The Temple of Peace and Health was the vision of Lord Davies of Llandinam, politician, industrialist, and soldier in the Great War. The building was constructed between 1937 and 1946 by architect Sir Percy Thomas of Cardiff as a memorial to those fallen in the First World War, but it also had a practical purpose – to promote peace and health.

It is a neo-Georgian T-shaped building with a portico sheltering carved panels representing prosperity and justice leads. This leads into the central full-height hall which is brightly lit with black marble columns and a coloured coffered ceiling above. Below the temple is the crypt which commemorates the war dead in a national book of remembrance. The hall is flanked by offices in storeyed wings. Today the Welsh Centre for International Affairs (WCIA) is the guardian of this building and works with Welsh communities to promote action and learning for international peace and development.

RCAHMW, April 2022.

Site Record

Temple of Peace and Health, King Edward VII Avenue, Cathays Park, Cardiff