Bute Street Station
RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE | STONE CLADDING
Bute Street, Butetown, Cardiff • Completed August 2026
Project Overview
Working for AmcoGiffen, Cornerstone was appointed to install the stone cladding to the street-level elevations of the new station on Bute Street, part of the transformation of the Cardiff Bay line. Our package covered the long retaining wall along Bute Street, the base of the lift and stair tower, and the recessed entrance beneath the station deck.
The Brief
The station needed a robust, good-looking finish at street level that would sit comfortably in Butetown and stand up to a busy public frontage. The brief was for a random-coursed stone finish over the blockwork backing walls, sitting on an engineering-brick plinth, with crisp detailing at every corner, opening and junction with the concrete structure above.
At a Glance
|
Client |
AmcoGiffen |
|---|---|
| Location |
Bute Street, Cardiff |
| Sector | Rail infrastructure |
| Contract Value |
£50,000 |
| Programme | 4 weeks |
| Completed | August 2026 |
| Services | Stone cladding, detailing and making good |
The Challenge
Working in a rail infrastructure environment meant strict safety controls and close coordination with the other trades on site. The site itself was small, hemmed in between the railway and Bute Street, with restrictions on noise and very limited room to store and move materials.
We planned deliveries in small, regular loads, kept noisy cutting to permitted times and moved stone carefully around the site. All the while, the curved corners, deep reveals, soffits and stepped head below the staircase had to be set out precisely so the coursing ran true and the colours stayed evenly blended.
Stonework around the canopied entrance
Project Gallery
Click a thumbnail to enlarge.
Image 1 Stone cladding to the Bute Street retaining wall, worked from scaffold alongside the lift and stair tower
Image 2 Before: blockwork backing walls ready for cladding
Image 3 After: completed stonework to the entrance elevation
250 m²
Stone cladding installed
4 wks
On site
£50k
Contract value
The Result
The finished stonework gives the new station a solid, characterful presence on Bute Street, a hard-wearing frontage that will weather well and look good for decades. The cladding was delivered alongside a busy programme of station works, with the frontage kept safe and accessible for the local community throughout.
I took time out to go and see the project in Butetown and was really delighted with the way it turned out. The quality of fitting of the stone mix was superb, and the pointing was also great. Please pass on my thanks to all involved for a super job.
Ken Jackson, Fernhill Stone (stone supplier)