147-576: From 1839 the trustees of the Marquis of Bute , operated a large dock operation in Cardiff , the " Bute Docks ". This was very successful, but was overwhelmed by the huge volume of coal exported through Cardiff. At the same time it was seen that railway companies, especially the Taff Vale Railway (TVR), were making money conveying the coal to the docks. The Bute Docks company decided to build
294-478: A businessman, his energies were on a monumentally Victorian scale. "A liturgist and ecclesiologist of real distinction", he published on a wide range of topics. But at a distance, just over one hundred years from his death, it is his architectural patronage as "the greatest builder of country houses in nineteenth-century Britain" that creates his lasting memorial. In 1865, the Marquess met William Burges and
441-479: A consolidation of the railways into four systems that lasted until 1947, when the railways were nationalised. The Barry Railway Company was merged with the Great Western Railway (GWR) the next year. By this time it had tracks covering 68 miles (109 km) of route, and large amounts of equipment. In addition to coal wagons the company ran suburban passenger services. W. Waddell, general manager of
588-600: A dock at Barry and a new railway to serve it. Barry Sound was a natural choice for the dock site since comparatively little excavation was needed. David Davies and John Cory were spokesmen for the group. Davies, son of a small farmer in Montgomeryshire, was the founder of the Ocean Coal Company. He was the leader of the Rhondda mine owners, and was already experienced in railway construction. Cory
735-715: A dock connection in Cardiff, for minerals it brought there from along its own line, and this demand put yet further strain on the docks. A second dock was built, and as the Bute East Dock, it opened on 20 July 1855; the original Bute Dock was renamed the Bute West Dock. From these years there was continual feuding between the Taff Vale Railway and the Rhymney Railway. Finally on 7 October 1871
882-413: A fixed hoist and another hold from the movable hoist. The original tipping hoists were made by Tennant and Walker of Leeds. The design was a compromise between the demand for speed in loading and the cost of breakage of coal delivered into the holds from a height. Barry had a good reputation for the quick turn-around of ships, attributed to the "lavish provision of approach lines and storage sidings", and
1029-491: A late start, became the home of an important dock operation. Nevertheless, the huge expansion of South Wales steam coal overwhelmed the available dock facilities, and this led to corresponding hostility to the Bute Docks Trustees, who were seen with some justification as happy to take excessive charges for the use of the dock without making adequate steps to enhance the capacity, and more importantly, to modernise
1176-424: A narrow-gauge (4 ft-8½in) line from Barry to Cogan, joining the line to Cardiff. The Barry Harbour Act 1866 authorised another company to build a 600-yard (550 m) quay extending from where Buttrills Brook entered the old dock near the northwest end of the present No. 1 dock. The act permitted the deepening of Cadoxton River , which entered the sea at Cold Knap , to allow for large ships to reach
1323-408: A narrowing channel from west to east, It was latterly bridged by a hydraulically-operated road/rail swingbridge; this was removed after 1999. Dock walls 46.5 feet (14.2 m) high were built of large limestone blocks at the loading points. The tall hydraulic hoists have since been demolished. The initial plans allowed for loading coal onto vessels from eleven high-level coal tips and four cranes on
1470-773: A new mausoleum for the Bute family with sarcophagi in red marble. In 1866 he donated a site in Cardiff Docks for the Hamadryad Hospital Ship for sick seafarers and, on his death in 1900, bequeathed £20,000 towards the cost of a new bricks-and-mortar hospital, which became the Royal Hamadryad . The Marquess was involved in a notable company law case, known as "the Marquess of Bute's Case", reported on appeal in 1892, called Re Cardiff Savings Bank [1892] 2 Ch 100. The Marquess had been appointed to
1617-621: A pier at the Barry Docks entrance tidal harbour, and were followed by cruises run by the Barry Railway Company. Peter and Alex Campbell of Penarth bought the Barry Railway's Red Funnel Paddle Steamers in 1911. Aside from coal, Barry exported timber and small quantities of pig iron , wood, pulp, silver sand, zinc, and iron ore. A timber business was started in the town in 1888 by J.C. Meggitt of Wolverhampton, and in
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#17327806562831764-580: A protracted illness ( Bright's disease ), his first stroke having occurred in 1896, and was buried in a small chapel on the Isle of Bute , his ancestral home. His heart was buried on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem . In his will he left £100,000 to each of his children, with the exception of his eldest son, who inherited the Bute estates including Cardiff Castle and the family seat, Mount Stuart House on
1911-713: A railway from Pontypridd to their dock; they obtained an act of Parliament, the Cardiff Railway Act 1898 ( 61 & 62 Vict. c. cclxii), giving authority for part of the route in 1898, and changed the company name to the Cardiff Railway . To be successful, they needed to make a junction with their main rival, the TVR, at Treforest . A single mineral train traversed the junction in 1909 but legal challenges prevented any further use. The Cardiff Railway had built an expensive railway line that failed to connect with
2058-498: A railway from Roath Dock to its newly authorised line, joining the Rhymney Railway near the junction. Also proposed in the bill was a new line from Heath Junction to the docks, which would have made the Cardiff Railway independent of other lines at the southern end, but this was rejected by Parliament. On 30 January 1902 the board was informed that the construction to Tongwynlais was substantially completed, and at this time
2205-462: A retired farmer of Barry Island, proposed a Glamorgan Coast Railroad to link Pencoed , Llansannor , Cowbridge and Aberthaw with Barry, and a further line to Cogan , where Penarth Dock and the Grangetown line to Cardiff were already under construction. Thomas proposed building a dock accessed by the railway for export of coal, iron and limestone, and import of hay, grain and vegetables for
2352-404: A sharply curved batter at the base, which makes the toe very strong. The foundations are solid and the backfill is high quality so that the pressure on the walls is minimised. The walls are built of mountain limestone faced with hard red sandstone and rest on solid rock. They are 50 feet (15 m) high, 17 feet (5.2 m) thick at the base just above the curve, and 7 feet (2.1 m) thick at
2499-404: A short tunnel and a viaduct contributed to the difficult nature of the work. The engineers were Sir Douglas Fox and Mr. H. White, Mr. Herbert E. Allen, M.I.C.E., being resident engineer. The Cardiff Railway were now unable to operate across the junction, and indeed never did so again. Having had no income from the line, they decided now to operate a passenger and local goods service on the part of
2646-430: A third dam extended east across what would be the entrance. The two outer dams completely closed off the site from the sea. The centre dam was built without much difficulty by simply tipping material to form an embankment, although some of the earth sank into the mud, so more had to be added. The western dam caused much more trouble, since it rested on mud that varied in depth to upwards of 40 feet (12 m). The ends of
2793-440: A water surface of 107 acres (43 ha) with 242 acres (98 ha) of adjacent quay roads and lands, and 208 acres (84 ha) of land covered by tide, for a total of 557 acres (225 ha). The cost of the first phase of dock construction was about £850,000, including gates and machinery. The total cost of the first phase was £2 million. No. 2 Dock, to the east of the first dock, was authorised in 1893. Work began in 1894 and
2940-542: Is 110 feet (34 m) at the highest point. After some construction difficulties it opened in 1900. The VoGR was a branch line connecting the Barry Railway with the Great Western Railway at Bridgend , but its mainline ran to Coity Junction on the Bridgend-Maesteg line. That branch also incorporated a long and a short tunnel, Porthkerry No.1 and Porthkerry No.2. A link from Tynycaeau Junction on
3087-770: Is 14 minutes with five intermediate stops. The Cardiff Railway had 36 steam locomotives, all built by private manufacturers, which were acquired by the GWR on 1 January 1922. For details see Locomotives of the Great Western Railway Only one locomotive survives. Built in 1898, ex-Cardiff Railway 0-4-0ST No.5, GWR No.1338, is restored to working order, and currently preserved at the Didcot Railway Centre . John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute , KT (12 September 1847 – 9 October 1900)
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#17327806562833234-420: Is 3,400 by 1,100 feet (1,040 by 340 m) and covers about 70 acres (28 ha). Its western end is divided into two arms by a projecting mole. No. 1 dock has a full width of 1,600 feet (490 m) at the eastern end, so the largest vessels could swing even when the tips and quays were fully occupied. There was a 700 by 100 feet (213 by 30 m) graving dock (dry-dock) at the northeast corner but, due to
3381-557: Is 647 by 65 feet (197 by 20 m) and opens into the sea to the west of the Basin. It is 60 feet (18 m) deep and can be divided into two locks, using a gate about one-third of the way from the sea entrance. In its day, Lady Windsor was reportedly the largest and deepest lock in the world. Vessels that draw 13 feet (4.0 m) can enter and leave the dock at low water during ordinary spring tides. Vessels that draw 18 feet (5.5 m) can enter at low water 15 days per month. As of 1924,
3528-529: Is a depth of 25 feet (7.6 m) at a distance of 2,100 feet (640 m) from the site of the dock entrance. For most of the 19th century Cardiff was the main port for exporting South Wales coal . Cardiff shipped 998,000 long tons (1,014,000 t; 1,118,000 short tons) of coal in 1859, 1.9 million long tons (1,900,000 t; 2,100,000 short tons) in 1867 and 7.7 million long tons (7,800,000 t; 8,600,000 short tons) of coal in 1889. John Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marquess of Bute (1793–1848) had built
3675-426: Is known for its tidal range . During normal spring tides there is a range in water level of 36 feet (11 m), and during normal neap tides a range of 19.5 feet (5.9 m), but tides can peak at around 43 feet (13 m). When this happens, seawater flows into Barry Docks over the top surface of the hollow sections of the lock gates, and flows back over them as the tide falls. At low water during spring tides, there
3822-520: Is now the Dock Office building of the Vale of Glamorgan Council . The dock entrance is on the east side of Barry Island, which protects it from winds from the west and southwest. Two rubble breakwaters with six-ton stone blocks on the seaward side protect the entrance from winds from other directions. Given the height of the tides, the breakwaters are substantial structures, 46 feet (14 m) high at
3969-407: Is supplied at 80 lbs. per square inch by twenty-five Lancashire boilers, 28 feet long by 7 feet diameter. The pressure-pumps are of the differential-ram principle, and maintain a pressure in the mains of 750 lbs. per square inch. The whole of the docks, coal-tips, sidings, etc., are lighted by electricity. Battery Hill pumphouse at Barry Island was demolished after 1945, but the main part of
4116-400: The Cardiff Docks , which remained in the possession of his son. Other coal mine owners had no choice but to use these docks and the Taff Vale Railway to export their product under terms dictated by Bute. They complained about delays and congestion at the port, and said that Bute was charging extortionate fees. A scheme to build a dock at Barry dated back as early as 1865, when John Thomas,
4263-556: The Isle of Bute , and Dumfries House in Ayrshire . Barry Docks Barry Docks ( Welsh : Dociau'r Barri ) is a port facility in the town of Barry, Vale of Glamorgan , Wales, a few miles southwest of Cardiff on the north shore of the Bristol Channel . The docks were opened in 1889 by David Davies and John Cory as an alternative to the congested and expensive Cardiff Docks to ship coal carried by rail from
4410-519: The London and North Western Railway secured access to the docks by virtue of running powers over the Rhymney Railway. The Bute docks in Cardiff were not the only docks available. From the outset Newport Docks had been a serious rival. Further west, the small harbour at Porthcawl , and the Port Talbot docks were important alternatives, although Porthcawl never developed much. Swansea too, after
4557-564: The Penarth dock station. The railway had two long tunnels and four huge viaducts of steel and masonry. The viaducts at Llanbradach , Penyrheol , Penrhos and Walnut Tree , on the line from Tynycaeau Junction to Barry Junction (B&M) on the former Newport & Brecon Railway, have all since been demolished. The Porthkerry Viaduct was built for the Vale of Glamorgan Railway (VoGR) and still stands. The stone structure has sixteen arches and
Cardiff Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue
4704-566: The Pontypridd, Caerphilly and Newport Railway , and then more hills. The Taff Vale Railway at this point was quadruple track, with the passenger lines on the east side and goods and mineral tracks on the west side. Immediately north of the proposed point of junction, southbound trains could diverge to the lines of the Barry Railway Company . It was a point of contention that many mineral trains were divided at this location, on
4851-488: The South Wales Coalfield . The principal engineer was John Wolfe Barry , assisted by Thomas Forster Brown and Henry Marc Brunel , son of the famous engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel . The docks occupy the former sound between Barry Island and the mainland. The contractors built dams to connect each end of the island to the mainland, drained or pumped the water from the site and excavated it. They used
4998-485: The 1890s gypsum, railway sleepers, flints, and rice began to be exported. The Barry Company made a considerable effort to attract firms to the dock area, but with limited success. Although J. Arthur Rank, a milling company which produced flour and animal stuffs, was established in 1906 on the dockside, an attempt by the Barry Company in 1910 and 1911 to make an agreement with Lord Ashby St. Ledger to open up land on
5145-642: The Barry Dock & Railway Company was renamed the Barry Railway Company . The chairman was Lord Windsor , who owned much of the land. David Davies was deputy chairman and responsible for running the company. 3,000 ships used the dock in 1899, taking 7 million long tons (7,100,000 t) of coal. In 1903 the docks shipped 9 million long tons (9,100,000 t). Only 10% of the coal went to other ports in Britain and Ireland. Most went overseas for use in steam engines. The main export markets were France,
5292-548: The Barry Railway Co and what is now the Vale of Glamorgan Council Civil Office building, one north of the now removed 'New cut' swingbridge and south of the former Graving Dock Junction & level crossing, one at the cross-link road from Cadoxton to the Bendricks, north of No.2 dock and one at the foot of the steps of the former shortened and later removed Clive Rd, Barry Island footbridge to No.1 dock. Their function
5439-471: The Barry, became assistant to the chief of the GWR docks department. The acquisition made the GWR the world's largest dock owner. With ports in Barry, Cardiff, Swansea , Newport , Penarth and Port Talbot the GWR shipped over 50 million long tons (51,000,000 t) each year, three-quarters of which was South Wales coal. There was a short boom in 1923, after which GWR made heavy investments in adapting
5586-429: The Basin can act as a lock, with the water level adjusted according to the rising tide. This enables wide-beamed vessels to leave the basin before high water and to enter the basin after high water. In its twilight years of vessel movements, the Basin sea locks were only used for vessels of 'above normal' beam, as its entrance was wider than Lady Windsor Lock at 80 feet wide. The walls of the basin are vertical apart from
5733-475: The Bendricks building (referred to as the "Sully hydraulic engine house" in R.A.COOKE'S section 44b GWR track diagrams) lived on until just after the Millennium. Ironically, with the nationalisation of the former 'big four' railway groups to become British Railways (BR) in 1947, the Barry Railway initials survive on one of the gables at Barry Island railway station and the initials BR appeared in white bricks on
5880-585: The Bute Trustees were successful. Their act of Parliament, Cardiff Railway Act 1897 ( 60 & 61 Vict. c. ccvii),of 6 August 1897 authorised a line from a junction with the Rhymney Railway at Heath to the Taff Vale at Pontypridd, with a junction to the Taff Vale Railway at Treforest. The act authorised the change of name from the Bute Docks to the Cardiff Railway , although the dock operation
6027-512: The CR in May 1908; it was now six years after the issue was first raised. At this time the TVR offered to purchase the Cardiff Railway. With the CR docks operation, this would have been highly advantageous to the TVR, enabling them to take control of the transport of minerals to the docks and loading there. At the same time the Cardiff Railway was now in financial difficulty, having expended a major outlay on
Cardiff Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue
6174-534: The Cadoxton-Pontypridd mainline, to join the Brecon and Merthyr Railway at Dyffryn Isaf (Barry Junction) in the eastern Rhymney Valley, was authorised in 1898 and opened in 1905. By then, the railway had been extended to 47 miles (76 km) of route. The dock layout that was originally planned – including the site of the basin entrance and passage – was adjusted as the work progressed to ensure that
6321-564: The Cardiff Railway laid in a temporary junction at Treforest. On 15 May 1909 a revenue-earning coal train from the Bute Colliery at Treherbert passed from the TVR system on to the Cardiff Railway. A directors' saloon was attached to the train and the Marquis of Bute and directors of the Cardiff Railway travelled in the train; the Marquis travelled on the engine for the actual crossing of the junction. Immediately after this apparent triumph,
6468-491: The Cardiff docks, and ships had been built to match the spacing so they could be loaded at two positions simultaneously. The coal tipping cranes, (referred to as coal-tips, hoists or 'staiths' by the Barry Railway Co) were elevated well above water level. After being weighed, a loaded wagon, which would hold about 10 long tons (10 t) of coal, was pulled from the weighbridge onto a raisable or lowerable cradle at
6615-509: The GWR ports were 55% of the 1923 peak and import volumes were 63% of the 1923 peak. The next year GWR "temporarily" closed the port of Penarth. During World War II (1939–45) the Barry Docks were used to import war material. A ring of barrage balloons protected the docks. One was located on the mole and another beside the Barry Island Station. The US Army built a large camp in the spring of 1942 to house troops that serviced
6762-678: The Mediterranean, the Black Sea, West Africa and South America. Smokeless Welsh coal exported from Barry Docks was in great demand by the Royal Navy at their stations all over the world. In 1896 a spur line was built to a new railway station on the Barry Island, which quickly developed as a day trip resort with eating places, shops, and in 1912 a funfair with rides. P & A Campbell started to operate paddleboat cruises from
6909-669: The Plymouth Estate trustees, major landowners in Glamorgan who advocated the building of the railway from Barry to Cogan. They proposed the Penarth, Sully and Cadoxton Railway Bill, which was approved by Parliament as the Penarth Extension Railway Act in 1876. They extended the line privately, opening it on 20 February 1878. In 1883 a group of mine owners applied for parliamentary permission to build
7056-657: The Rhondda and the upper part of the Taff Valley and the Cynon Valley . This, they believed, would enhance their income from transport to their docks as well as the operation of the docks as such. In 1885 they purchased the moribund Glamorganshire Canal and the Aberdare Canal , with the intention of converting them both into railway lines. This was not proceeded with at once, but in the 1896 session of Parliament
7203-546: The South Wales Valleys to wharves on the Bristol Channel . For many of the pits, Cardiff was the nearest and most convenient location, and in 1790 the Glamorganshire Canal opened from Navigation House ( Abercynon ) to Cardiff. This represented huge progress, but the canal had 49 locks and did not directly reach the majority of the mineral sites. As iron smelting developed on an industrial scale,
7350-452: The TVR main line, was contemplated, but probably not actually built and certainly never opened; there would have been difficult pedestrian access problems. The line was double track throughout and all the stations had "platforms" on both tracks. There were goods sheds at Whitchurch and Glan-y-llyn, and the goods and mineral traffic was also available to operate from 1 March 1911, but there was very little demand for some considerable time. There
7497-431: The TVR, which again rejected them. The design was said to be dangerous; the location was very busy: 294 trains passed the location in 24 hours, and in addition the Barry section of many trains was separated there; long mineral trains were divided on the running line. The Barry Railway also objected, fearing interference with their own traffic. The exchange sidings were said to be insufficiently long to hold full length trains;
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#17327806562837644-493: The Taff Vale Railway demanded that the temporary junction be removed, on the grounds that it was unauthorised and in a location not permitted by Parliament. (In addition it seems likely that Board of Trade approval for the configuration and working of the junction had not been obtained; as it lay in the TVR passenger line this was a requirement.) The line had been expensive to construct; the Railway Magazine described
7791-591: The University of St Andrews , he provided the university with a new home for its Medical School and endowed the Bute Chair of Medicine. A supporter of education for women, he also paid for St Andrews University's first female lecturer, who taught anatomy to women medical students when Professor James Bell Pettigrew refused to do so. At the University of Glasgow , he gifted the funds required to complete
7938-512: The Waterfront development in the 1990s, this has been filled in. This commercial graving dock was capable of handling the largest vessels of the day. In 1893, to the east of this, there was a timber pond of 24 acres (9.7 ha) connected to the No.1 dock by a short channel almost parallel with the then dry-dock. This link was later severed and part of its length converted to another dry-dock, with
8085-583: The age of 21 scandalised Victorian society and led Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli to use the Marquess as the basis for the eponymous hero of his novel Lothair , published in 1870. Marrying into one of Britain's most illustrious Catholic families, that of the Duke of Norfolk , Bute became one of the leaders of the British Catholic community. His expenditure on building and restoration made him
8232-484: The alignment proposed by the Cardiff Railway was outside the limits of deviation permitted by the CR Act. The question went to arbitration, and then to litigation, and judgment was eventually given against the Cardiff Railway. The CR now went to Parliament to seek the powers that had not been granted before, and they obtained an act of Parliament on 4 August 1906, authorising the junction and crossovers they desired. However
8379-545: The architect Arthur E. Bell. In 1909, about 8,000 women and 10,000 men were employed in the docks. By 1913, the docks were the busiest coal port in the world, exporting 11.05 million long tons (11,230,000 t; 12,380,000 short tons) at their peak. Coal exports declined after World War I (1914–1918). Strikes and the Great Depression of the 1930s caused further problems. The docks proved useful during World War II (1939–1945); they were nationalised soon after
8526-497: The board of directors of the Cardiff Savings Bank as "President", at the age of six months, in effect inheriting the office from his father. He attended only one board meeting in the next 38 years. When the bank became insolvent following a fellow director's fraudulent dealing, Stirling J held that the Marquess was not liable as he knew nothing of what was going on. It was not suggested that he ought to have known what
8673-724: The caisson was floated and taken into the basin by a tug, and the tide could flow freely through the entrance. The ceremonial opening by Mrs Lewis Davis of Ferndale and David Davies, with 2,000 guests, took place on 18 July 1889. The first vessel, SS Arno , sailed into the dock shortly after the ribbon was cut. Six tips were ready for the opening, and loaded coal into six ships. In the first phase 5,000,000 cubic yards (3,800,000 m ) had been excavated. 200,000 cubic yards (150,000 m ) of rubble masonry, 10,000 cubic yards (7,600 m ) of brickwork, 110,000 cubic feet (3,100 m ) of ashlar , mostly granite, and 220,000 cubic feet (6,200 m ) of timber work had been used. The docks had
8820-475: The channel leading to the lock was dredged to 13 feet (4.0 m). Ships generally use Lady Windsor Lock, whilst the Basin serves as an alternative for large-beamed vessels or in cases where the Lady Windsor lock gates are being repaired. Some 200 acres (81 ha) in total between the island and the mainland were used for docks, quays, sidings and other facilities. The No.1 dock, the first dock built,
8967-430: The chute and down the sides of the cone at its angle of repose. Coal trimmers in the hold would level the coal. The empty wagon would be winched off the cradle and run down onto a second weighbridge to calculate the tare and then run down a gradient of 1 in 70 to the 'empties' siding. Local hydraulic capstans were included to rope-haul wagons to and from the cradle as necessary. The empty wagons would then be shunted to
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#17327806562839114-453: The collieries beyond Pontypridd. The company became part of the Great Western Railway (as did the TVR) in 1923. A low-key passenger service was operated, and a colliery at Nantgarw was served until 1952. The passenger service was cut back to Coryton in 1931 and continues to operate today. Already in the 18th century, it was obvious that some improved means was needed to convey coal mined in
9261-562: The company put details of its proposed junction with the Taff Vale Railway at Treforest to that company for approval. The terrain at the point chosen by the Cardiff Railway for its junction with the Taff Vale was extremely awkward. The Taff Vale Railway run down the west bank of the River Taff and was closely hemmed in by the hills to the west. Immediately to the east was the River Taff and the Glamorganshire Canal, and then
9408-455: The completion of the junction at Treforest, the terminus is at Rhyd-y-Felin. The first stations were at Heath, Rhubina (the spelling was changed later), Whitchurch, Coryton (originally intended to be called "Asylum"), Glan-y-llyn, Nantgarw, Upper Boat and Rhyd-y-felin. A "Portobello" station was proposed, between Tongwynlais and Glan-y-llyn, but this was not built. Birchgrove was built in GWR days. A station called Treforest, as close as possible to
9555-469: The construction site. In the summer and autumn the work continued day and night, with the site lit by electricity and Wells lights . The civil engineer John Wolfe Barry reported that the docks were nearing completion in September 1888. A caisson was built at the sea face of the entrance within the temporary stone dam, fitting against the quoins of the entrance. The stone dam was removed before all
9702-409: The construction workers that would be used by the dockworkers after the docks had been opened. Labourers and shopkeepers began to flood into the area. Before construction could start, the site of the dock and quays, covering 200 acres (81 ha), had to be clear of water. Three dams were built from the island to the mainland. The centre dam divided the dock area in half, another was further west and
9849-415: The dam permanently linked Barry Island to the mainland. The eastern dam was made of piers of masonry with marl foundations, backed up with earth, leaving four 15 feet (4.6 m) openings through which the tide flowed. It included a temporary stone dam where the entrance to the docks would be built. In March 1886 the openings in the eastern dam were quickly closed with planks, backed with concrete. Later
9996-482: The dam to form a sluice, with a flap on the outside that was closed at high tide and opened as the tide receded. By this means the west part of the works were drained to the level of the pipe, and the remaining water was pumped out at an average rate of 150,000 US gallons (570,000 L; 120,000 imp gal) per hour by a Cornish beam engine brought down from the Severn Tunnel works. The causeway along
10143-432: The dam were formed by tipping earth from wagons run out from the mainland and the island. In the centre, the earth sank into the deep mud and slid away with it. A viaduct of timber piles was built across the gap, to carry loaded trucks from which the earth was thrown out. As the ends approached each other, the tide current was too fast. The contractor twice tried to close the gap with earth at low-water neap tide, but each time
10290-406: The deepest part, and 200 feet (61 m) wide at the base. There is a 350 feet (110 m) gap between the breakwaters, from which a dredged channel of 1,455 feet (443 m) leads to the dock basin entrance. The channel has a least depth of 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in), with a depth of 14 metres (46 ft) at spring tides and 12 metres (39 ft) at neap tides. At high-water spring tides
10437-472: The demands of that industry too soon outstripped the transport facilities available. The first large dock opened in Cardiff on 9 October 1839; it was named the Bute Dock after Lord Bute who was the principal owner. From 8 October 1840 the Taff Vale Railway opened, in stages, from Merthyr to the Bute Dock, later connecting in pits in the Rhondda and elsewhere. The Rhymney Railway too opened its line from
10584-445: The depth of water at the entrance to the basin is 38 feet (12 m). At high-water neap tides it is 29 feet (8.8 m). The Barry Docks West Breakwater Light, a white cast-iron tower at the head of the west breakwater, was built in 1890. The tower is 30 feet (9.1 m) high and the focal plane is 40 feet (12 m) high. The light is still operational as a navigation aid. There are several moorings for yachts and small craft on
10731-559: The desire to escape the scene of that wealth's creation. The theme recurs again and again in the huge outpouring of Bute's patronage, in chapels, castle, abbeys, universities and palaces. Bute's later buildings are hardly less remarkable than his collaborations with Burges. Robert Rowand Anderson rebuilt the Georgian Mount Stuart House for him, and Bute worked in collaboration with many of Burges's colleagues, including William Frame and Horatio Walter Lonsdale , on
10878-465: The distance." The following fifty years saw his faith vindicated, but the ensuing riches were to be enjoyed, and spent, by his son, "the richest man in the world", rather than himself. The 2nd Marquess died in 1848 and his son succeeded to the Marquessate when less than six months old. He was educated at Harrow School , and matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford in 1865. His mother died when he
11025-531: The docks have since become industrial estates such as the Atlantic Trading Estate . The area around the first dock, now called The Waterfront , has been redeveloped for residential and commercial use. The second dock is still active and generally handles chemicals and timber. Barry is situated on the north shore of the Bristol Channel , a few miles southwest of Cardiff. Before the docks were created, Barry Sound lay between Barry Island and
11172-586: The docks road level crossing (Wimborne Rd) from Cadoxton to the Bendricks. This is a single line rail freight link from Network Rail's Cadoxton station to the No.2 docks quays and southside rail infrastructure. It includes a 180° curve from northwest to the southeast side of the dock, this now being the only rail access to the entire docks area. It serves remaining sidings for the Sully Moors industrial complex, Dow Corning silicone plant, and intermodal rail freight traffic (2017). There are vertical walls where
11319-406: The docks. The 517 Port Battalion, with about 1,000 men in four companies, had moved to Hayes Lane Camp in Barry by September 1943. Three companies worked at the Barry docks, discharging cargo, while the fourth moved to Cardiff. The Americans imported vast amounts of food through the Cardiff and Barry Docks to feed their troops. The quantity and quality of the imported food caused some resentment from
11466-602: The eastern dock area towards Sully to host steel manufacturers from the Midlands proved fruitless. In 1909 between 8,000 and 10,000 men were employed in the docks. The town had a population of about 33,000, almost all of them dockworkers, their families, or tradesmen and others supplying their needs. In 1913, Cardiff lost its title as the largest port in the world for coal exports when Barry shipped 11.05 million long tons (11,230,000 t) compared to Cardiff's 10.6 million long tons (10,800,000 t). The trade in 1913
11613-424: The fixed and movable tips were installed, and between the tips the north wall of the dock had slopes of 1.75 to 1. This made it easier for ships to come alongside and reduced the amount of overhang needed for tipping. It also allowed overlap of vessels lying at the tips. Strong freshwater springs were encountered when sinking the foundations of the No.10 coal tip. The water was piped to a cast-iron cylinder sunk into
11760-480: The following extract: The tips have lifts of 37, 42, and 45 feet, and are each capable of lifting 20 tons. All tips are provided with two weigh-bridges, one on the full and the other on the empty roads. The machinery at the docks is worked by hydraulic power obtained at three engine-houses, which contain nine pairs of compound, horizontal, surface-condensing engines, with cylinders of 16 inches and 28 inches diameter and 24 inches stroke, indicating 250 H.P. per pair. Steam
11907-404: The foot of the tip, then pumped up for use by steam locomotives and the new town of Barry. Two of the mole sides are sloped whilst the southeast face is vertically walled. Originally, three sides of the mole served coal hoists and their related rail sidings linking them; there were cranes on the southeast face, also served by rail. The former hoist brick-faced plinths are still present (2017) around
12054-759: The foremost architectural patron of the 19th century. Lord Bute died in 1900, at the age of 53; his heart was buried on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem . He was a Knight Grand Cross of the Holy Sepulchre , Knight of the Order of St. Gregory the Great and Hereditary Keeper of Rothesay Castle . The future Marquess was born at the family seat of Mount Stuart , on the Isle of Bute in Scotland , to John, 2nd Marquess of Bute , and Lady Sophia Rawdon-Hastings , daughter of The 1st Marquess of Hastings . At birth, he
12201-443: The foundations rested on hard rock. After the tide had been excluded, pits and borings were made to determine the nature of the bottom. A much narrower dock had been planned, but it was decided to move the south wall further south. A mole was added running along the middle of the dock, which increased the length of the quays. Thirty locomotives were used inside the dock works to carry materials. At its peak there were 3,000 workers on
12348-403: The freight line from Penrhos South Junction to Barry Junction (B&M) was closed. In 1930 through passenger traffic from Tonteg Junction to Pontypridd Craig and Hafod Junction ceased but freight continued until 1951, when that section was closed, following which traffic was diverted to run to Treforest Junction from Tonteg Junction until the entire branch closed in 1963. By 1935 export volumes of
12495-434: The geographical suffix "Glamorganshire" (or "Glam"). The section of line north of Rhydyfelin had been retained in operational condition for political reasons by the CR, but as the GWR now owned the TVR lines as well, there was no point in this, and the section north of Rhydeyfelin was placed out of use from 16 September 1924. The light traffic on the line resulted in a decision to single the line north of Whitchurch, and this
12642-539: The government took control of all the railways and docks. There was a boom in employment as the docks continued to export coal but also exported timber and hay, imported grain and loaded naval vessels with equipment, munitions and supplies. 20-ton wagons were introduced during World War I, and later 30 ton. By 1920, the Barry Railway Company had a workforce of 3169, of which 890 were unskilled labourers, and operated 148 steam locomotives, 194 carriages and brake vans, and 2,316 wagons and trucks. The Railways Act 1921 forced
12789-594: The hard material was used for embankments and quay roads around the docks. The mud was placed behind these, and in trenches to seal the works from water, using special side-tipping wagons. Railways totalling 27 miles (43 km) were completed before the docks opened to connect them to the coalfields. At peak, there were 88 miles (142 km) of running tracks and 108 miles (174 km) of single-track sidings, over 1,000 yards (910 m) of viaducts and 2,500 yards (2,300 m) of tunnels, with seventeen stations. The lines had gentle gradients, no more than 1 in 400 against
12936-408: The hoist to suit the coal chute and a vessel's open hold. The cradle was held within a tower, and usually had a downhill gradient railtrack of 1 in 233 towards the weighbridge but a 1 in 70 downhill incline out. The cradle could also be raised or lowered as the dock water level varied. Using hydraulic power, the cradle was tilted to an angle, so the coal ran out of the wagon and down a coal chute into
13083-493: The hoists and tips in its docks and sidings to handle the 20-ton wagon, but the collieries were often unwilling to adopt the new size despite offers of rebates. 1923 proved to be the post-war peak. Coal output in Wales dropped from a total of 57.4 million long tons (58,300,000 t) that year to 37.7 million long tons (38,300,000 t) in 1928, and continued to fall as ships converted from coal to oil. In May 1926 GWR
13230-436: The hold of the vessel below. At the start of loading, the coal would run into a suspended anti-breakage box, which was hydraulically lowered into the hold and emptied through a hinged flap at the bottom. As loading proceeded, a cone of coal built up below the anti-breakage box until it reached the height of the end of the chute. At this stage, the anti-breakage box was swung out of the way and the coal allowed to run directly down
13377-505: The interiors. John Kinross was Bute's architect for the sympathetic and creative reworking of the partially ruined Falkland Palace . Kinross also restored Greyfriars in Elgin for Bute. As a burgess of Cardiff, the Marquess accepted the invitation to be mayor of Cardiff for the municipal year from November 1890. The Marquess's patronage was extensive, with a particular enthusiasm for buildings of religion and academia. Whilst Rector of
13524-407: The junction was not to be opened until the Cardiff Railway had constructed exchange sidings on their own property short of the TVR main line, so that CR engines need not enter TVR tracks. The space available for the purpose of building the sidings was constrained by the point at which the CR line crossed the River Taff, but the sidings were squeezed in. New proposals for the junction were submitted to
13671-522: The largest in the district, which would be connected by rail to Peterston-super-Ely on the main South Wales line. Jenner was granted permission to extend the railway through a series of acts in 1866, including the Barry Railway (Alteration) Act 1866 ( 29 & 30 Vict. c. xcii) and the Barry Railway (Extension) Act 1866 ( 29 & 30 Vict. c. cccxxxiii) which authorised the building of
13818-451: The latest loading aids, with the benefit of new access railways not constrained by the capacity of the existing railways. The Taff Vale Railway had long been criticised for congestion of its lines leading to the Bute docks. Against this background the trustees of the Earl of Bute decided that they should build a railway line to get access to the lucrative traffic in coal and other minerals from
13965-544: The line up to the junction but short of it. The line was inspected by Colonel Druitt of the Board of Trade on 18 October 1910, for passenger operation from Heath Junction (with the Rhymney Railway) to "the termination in a field at Treforest". However the stations were not ready and rolling stock had not even been ordered, and Druitt declined approval. A second inspection took place on 30 January 1911. This time approval
14112-544: The load on the mainline. The main Barry railway from the docks to the coalfields joined the Rhondda Fawr line of the Taff Vale Railway near Hafod northwest of Pontypridd. There were branch lines that joined the Taff Vale line at Treforest and the Great Western Railway at Peterston-super-Ely and St Fagans . A branch line mainly used for passenger traffic connected Barry to the Taff Vale Railway at Cogan Junction near
14259-412: The mainland, sheltered from storms by the island and by Friar's Point. It had been a port since medieval times. The island was about 1 mile (2 km) long and 1 ⁄ 2 mile (800 m) wide, with a height of 120 feet (37 m) above mean sea level. The mainland slopes up to the north, so the sound was well sheltered from the wind. No rivers or streams ran into the sound. The Bristol Channel
14406-438: The material to level the area around the docks and for the core of breakwaters to protect the entrance. The works included a basin with gates at each end, which served as a lock between the sea entrance and the docks, the dock walls and quays, coal loading equipment and railways to deliver coal from the mines to the docks. A second dock and second entrance lock were added in 1898. The Barry Dock Offices were built in 1897–1900 by
14553-419: The mechanical handling facilities in their dock. This feeling led to a long-standing desire to build alternative dock facilities in the Cardiff general area. These included Penarth Dock , developed by the Taff Vale Railway, Roath, also developed by the TVR and reached by the building of a new branch line opened in 1888, and Barry Docks . This last was an extensive dock facility laid out with plenty of space and
14700-494: The mining districts. The idea was also attractive to railway developers of the period. The Ogmore Valley Railway Company wanted to increase revenue by carrying coal for shipment to the docks at Cardiff and Penarth. H. Voss, the engineer of the Ely Valley Railway Company and the Great Western Railway, also saw its commercial potential, and made a proposal to Jenner of Wenvoe Castle to build a dock at Barry,
14847-491: The north side of the dock, from five low-level tips on the Mole and from one tip at the west end of the dock. There was space for additional tips on the Mole, the south side of the dock and the basin. Hydraulic pressure was used to operate all the machinery, supplied by three engine houses (Barry, at the north-west side of No.1 dock, Battery Hill, and Bendricks, to the south-east of No.2 dock). An engineers' report of 1901 contained
14994-411: The northwest Mole face. The bottom of the dock is 20 feet (6.1 m) below mean sea level. Due to the nature of the strata under the dock, there was no need to puddle the bottom of the dock to prevent water from seeping out and damaging the surrounding lands. The No.2 dock, (often referred to as the "New dock") to the east of No.1 dock, was open and in use by 1898. The first ship to enter No.2 dock
15141-468: The northwest and east faces, as are those on the rest of the two docks. In the twilight years of tanker unloading for the William Cory (Powell Duffryn) oil works, short footbridges were provided from the mole. This enables works staff to access the brick plinths to handle the flexible tanker oil discharge piping and supports, and it was not unknown for rail tank wagons to be in use on the siding serving
15288-459: The northwest facet of the taper-square chimney of the Bendricks pumphouse, until its demolition. By 1947, two hydraulic accumulators were located adjacent to the No.1 Dock hydraulic & electricity generating house and the Barry Railway Co's loco works, southwest of the dock, one at the junction of Subway Rd and the low-level docks through road and level crossing near what was the General HQ of
15435-447: The planks were removed and the concrete faced with brickwork in cement mortar. Three 12-inch (300 mm) pipes with valves ran through the lowest part of the concrete wall, allowing the water to drain to this level while excavation proceeded. The remaining water was pumped out. Gunpowder was used to loosen the marl, which was then removed by steam shovels . Various other steam-powered devices were used to remove mud, clay, and rock. All
15582-410: The pond beyond filled in to make way for the necessary high-level rail viaducts and embankments run to the No.2 dock coal hoists. The remaining dry-dock, minus its floatable caisson , is still flooded with the waterline commoned with that of the two docks (July 2017). By 1901, with No.2 dock in use, a second timber pond was included north of the dock. It was partly backfilled after 1960 but intersected by
15729-582: The quay, and the Barry Railway Company and the Barry Harbour Company were established. However, the plan was never realised. Jenner made another attempt in 1868. It failed because he did not attract support from the coal traders, who preferred to operate in Cardiff. Jenner dropped the idea after the Bute Dock Act 1874 allowed an additional dock at Cardiff, but the movement to build a dock at Barry continued to gain momentum, this time by
15876-478: The railway and having gained no income from it. Terms were agreed, and the matter went to Parliament in the 1909 session, but Parliament rejected the proposal on the grounds of the reduction in competition that would be caused. The Barry Railway and the Alexandra (Newport and South Wales) Docks and Railway Company had opposed it, as well as the TVR. Meanwhile, having obtained Inglis's adjudication in their favour,
16023-543: The running line, with one portion for Cardiff TVR and one for the Barry line. The Cardiff Railway proposed to join the passenger lines and then make crossovers to the mineral lines—the main object of their railway was of course the mineral traffic. The existing traffic on the TVR was remarkably intensive at this time, and the proposal alarmed the company. They examined the rights of the Cardiff Railway and saw that there were no running powers granted on their own line, nor powers to connect to all four tracks; moreover, they claimed,
16170-409: The shunters and the tippers were paid by the Barry Railway Company, and the wages of the trimmers were paid by the colliery companies. There was a coal boom between 1890 and 1914, and the dockyard business was immediately successful. By the end of 1889 Barry had exported 1.073 million long tons (1,090,000 t). In 1890 the docks shipped 3.192 million long tons (3,243,000 t). In 1891
16317-404: The skill of the shunters (who ensured that every yard of storage capacity of the ships was utilised), the tippers (who tipped the coal onto the ships), and the trimmers (who shovelled the coal sideways until the coal was evenly distributed in the hold). The tippers usually worked in gangs of four, and the dock charges and the wages of the tippers and the trimmers were based on tonnage. The wages of
16464-405: The sorting sidings. Two men could empty a wagon in one minute, one to run the wagon on and off the cradle, and another to operate the hydraulics. The resident engineer reported in 1890 that as much as 400 long tons (410 t) had been shipped in one hour from a single tip. In 1890 movable tipping hoists mounted on rails were installed so that coal could be loaded simultaneously into one hold from
16611-489: The space available was clearly not long enough, unless the sidings were extended over the Taff, which would require a series of bridges for them. There was now a dispute about how long a standard wagon was, and whether new Railway Clearing House recommendations for wagon sizes had been allowed for. Once again the matter went to arbitration, held by J. C. Inglis of the Great Western Railway, and at length Inglis found in favour of
16758-484: The structure on the line: The construction of the Cardiff Railway has involved a number of heavy engineering works. There are nine skew bridges, five crossing the Merthyr river, three across the Glamorganshire Canal, and one across the River Taff. Near Nantgawr the River Taff has been diverted. The various cuttings and embankments are mostly of an extensive character. Ten retaining walls, 12 under bridges, 10 over bridges,
16905-400: The top. The Basin gates contain many sluices, so water can be quickly drained out or let in according to whether the sea level is above or below the prevailing docks water level. However, more water is lost from No.1 dock supply if the Basin water is lowered to the seaward side of the lock gates instead of using the Lady Windsor lock sluices. In the early days, the dock operators would often run
17052-669: The trustees submitted a bill for the purpose. The Taff Vale Railway saw this as an obvious assault on its established near-monopoly in those areas, and sought to counter-attack by proposing yet another dock near Cardiff, on the east bank of the River Ely opposite Penarth, and a bill was submitted for this work in the 1896 session. Both this and the Bute Bills were rejected, however. In the following session, both companies tried their proposals once again in Parliament, and this time
17199-407: The two embarked on an architectural partnership, the results of which long outlasted Burges' own death in 1881. Bute's desires and money allied with Burges' fantastical imagination and skill led to the creation of two of the finest examples of the late Victorian era Gothic Revival , Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch . The two buildings represent both the potential of colossal industrial wealth and
17346-618: The university's huge central hall, named the Bute Hall in his honour, and he is commemorated both at the university's Commemoration Day and on its Memorial Gates . He was made the Honorary President ( Scottish Gaelic : Ceannard Urramach a' Chomainn ) of the Highland Society of the University of Edinburgh . Between 1868 and 1886 he financed the rebuilding of St Margaret's Parish Church , Roath , Cardiff, creating
17493-594: The upper part of the valleys, also reaching the Bute Dock. In 1850 the South Wales Railway opened part of its main line; instead of bringing down minerals from the upper part of the valleys, the South Wales Railway was a trunk line, conceived to connect London (through the developing network of the Great Western Railway ) with Milford Haven , and from there to generate a transatlantic shipping connection. The South Wales Railway also required
17640-450: The war ended. The Geest company used the docks to import West Indian bananas from 1959 until the 1980s. From 1957, many obsolete railway wagons were scrapped and cut up at the former West Pond site between Barry and Barry Island. From 1959, many steam locomotives were withdrawn from service and stored on sidings beside West Pond sidings area and more than 200 of them were recovered by enthusiasts for conservation or restoration. Parts of
17787-518: The water broke through to make a gap 80 feet (24 m) wide, through which the tide poured at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h). The problem was solved in July 1885 by dropping shutters between horizontal timbers attached to the viaduct piles when the tide had receded, then backing up the shutters with as much stone and earth as could be delivered from preloaded trucks. This worked. A cast-iron pipe 40 inches (1,000 mm) in diameter had been laid through
17934-404: The water down to bring in a single ship having a wider beam than the Lady Windsor lock could handle. At first, the docks were only accessible via the Basin for a few hours during high water. While waiting, ships could anchor to the east of the docks between Barry Island and Sully Island . The Lady Windsor Lock, opened on 4 January 1898, was named after the wife of the chairman of the company. It
18081-486: The west of the tidal basin. The original entrance to the docks is 80 feet (24 m) wide, with two wrought-iron gates operated by direct-acting hydraulic cylinders. This sea entrance leads into the Basin (occasionally called No.3 dock), that is 600 by 500 feet (180 by 150 m) and covers 7 acres (2.8 ha). At its northwest end, the Basin is connected to No.1 dock by an 80 feet (24 m) wide passage with another pair of wrought-iron lock gates, so that when required,
18228-456: The work was completed. Water was let into the docks on 29 June 1889. The water was first admitted into the basin and dock by opening the sluices in the culvert at the entrance on a rising tide. The sluices in the culvert at the west end were also opened. On the first tide the basin and dock were covered with 5 feet (1.5 m) of water, on the next with 18 feet (5.5 m), and on the tide that followed with 23 feet (7.0 m). On 13 July 1889
18375-568: The year 1921 of £193,973. It had distributed a dividend of 1% on ordinary stock in 1921. It handed over to the GWR 36 locomotives, mostly dock shunters, and 8 passenger vehicles and 43 freight wagons. There were 2,702 employees, reflecting the size of the dock activity rather than the railway. The new company now had some passenger stations with duplicate names, so that from 1 July 1924 Heath became Heath Halt Low Level; Rhydyfelin became Rhydyfelin Halt Low Level; Whitchurch and Coryton acquired
18522-403: Was John Wolfe Barry , assisted by Thomas Forster Brown and Henry Marc Brunel , son of the famous engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel . John Robinson was the resident engineer and the works were built by T.A. Walker. Barry was the son of the architect Charles Barry, and was the engineer of Tower Bridge , Surrey Commercial Docks , Natal Harbour and many other major works. Houses were built for
18669-580: Was 12. Bute had been attracted to the Roman Catholic Church since childhood, and the efforts of his guardians to weaken this attraction only added to it. He was never a member of the Church of England , despite efforts by Henry Parry Liddon to attract him to it. Bute's letters to one of his very few intimate friends during his Oxford career show with what conscientious care he worked out the religious question for himself. On 8 December 1868, he
18816-491: Was SS Solent when it opened without ceremony on 10 October 1898. John Jackson, a veteran of several major dock and harbour projects including the piers and foundation for Tower Bridge , London, the new Dover Harbour and part of the Manchester Ship Canal , was the contractor for the expansion. No.2 Dock is 3,338 feet (1,017 m) long and 400 to 600 feet (120 to 180 m) wide, connected to No.1 dock via
18963-403: Was a Scottish landed aristocrat , industrial magnate , antiquarian , scholar , philanthropist , and architectural patron . When Bute succeeded to the marquisate at the age of just six months, his vast inheritance reportedly made him the richest man in the world. He owned 116,000 acres mostly in Glamorgan, Ayrshire and Bute. His conversion to Catholicism from the Church of Scotland at
19110-405: Was a colliery at Nantgarw on the line, but it too was very slow to pick up, only being commercially productive from 1920. In 1912 the public passenger service was reduced as an economy measure. After World War I the government decided that most of the railways of Great Britain would be compulsorily restructured into one or other of four new large companies, the "groups". The relevant legislation
19257-461: Was buoyant at this time, and the access to it from Coryton was causing operational difficulties, as the signalling had been substantially reduced there. A new connection was installed from the former TVR main line at Taffs Well, crossing the River Taff and joining the extremity of the CR line, giving a new access to the Nantgarw mine, and enabling complete closure of the CR line north of Coryton. This
19404-415: Was commissioned on 16 June 1952. The colliery came under threat of closure due to geological exhaustion in 1986 and the spur line was closed in 1990. The line continued an uneventful existence operating passenger trains to Cardiff. It has developed into a useful commuter line into Cardiff from Coryton; in 2018 trains run typically at 30-minute intervals; the journey time from Coryton to Cardiff Queen Street
19551-464: Was completed in 1898. A further expansion to the docks were completed in 1914. The Docks Office was built in 1897–1900 by the architect Arthur E. Bell at the cost of £59,000. A statue of David Davies by Alfred Gilbert stands in front, unveiled in 1893. The roof and clock tower were destroyed by fire in 1984, but have been carefully restored. The building became the Customs House in 1995. It
19698-473: Was delivered during March, and during occasional non-availability of the vehicles, a conventional engine was hired in from the Great Western Railway to cover the service. The locomotive sections were subcontracted to Sissons of Gloucester; the passenger sections had first and third class accommodation. An editorial in the Railway Magazine was enthusiastic: On February 27th the first passenger trip
19845-472: Was dominated by exports of coal, carried by increasingly large and efficient vessels. Imports were just 11% of total volume in 1913, the largest category being iron ore. The company fought off competition and was able to pay dividends of 9.5% and 10%. At the docks, the company ran a total of 41 tips of various kinds, 47 mooring buoys, and kept tugs, launches, a dredger, a firefloat, and even had its own diver and police force. When World War I (1914–18) began,
19992-429: Was done from 16 May 1928. The passenger business continued to decline due to bus competition, and it was reported that the takings from the passenger business at station north of Coryton were £30 a week in 1930. The line north of Coryton was therefore closed to passenger traffic on 20 July 1931. In 1948 the main line railways of Great Britain were taken into national ownership, under British Railways. The Nantgarw colliery
20139-503: Was establishing a network of coal bunkering depots around the world. At first rejected, the group won permission for the port and railway in August 1884. On 14 November 1884 a group of ship and mine owners "trudged out to Castleland Point—near the later Dock Offices—to dig a small hole in the ground with the aid of a ceremonial spade, a wheelbarrow and a plentiful supply of planking to keep the autumn mud off their shoes." The lead engineer
20286-479: Was given. Most of the halts were merely small cleared areas of ground at ground level, and authority was given for operation by single railcars only. At this time many railway companies had been experimenting with railmotors , generally single coaches with an integrated small steam locomotive. The idea was to enable passenger operation from very low-cost stopping places. In most cases they had retractable steps so that passengers could join and alight at ground level. This
20433-605: Was going on or that he had a duty of care to inform himself as to the affairs of the bank. The case set a famous legal precedent , now superseded, for the minimal view of the duties of company directors. It was naturally a considerable embarrassment for the Marquess although he escaped legal blame. John, 3rd Marquess of Bute, married the Hon.Gwendolen Mary Angela Fitzalan-Howard (daughter of The 1st Baron Howard of Glossop and granddaughter of The 13th Duke of Norfolk ) in 1872 and had four children: Lord Bute died on 9 October 1900 after
20580-542: Was involved in the General Strike of mineworkers, continuing to run trains during the strike while miners had downed tools. This caused resentment that lasted for many years. The mines remained closed until the winter of 1926, causing a severe loss to GWR, which was also starting to feel competition from road transport. In October 1929 the Wall Street crash heralded the start of the Great Depression . In 1926
20727-489: Was known by the courtesy title Earl of Dumfries . The 2nd Marquess was an industrialist and began, at great financial risk, the development of Cardiff as a port to export the mineral wealth of the South Wales Valleys . Accumulating major debts and mortgages on his estates, the Marquess rightly foresaw the potential of Cardiff, telling his concerned solicitor in 1844, "I am willing to think well of my income in
20874-710: Was received into the Church by Monsignor Capel at a convent in Southwark , and a little later was confirmed by Pius IX in Rome , resulting in a public scandal. His conversion was the inspiration for Benjamin Disraeli 's novel, Lothair . The Marquess's vast range of interests, which included astrology , medieval art , religion , medievalism , the occult , architecture , travelling, linguistics , and philanthropy, filled his relatively short life. A prolific writer, bibliophile and traveller, as well as, somewhat reluctantly,
21021-470: Was run on the new railway in one of the handsome rail motor cars which have been built for the Company… The train was started on the Cardiff Railway by the Marquis of Bute, who for a short time took up the position of driver. The passenger train service was publicly commenced on March 1st. The rail motor car by which the traffic is at present conducted makes 11 double journeys daily (5 on Sundays), but, pending
21168-464: Was the Railways Act 1921 . The so-called "Western Group" was eventually named the Great Western Railway , and the old GWR was naturally the dominant part of the new company. Nevertheless, because of the important dock activity, the Cardiff Railway was considered a constituent (not merely a "subsidiary") of the new GWR. The Cardiff Railway reported £5.95 million of issued capital, and an income in
21315-494: Was the Cardiff Railway's intended passenger operation; in fact at first only Heath had a conventional elevated passenger platform. The first steam railmotor was delivered from the Gloucester Carriage and Wagon Company on 23 February 1911, and a trailer vehicle a few days later. A public passenger service was started on 1 March 1911. There were eleven trips each way on weekdays, and five on Sundays. A second railmotor
21462-417: Was to back up and stabilise fluctuating hydraulic pressure as the coal hoists and other users were working. (Most of these are detectable from aerial photographs taken between 1921 and 1929 and can be seen on other websites.) One pair of fixed coal hoists on the north side was 174 feet (53 m) apart, and two other pairs were 200 feet (61 m) apart. This spacing was chosen since it was the same as that in
21609-483: Was to be included in the new company's activity. The Taff Vale Railway was alarmed at this development, as it could only result in traffic, and income, being diverted from its line to the Cardiff Railway. Having found success, the Cardiff Railway promoted a further bill in the following session, and was authorised as the Cardiff Railway Act 1898 ( 61 & 62 Vict. c. cclxii) on 12 August 1898 to build
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