The Viaduct at Porthkerry was opened on 1st December 1897. It is a railway viaduct, and was designed and engineered by James and William Szlumper. The Pethick brothers were contracted to build the viaduct in the late 19th century. The viaduct would link Barry Docks with Bridgend. Building the Viaduct 1890s - Old Barry in Pictures Construction of the viaduct began in 1894, but in August 1896 there were problems. Piers Nine and Ten showed signs of settlement. This was… Read more.
The Barry Railway Company was established in 1884 when the docks were being built. The company created a dock and a railway that linked the South Wales Coalfields to Barry Docks. The Barry Railway Company In 1896, a Spur Line was built on the railway lines to Barry Island. This brought many day trippers to the beaches and cafes and shops soon opened up. P & A Campbell began operating paddleboat cruises from the pier. This was followed by cruises… Read more.
As the docks slowly fell silent, and all of the ships and businesses left the area, the docks became derelict. Many of the buildings that had housed the offices and businesses that had once operated from there also became derelict. Plans were made to redevelop the waterfront area and Dock No.1 was the first area that developers looked at. Planning permission was granted for residential and commercial developments. In 2001, Morrison's supermarket opened, and a retail park was built next… Read more.
In 1892, Woodham & Sons was founded by Albert Woodham. The business started as a Dock Porterage business, but by the 1930's the Woodham family had started to trade in scrap metal. In 1957, they started to dismantle railway wagons as the scheme to modernise the railways was rolled out. Sixteen thousand steam locomotives and six hundred and fifty thousand wagons were to be scrapped. Woodhams began taking these locomotives and wagons as scrap, and they were stored on land… Read more.
The Dock Offices were built between 1897 and 1900. They were designed by the architect Arthur E. Bell in the style of Christopher Wren. The building cost £59,000, and a bronze statue of David Davies stands in front of it today. Alfred Gilbert designed the statue. A copy of this statue stands by the A470 in David Davies home village in Mid Wales. David Davies 2021 - Jo PriceDavid Davies 2021 - Jo PriceThe Dock Offices 2021 - Jo Price… Read more.
At the end of the 19th Century, a group of mine owners and businessmen, led by David Davies of Llandidnam, met to discuss the possibility of building docks in Barry to export coal that was coming from their mines in the Rhondda Valleys. John Cory was the financial backer. Despite previous failed attempts to gain approval to build a dock at Barry, the Barry Dock scheme was eventually passed. There was simply too much coal for Cardiff Docks to manage. … Read more.