This mallet was presented to the Mayor of Cardiff, Thomas Andrews, when he laid the foundation stone of the Law Courts in October 1901.
Cardiff’s successful docks had generated a great deal of wealth in the Town, and this then created a confidence and ambition – not least for Cardiff to become a City. The amount and grandeur of building work that took place at the time, including the buildings of the Law Courts and other buildings around Cathays Park, reflected this.
