Barry Docks
By 1871 the population of Barry was over 100 people and there were 21 buildings, the new estate-owning Romilly family being involved in the build up of the village but it remained a largely agricultural community.
Developed by Welsh industrialist David Davies solely as a coal port, work commenced on Barry Docks in 1884 and the first dock basin was opened in 1889 to be followed by two other docks and extensive port installations. The company developed extensive dock offices to cope with the administration of both the docks and the railway. Trade grew from one million tons in the first year, to over nine million tons by 1903, and as early as 1892 it was handling a third more coal than Cardiff Docks. The port was crowded with ships and had flourishing ship repair yards, cold stores, flour mills and an ice factory. By 1913 Barry was the largest coal exporting port in the world handling 4000 ships and 11 million tons of coal, but during its industrial peak a number of ships sank off the Barry coast. Behind the docks rose the terraced houses of Barry which, with Cadoxton, soon formed a sizeable town.
Read more about this topic: Barry Railway Company
Famous quotes containing the word barry:
“But whether on the scaffold high,
Or in the battle’s van,
The fittest place where man can die
Is where he dies for man.”
—Michael J. Barry (1817–1889)