Adamsdown is generally located between Newport Road, to the north and the mainline railway to the south.

In mediaeval times, Adamsdown lay just outside the east walls of Cardiff and was owned by the lords of Glamorgan.

The Church of St German of Auxerre, Star Street, was designed by Bodley & Garner and built 1881–84.

It was destroyed by bombing in World War II, and a Cardiff Metropolitan University campus now stands on the site.

Regeneration of Adamsdown in the 20th century saw Victorian buildings demolished for 1960s and 70s tower blocks, the highest of which is Brunel House, at the eastern gateway to Cardiff city centre.

It was close to Queen Street station, on the southside of the Newport Road in the working class area of the suburb.

Marcol Asset Management agreed to donate the building to the St Fagans National History Museum.

[5] From July 2012, the building was taken down by contractors and preservationists, to allow brick-by-brick movement to St Fagans, styled as a "between the wars" 1920-1930s period exhibit.

Adamsdown has undergone regeneration, in particular the shopping area of Clifton Street, where the traditional stone buildings such as Roath Police station have been sandblasted and renovated, most of the shop fronts have been replaced and updated, the pavements have been widened and a new one-way traffic system has been introduced.

The busy and commercial Newport Road (A4161) runs through northern Adamsdown, leading towards the M4 motorway to the east and the city centre to the west.