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The Building of Barry A great deal has been written about the construction of the Barry Docks and Railway but very little about the building of the town - the commercial premises and houses. Where did the builders obtain the materials to build so many houses so quickly? To house a population that changed from less than 1,000 to over 30,000 in the space of a few years must have required one of the fastest building programmes ever undertaken. Bricks from the Rhondda, Bristol, and Bridgewater poured into Barry. Home produced bricks were made at Cadoxton Moors,Coldbrook, and Dinas Powis brickworks. Bricks produced at the brickworks on Cadoxton Moors were stamped either BIGLIS, NEW DOCK, CADOXTON or GLOBE. Bricks produced at Coldbrook were of a harder material and were stamped ARKEL. Bricks from Dinas Powis were stamped GWALIA. The main brick suppliers to the builders of Barry were the colliery owners. In the 1880's brickworks were established at many of the collieries. Production of these bricks was very cost effective, as the clay was a waste product from the mines, and the small coal which had previously been tipped, was used to fire the kilns. Archibald Hood who was a director of the Barry Railway and Docks Company also owned a colliery at Llwnypia. In 1890 the colliery was producing 10,000 bricks per day, the process being carried out by the wives and daughters of the colliers. The production of these brickworks was originally intended for construction within the mines, however production was rapidly expanded to meet the ever increasing demands from Barry and Cardiff, and thousands of bricks were shipped daily. Bristol and Bridgewater imported coal from South Wales. Vessels on the return run brought Cattybrook bricks from Bristol, and chimney pots, ridging tiles and ornamental earthenware from Bridgewater. Most of these materials were used in town houses and public buildings. Holton Road School was built using Cattybrook Bricks. Barry Accident Hospital used bricks from Ruabon. Slates were mainly from North Wales but a number were imported from Belgium. Blue Pennant flagstones for pavements came from Yorkshire, and quarries attached to the mines, Clydach and Llywnypia being the main suppliers. Most of these pavings have been replaced by concrete paving slabs or tarmac, but many can still be seen in the pavements and back lanes of Cadoxton. Before bricks came flooding into Barry, stone from local quarries and beaches was used for building. Much of this material was used for the building of earlier houses. Later, local quarried stone was only used for road building. Most of Cadoxton and East Barry were built of local dressed stone. Stone similar to that which was used in house building in Court Road was usually from outside the area. Together with demand for bricks, etc., timber was also in great demand, in the 1880's the nearest railway station to Barry was at Penarth Docks. As many as thirty horses were employed in hauling timber to Barry. To enable building material to be taken up Weston Hill, extra horses were attached to the wagons. These were known as "chain" horses, and were kept in a field close to Weston Hill. Small coasters could unload timber in Barry Harbour. In 1884 J.C. Meggitt opened his business at Austry Farm at the Old Harbour, opposite the Ship Hotel. T.A. Walker (the contractor for the building of Barry Docks) required this site, and offered to purchase all the stocks of timber on site if Mr Meggitt agreed to move. Mr Meggitt agreed, and opened up a yard near Cadoxton railway station. In 1885 advertisements appeared stating that Red Deals, Spruce Deals, Pitch Pine and Oak, as well as flooring imported from Norway, Russia, and America, were available in quantity at the yard for immediate delivery. So much timber was required by contractors that Mr Meggitt eventually outgrew the Cadoxton yard, and when he was offered a site at Barry Docks he decided to move and built a timber mill there. Timber could then be unloaded directly from the ships into the mill for processing. In the years 1890 to 1893, ships carrying timber from Pensacola (U.S.A.), Norway, Gelfren (Sweden), and Archangel (Russia), were discharged at Barry. Meggitt and Jones went on to become one of the largest timber suppliers in South Wales. The old bricks and timbers are still about, and are in great demand for restoration projects where 'period' materials are needed.
© T. CLEMETT 1998
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