Ianto's Shrine | |
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Shrine | |
![]() Ianto's Shrine in June 2024 | |
Opening date | July 2009 |
Dedicated to | Ianto Jones |
Location | Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay, Wales, United Kingdom |
Coordinates: 51°27′47.1″N3°9′55.1″W / 51.463083°N 3.165306°W | |
[1] [2] |
Ianto's Shrine is a shrine dedicated to the fictional character Ianto Jones, located in Cardiff, Wales. Established after the character's death in a 2009 episode of Torchwood , the shrine is visited by fans who often leave tributes in the form of notes, photos, flowers, and memorabilia.
Ianto Jones is a fictional character in the television programme Torchwood , a spin-off of Doctor Who . He was killed off in the third series of Torchwood, with the episode airing on 9 July 2009. [2] He was a fan-favourite character [2] and his death caused a strong reaction from fans of the show. Writers were inundated by vitriolic messages, according to the writer James Moran. [3]
After Ianto's death, flowers were laid at a location in Mermaid Quay which had been used to depict the base of Torchwood, the eponymous fictional organisation featured in Torchwood; it soon became a shrine to the character. [4] A memorial service for Ianto, organised by the "Save Ianto Jones" campaign, was held at the shrine in February 2010, with plaques presented to Mermaid Quay staff who had looked after the shrine. [5] [2] In 2011, the shrine was featured in an episode of Torchwood. [4] A plaque was added to the shrine by Mermaid Quay management in 2012. [6]
Ianto's Shrine is visited by Torchwood fans from around the world; many leave tributes in the form of notes, photos, flowers, and memorabilia. [4] [7] [8] [9] A common theme for tributes is LGBTQ stories, as Ianto was in a same-sex relationship in Torchwood; other memorabilia left at the shrine references Torchwood's identity as a Welsh TV show. [6] Many tributes are left by Carol-Anne Hillman, who has placed items on behalf of people who cannot visit since 2014, and also decorates the shrine for occasions such as Valentine's Day, Easter, and Ianto's birthday. [2] [10]
In May 2016, Torchwood actors Gareth David Lloyd (who played Ianto) and John Barrowman (who played Ianto's love interest, Captain Jack Harkness) visited the shrine during a visit to Cardiff. [8] Barrowman visited again in 2021. [11]
Cardiff Bay is an area and freshwater lake in Cardiff, Wales. The site of a former tidal bay and estuary, it is the river mouth of the River Taff and Ely. The body of water was converted into a 500-acre (2.0 km2) lake as part of a UK Government redevelopment project, involving the damming of the rivers by the Cardiff Bay Barrage in 1999. The barrage impounds the rivers from the Severn Estuary, providing flood defence and the creation of a permanent non-tidal high water lake with limited access to the sea, serving as a core feature of the redevelopment of the area in the 1990s.
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Gareth David Lloyd, known professionally as Gareth David-Lloyd, is a Welsh actor and writer best known for his role as Ianto Jones in the British science fiction series Torchwood.
Ianto Jones is a fictional character in the BBC television programme Torchwood, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who, played by Welsh actor Gareth David-Lloyd. A regular within the show, Ianto appears in every episode of the programme's first three series excluding the finale of series 3, as well as two crossover episodes of Torchwood's parent show, Doctor Who. Additionally, Ianto appears in Expanded Universe material such as the Torchwood novels and audiobooks, comic books and radio plays. Within the narrative of the series, Ianto begins as general support officer for Torchwood Three, a team of alien hunters stationed in Cardiff, and develops into an active field agent. Initially the regular character with the least screen time, Ianto's role expanded in response to growing cult appeal.
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Mermaid Quay is a waterfront shopping and leisure district in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff, Wales. The 14,000 m2 (150,000 sq ft) development was opened in 1999, and includes restaurants, bars, cafes and shops.
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