Post by Administrator on Jul 31, 2017 22:39:05 GMT
18th July 1889 - Opening of the first dock basin at Barry.
By 1871, the population of Barry was approximately 100, with only 21 buildings. It was largely an agricultural community. Its rapid growth was the result of it being developed as a coal port in the 1880s. The coal trade was growing so rapidly that the facilities at Cardiff's Tiger Bay could not cope, so a coalition of mine owners formed the Barry Railway Company and elected to build a new dockyard at Barry.
Work began in 1884, and the initial dock basin was operational in 1889, soon followed by two other docks and port infrastructure. The Barry Railway transported coal from the western South Wales Valleys to the new docks, where trade flourished. A million tonnes were shipped in the first year, and in excess of nine million tonnes by 1903. The port was packed with ships and supported ship repair yards, flour mills, cold stores, and an ice factory. By 1913, Barry was the world's largest coal exporting town. Alongside the docks, the terraced houses of Barry were built, which, with Cadoxton, formed a substantial town. The railways, which had played a major part in the development of the dock, also did a great deal to make Barry Island a popular resort.