03/09/2026
Before Cardiff had social media celebrities, it had Billy the Seal. 🦭
Back in 1912, a young seal was brought to Victoria Park Zoo (as it was back then), where Billy quickly became one of the city's most famous residents. For nearly three decades, generations of Cardiff children would visit to watch the playful seal swimming and entertaining crowds. But Billy wasn't just famous for living in Victoria Park, Billy became a local legend for having a habit of disappearing.
Whenever floodwaters from the River Ely rose around Victoria Park, stories began to spread across Cardiff that Billy had escaped once again. Tales were told of the adventurous seal turning up in all manner of unexpected places across the city. The most famous of these stories tells of Billy finding its way to Cardiff's old Fish Market, no doubt drawn by the irresistible smell of fresh fish. Other stories placed Billy exploring far beyond Victoria Park, becoming something of a four-flippered folk hero for the people of Cardiff.
Whether every tale was true or not hardly mattered. Billy became part of Cardiff folklore, a mischievous, curious character whose adventures were retold by generations of Cardiff families. So beloved was Billy that when the seal died in 1939, the city mourned the loss of one of its most treasured attractions. In a final twist worthy of the legend itself, it was only afterwards discovered that "Billy" was actually female all along.
More than a century after Billy first arrived in Cardiff, the stories still live on.
And that got us wondering...
If Billy were around to escape Victoria Park today, where would the famous seal have ended up?
The old Fish Market may be long gone, but we think Billy's nose would still lead the way. Following the scent of freshly cooked fish and golden chips across the road... we reckon Billy would have found its way to Top Deck, balancing a cone of chips and delighting a whole new generation of Cardiff locals.
After all, Cardiff's most famous seal always did know where to find the best fish in town. ☺
