Tŷ Hywel

Tŷ Hywel stands in Cardiff Bay beside the Senedd building and the Pierhead Building. It is a red-brick office block named after the medieval king Hywel Dda, who once ruled Deheubarth in south-west Wales. The building was originally called Crickhowell House after a former Secretary of State for Wales. Today it houses Members of the Senedd and their staff along with Welsh Government officials on one full floor and part of another. A covered link bridge connects it to the Senedd so people can move between the two buildings without going outside. The building opened in 1991 and once provided the National Assembly’s temporary debating chamber from 1999 until the Senedd’s permanent chamber opened in 2006. In 2008 Prince Charles reopened the old chamber as Siambr Hywel, a youth debating space and education centre. Between April 2025 and February 2026 Siambr Hywel hosted plenary sessions while the main chamber was refurbished to seat the 96 members elected in May 2026. Two covered bridges link the buildings, built between 2004 and 2005. Visitors to the estate see the red-brick façade of Tŷ Hywel beside the waterfront. Inside, Siambr Hywel offers a youth-friendly debating chamber used for workshops and events. The covered bridges allow easy passage between Tŷ Hywel and the Senedd building. The Pierhead Building nearby is a Grade I listed landmark with its distinctive clock tower. Together these structures form the Senedd estate in Cardiff Bay, a place where democratic work and public education meet.