Cardiff and Southern Glamorgan, its Industrial Archaeology and history

The industrial history and archaeology of Cardiff and Southern Glamorgan

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Cardiff City, Penarth and Lavernock, Barry to Rhoose, Aberthaw Pebble Limeworks, Pontyclun, The rest of Southern Glamorgan.

or here to explore
The Taff Vale to Pontypridd The Taff Vale from Pontypridd to Merthyr The Rhondda Valleys

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Cardiff City
Bus station and CCT trolleybus 201, 1964	Bus station and CCT trolleybus 242, 1964	Bus station and CCT bus 46, 1964	Flying Scotsman at Cardiff General, March 1964
Flying Scotsman at Cardiff General, March 1964	Cardiff General and 9426, 1964	Cardiff General and 6947, 1964	Whitchurch Station WW1 poster, 1964
An empty Heath Junction, 1982 Don't know why I took this!	Cardiff - Canton open day 150 001, August 1985	Cardiff - Canton open day 150 001, August 1985	Cardiff - Canton open day, 25322 'Tamworth Castle', August 1985
Cardiff - Canton open day 4930 'Hagley Hall', August 1985	Cardiff - Canton open day 4930 'Hagley Hall', August 1985	Cardiff - Canton open day 4930 'Hagley Hall', August 1985	Cardiff - Canton open day 7029 'Clun Castle', August 1985
Cardiff - Canton open day 97201, August 1985	Cardiff - Canton open day 7029 'Clun Castle', August 1985	Cardiff - Canton open day 4930 'Hagley Hall', August 1985	Cardiff - Canton open day D200, August 1985
Cardiff - Canton open day 92220 'Evening Star', August 1985	Cardiff - Canton open day 92220 'Evening Star', August 1985	Cardiff - Canton open day, August 1985	Cardiff - Class 43, c1978
Cardiff Dock entrance, October 2010	Cardiff Bay, coal drams, October 2010	Glamorgan Canal tunnel, Kingsway, June 2015	TVR docks branch bridge, August 2016
Above Caerphilly Tunnel and Cefn Onn caves
From ukCaving.com :- The gated entrance did have a padlock on it, but not only was this padlock not attached to anything, the hole underneath the gate was more than large enough to get through. The shaft was straight and about 75-80 metres long, with a number of drill holes, so obviously man made, ending when you arrive at a curved brick wall, obviously another ventilation shaft for the railway. We could hear a significant (small waterfall size!) amount of water through a hole in the shaft wall, but couldn't see down to where it came from. The little hole that I had crawled into as a lad was less interesting. We moved a boulder and dropped into it (tight and steep, much much harder to get out than to get in!) and there was probably about 7-8 metres of standing room passage that abruptly ended. We wondered if the railway workers had started to dig here before stopping for some reason.
Cefn Onn, Tranch-yr-hebog Quarry, October 2013		Cefn-Onn large adit, September 2014	Cefn-Onn small adit, May 2009
Ventilation shaft #4 tramway bridge, September 2014	Ventilation shaft #4 waste tips, September 2014	Caerphilly tunnel ventilation shaft #3, May 2009	Caerphilly tunnel ventilation shaft #4, May 2009
Cardiff's outskirts
Cefn Mably, valvehouse, February 2011	Peterstone sewer outfall, March 2012	St Brides sewer outfall, March 2012	St Brides sewer outfall, March 2012

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Penarth and Lavernock
Penarth. The Islwyn Ramblers walk from Penarth to Sully and I find some Industrial Archaeology as usual.
Penarth, TVR bridge, June 2015	Penarth, TVR bridge, June 2015	S. Wales Cement Works wagon, June 2015	S. Wales Cement Works wagon, June 2015
Lower Cosmeston Farm, June 2015	Bamford's patent grinding mill, June 2015	Lavernock, electrical sub-station, June 2015	Lavernock, Rock Cottage, June 2015
Lavernock Point gun battery. This WW2 anti-aircraft gun battery was armed with four 3.7" guns and a 40mm Bofors gun and consisted of gunpits, command post, magazine, workshops and a searchlight. It was unusual because gunpits 1 and 2 had steel doors so they could engage shipping if needed.
Battery gunpit 2, June 2015	Battery magazine, June 2015	Battery command post and workshops, June 2015	Battery gunpit 1, June 2015
Battery gunpit 3, June 2015	Battery gunpit 2, command post and gunpit 1, June 2015	Searchlight building, June 2015	Searchlight building, June 2015
Searchlight building, June 2015	Information board, June 2015

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From Barry to Rhoose
Woodhams Yard in the 1960s and 1975
30499, July 1975	30830, July 1975	34070, July 1975	35022, July 1975
4247, July 1975	45293, July 1975	47324, July 1975	48305, July 1975
6023, July 1975	61264, July 1975	92219, July 1975	General view of yard, July 1975
Woodhams yard 30841, May 1966	Woodhams yard 31874, 1964	Woodhams yard 45690 31618, 1964	Woodhams yard 53808 31618, 1964
Woodhams yard 44777, 1964	Woodhams yard 31625, 1964	Woodhams yard 31806 31638, 1964
From Barry to Rhoose
Barry, Old harbour - ST 1067 6681 A couple of old hulks and the limekilns
Barry old harbour, February 2015	Barry old harbour, February 2015	Barry old harbour limekilns, February 2015
Barry West pier - ST 1220 6665 Some rails are still surviving on the breakwater at Jackson's Bay.
Barry West pier, February 2015	Barry West pier, February 2015	Barry West pier, February 2015
Porthkerry Quarries - ST 0753 6595 Between c1912 and c1931 a 3'0" gauge railway ran around these quarries. The bridge abutments and stonework may be connected with this line.
Porthkerry lower quarry, February 2015	Porthkerry lower quarry bridge abutments, February 2015	Porthkerry lower quarry, February 2015	Porthkerry lower quarry, February 2015
Porthkerry lower quarry, February 2015			East Quarry, Rhoose, February 2015
West Quarry, Rhoose, blast shelter July 2016	West Quarry, Rhoose, tank July 2016	West Quarry, Rhoose, July 2016	West Quarry, Rhoose, June 2009

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Aberthaw
Aberthaw Pebble Limeworks
Aberthaw Pebble Limestone Company Lime-making at Aberthaw had been in production since the 1750s on a fairly small scale producing a good quality hydraulic lime that could set underwater. So in 1888 the Aberthaw Pebble Limestone Company was formed to take full advantage of the limestone pebbles on Aberthaw beach. There were originally two kilns and a further two were added c1895 after the opening of the TVR branch from Cowbridge. The works closed down in 1926.
The limeworks in 1912, ©Glamorgan Record Office	The limeworks in 1900, ©Crown Copyright reserved	The limeworks in 1919, ©Crown Copyright reserved	The limeworks in 1919, ©Crown Copyright reserved
General views of the limeworks
General view, July 2016	General view, July 2016	General view, July 2016
General view, May 2010	General view, May 2010	General view, June 2009	General view, June 2009
The three-storey mill building
Mill building, June 2009	Mill drive shaft support, May 2010	Mill drive shaft access, May 2010	Mill steam pipe, May 2010
The boiler house
Boiler house wall, July 2016	Boiler house wall, July 2016	Boiler house chimney, July 2016
Boiler house wall, May 2010	Boiler house flue, May 2010	Boiler house flue, May 2010	Boiler house access, May 2010
The original 1888 kilns
Old kilns draw-hole doors, July 2016	Old kilns draw-hole doors, July 2016	Old kilns lime run-off channels, July 2016	Old kilns draw-hole doors, July 2016
Old kilns upper draw-hole, July 2016	Old kilns passageway, July 2016	Old kilns upper draw-hole, July 2016	Old kilns floor plates, July 2016
Old kilns upper draw-hole, May 2010	Old kilns lime run-off channel, May 2010	Old kilns draw-hole, May 2010	Old kilns lime run-off channel, May 2010
Old kilns draw-hole, June 2009	Old kilns passageway, June 2009	Old kilns upper draw-hole, June 2009
Interior of the old kilns, May 2010	Interior of the old kilns, May 2010
The new kilns built after the TVR branch from Cowbridge was opened, c1895
New kilns, June 2009	New kilns, June 2009	New kilns, June 2009	New kilns, May 2010
Around the outside
Upturned Barlow rail, May 2010	New kilns ramp foundation, June 2009	'Pleasant Harbour' wharf, June 2009
The Taff Vale Railway at Aberthaw
TVR line 1st underbridge, June 2009	TVR line 2nd underbridge, June 2009	TVR line 2nd underbridge, June 2009	TVR line overbridge, June 2009
TVR line overbridge, June 2009			Waverley passing at sea, June 2009

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Pontyclun
Around the Station and along the Coed Ely branch.
Goods Yard entrance bridge, September 2015	Goods Yard entrance bridge, September 2015	Goods Yard entrance bridge, September 2015	Level Crossing, September 2015
Level Crossing, September 2015	Level Crossing, September 2015	Level Crossing, September 2015	River bridge, September 2015
River bridge, September 2015	River bridge, September 2015	River bridge, September 2015	Sidings and shed area, September 2015
Sidings and shed area, September 2015	Tramway rail in sidings, September 2015	Subway under sidings, September 2015	Subway under sidings, September 2015
Subway under sidings, September 2015	Subway under sidings, September 2015	Tinplate Works road bridge, September 2015

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The rest of South and Mid Glamorgan
Around Bridgend and the Ogwr Valley
Candleston Quarry - ST 8640 7800 St Brides Major limekiln - ST 9129 7520 A small quarry and limekiln next to Candleston Farm and the ruined outbuildings at the farm, all dating back to at least 1880. Another very ruinous limekiln near Castle-upon-Alun, St Brides Major.
Candleston Quarry	Candleston Quarry	Candleston Farm outbuildings	Limekiln near St Brides Major
Tresilian, Llantwit Major - ST 9473 6777 There are three World War 2 pillboxes surrounding Tresilian, a large seaside house, near Llantwit Major.
The Eastern Tresilian pillbox	The Eastern Tresilian pillbox	The Central Tresilian pillbox	The Western Tresilian pillbox
St Donats Castle - ST 9345 6800 Dunraven Castle - ST 8893 7345 St Donats Castle once boasted an outdoor swimming pool and this chimney and flue appear to have been part of the heating system, unusual with the chimney some way away from the pool like the old lead-smelting flues. There's not much left of Dunraven Castle itself but the gardens are very pleasent. There's an old barn not far away with cast-iron pillars supporting the roof.
St Donats swimming pool chimney	St Donats swimming pool flue	Dunraven Castle barn pillar
St Fagans Folk Museum
St Fagans Museum, Limekiln	St Fagans Museum, Limekiln	St Fagans Museum, Pottery kiln
The Llantrisant No.1 Railway at ST 1196 7907
The Llantrisant No.1 Railway ran from Waterhall Junction to Llantrisant. A footpath crosses under the line near Rhydlafr and planning notices show that no less than 5970 houses are to be built here very soon!
Bridge abutments near Rhydlafr	Trackbed to the South	Trackbed to the North
Other locations
Coed Ely coke ovens

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