group. Now, it’s a fitness centre.

To get there:

By car, take the A4161 and Ocean Way to Glass Avenue, for 2.1 miles. Head north on Kingsway/A4161 towards North Road, and stay on this road for 0.2 miles. Use the right two lanes to turn right onto Boulevard De Nantes/A4161, remaining on this road for 0.6 miles. Use the right two lanes to turn right onto Fitzalan Place/A4161 for 0.2 miles.

Take a slight left onto Windsor Road for 0.3 miles. At the roundabout take the second exit onto Ocean Way for 0.8 miles. Continue on Glass Avenue for UFit Fitness for 0.3 miles.

All in studio scenes were filmed at BBC Studios, Treforest Industrial Estate.