Ianto's Shrine

On the boardwalk of Cardiff Bay’s Mermaid Quay you’ll find a memorial to a man who never existed.

Ianto Jones was a supporting character on Torchwood, a spinoff of the popular BBC series Doctor Who. Set in Cardiff, the team’s headquarters, Torchwood Three, was located below Roald Dahl Plass, accessible through a secret entrance by its Water Tower and a “Tourist Office” entrance along the boardwalk.

Ianto, played by Gareth David-Lloyd, was the general support officer for the team and in a relationship with main character Captain Jack Harkness. After appearing in the first two series, he was dramatically killed off in the finale of episode four of the third series, 2009’s miniseries Children of Earth. The impromptu shrine appeared shortly afterwards on the exterior setting of the tourist office location.

While real world memorials to fictional characters do exist, for example a plaque marks the spot by the Reichenbach Falls where Sherlock Holmes vanquished Professor Moriarty, none are as diverse in their tributes as this one. Photographs, poems and essays have come from all over the world. While it’s starting to look weather-worn and aged, the shrine, which is adorned with an explanatory memorial plaque provided by the owners of the wall,  looks like it’s going to last a good long while.