Locations Children of Earth, Day Three

 

Children of Earth: Day Three 

Broadcast 8 Jul 2009 

Still using Millennium Centre as the starting point. About the only area of the City I'm familiar with. 

Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff Bay   

This is the location where Johnson's team thought Torchwood was hiding. 

Will take 4 mins of walking to reach this, using the A4119. Head west towards Bute Place/A4119, turn left onto Bute Place and continue to follow the A4119. Turn right onto W Bute Street for 174 ft (take a measuring tool with you - or have a Ianto handy), and turn left onto Mount Stuart Arcade, after almost 200 ft you've reached your destination. 

Mount Stuart Square was created for dock workers to reside at, so they were close to their work, back in the 1800s, but over time and many years later, this area is also a very commercialised area of the city and has quickly become a placec for more upmarket residential properties, which look onto the main Square. 

I would imagine that dock workers probably wouldn't be able to afford to live there now. 

 

Canal Park (south gate), Butetown, Cardiff  

Canal Park has been used for Doctor Who episode Army of Ghosts in 2006. This was also the location in Adam after Jack had seen Gray and talked it through with Adam. It was also in this episode, where Rhys stole a laptop from a guy seated on a bench talking to Gwen. 

By Bus 

If you're using the 304 there should be a bus every 15 minutes. Although with Covid, you may need to wait a while longer. 

Catch the 304 at Llantwit Major, which makes 2 stops before its destination at Mount Stuart Square. Along this route you will pass the Cardiff Bay Police Station, in James Street, and the Cardiff Food Centre, both to the left of your journey. 

If you're going on foot, it's almost a straight line but takes a little longer to reach. 

Taking journey from the Millennium Centre, you're pretty much following the above destination for Mount Stuart Square, then turn left for 102 ft, then right for 0.2 miles, then left and your location will be on the right. 

 

AJ's Coffee House, 20 City Road, CF24 3DL Cardiff 

Not far from The Parade. Also, the place where Lois Habiba met Team Torchwood. 

It's quicker by car using the Central Link/A4234 route. 

Head out south-west on Bute Place/A470, and stay on this road for 0.2 miles. Turn right onto Hemingway Road. At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit. At that roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Central Link/A4234. Use the right lane to turn right onto Adam Street/A4160. Using the middle lane to turn slightly right onto Moira Terrace, turn left onto Glossop Road. Use the left lane again to turn slightly right onto City road/B4261. AJ's Coffee House is on the right. 

 

The Parade, Roath, Cardiff 

Not far from AJ's Coffee House. 

The fastest route is by car via the Central Link/A4234 and takes 7 minutes. 

Take the Central Link/A4234 and A4160 to The Parade and stay on this road for 1.8 miles. Turn right onto The Parade. 

 

Tower Hill, Penarth 

In the street at the back of the house, Alice makes her escape with her son Stephen, and brandishes a gun she keeps hidden from her son. 

By car this takes 11 minutes and is 3.5 miles from Cardiff Millennium Centre.

Taking the Cardiff Bay Link road/A4232, A4055 and the A4160 to Tower Hill in Penarth takes 9 minutes or 3.4 miles. Turn right onto Tower Hill for 305 ft and you've reached your location 

Using Public Transport will take you considerably longer. 

If you catch the bus (8) from University Hospital of Wales, there will be 9 stops before it reaches Pentre Street. Get off here and walk to Grangetown which will take about 6 minutes. Catch the Penarth train which will take 7 minutes to reach Penarth and will stop twice along the way. Get off at Penarth and walk about 0.4 miles or 7 mins and you will reach your destination. 

Check the Cardiff Bus and Transport for Wales travel times though. As with the current climate, some of those destinations may have a reduced travel timetable. 

 

James Street, Cardiff 

This is one of the streets that Clem McDonald walked along, and while a woman waited at the lights to cross the street, Clem helped himself to her purse. 

James Street is the location of the Cardiff Bay Police Station, which we mentioned further up on the locations trip - to your left along the journey to Canal Park. 

It will only take 4 minutes on foot. It's 0.2 miles away from Millennium Centre. 

Walk west towards Bute Place/A4119 for 118 feet. Again, you'll need a Ianto for the measurements!!!

Turn left onto Bute Place/A4119 and continue on this road for 0.2 miles. 

 

Maindee Police Station, Newport (Gwent Police, 81 Chepstow Road, Maindee, Newport NP19 8XD 

This route is the quickest by car using the M4 and takes less than half an hour to reach. Using public transport will get you there within the hour. It's a 16.2 miles journey. 

Setting off from Bute Place, Cardiff, take the A470 and Hemingway Road to Cardiff Bay Link Road/Eastern Bay Link Road/A4232 for 0.7 miles. Continue on this road to Rover Way for 0.8 miles. Follow Rover Way to the A4232 for 2 miles. Take the Eastern Avenue/A48, A48 (M) and M4 to Malpas Road/A4051 in Newport and take Exit 26 from the M4 for 11.2 miles. Continue on the Malpas Road/A4051 and take the B4591 to Chepstow Road/B4237 in Maindee for 1.5 miles. You've reached the Gwent Police Station. 

 

Ty Gwyn Crescent, Cyngoed, Cardiff 

This is the street that Jack Harkness made the call to John Frobisher about his family, and where John Frobisher broke the news that they had Jack's daughter and grandson. 

The fastest route is by car and takes 14 minutes and is 5.7 miles away from Millennium Centre. 

Take the Cardiff Bay Link Road/Eastern Bay Link Road/A4232, Rover Way, A4232 and Llanederyn Road to Bronwydd Avenue for 5.6 miles. Follow the Bronwydd Avenue to Ty-Gwyn Crescent for 0.1 miles. 

 

Shoe Lane, London 

The street where Jack stole the sports car, while dressed in civvies. 

Given the Covid restrictions at the moment, travelling into the City of London may not be a wise thing, and because of the restrictions to public transport, we're only going to add the directions for M4 only. 

However, this doesn't go as smoothly as there are also those blessed Tolls. Although, I wonder, if you pay to get into England, do you still need to pay to get out again??? I remember Portmadoc only ever having to pay one way, so long as you still had your ticket. Worth checking! 

So, from Millennium Centre to Shoe Lane, London, will take 3 hours and 16 minutes and is 153 miles using the M4. Make sure all your jabs are up to date and you've got your passport. 

Take the Cardiff Bay Link Road/Eastern Bay Link Road/A4232, Rover Way, A4232 and Eastern Avenue/A48 to A48 (M) for 7.5 miles. Follow the M4 to Great West Road/A4 in London for 137 miles or 2 hours and 19 minutes. Continue on the M4, taking the A40 to A4208 in City of London for 8.5 miles or 32 minutes. 

Shoe Lane has quite a bit of history, some of which dates back to 1224 when the Dominican Black Friars first came to London and took up residency at the Holborn end of Shoe Lane, opposite St Andrews Holborn. 

Shoe Lane was once known as Shoe Alley. It has no connection with shoes but some believe it was possibly named after the well called Showelle or Sho Well. Or it has some connection with the tract of land known as Shoeland Farm, and that the land resembled the shape of a shoe. Whatever the true identity of the name once was, it appears that the lane does date back to a time when some part of London was on agricultural land.