Volume One - Into the Victorian Age - The dock extension of 1883 . . .

◊ October 1882 - Penarth Dock - 'The work of extending the dock at Penarth is making satisfactory progress. The contract has been taken by Mr. T. A. Walker, who is represented on the works by Mr. W. R. Parker, and about a thousand men and five steam navvies are employed on the undertaking, the first part of which has been the removal of a hill of more than 78ft. in height above the quay level. This has all been levelled with the aid of blasting-powder and the steam excavators, and part of the dock walls are being built. They are of Pennant stone quarried from the Severn tunnel, for which Mr. Walker is also the contractor, faced with large blocks of red Radyr stone ; the walls are 52 ft. in depth, 22 ft. thick at the foundations, and 7 ft. 6 in. thick at the quay level.

The length of the addition to the docks is 800 ft. and the area is 75 acres. About 900,000 cubic yards of earth will be removed, and 36,000 cubic yards of masonry walling erected. The works were commenced in October, 1881, and at present half the earthwork and two-thirds of the masonry are completed. Mr. Henry Fisher, of the Taff Vale Railway Company, is the resident engineer.' - The Building News [547] [499] 27th October 1882.

◊ February 1883 - Medical Appointments - 'Dester, W. P. L.R.C.P. Ed., M.R.C.S., L.S. A. Lond., has been appointed Surgeon for the Grangetown District of the Penarth Dock Works.' - The Lancet [1113] [499] 10th February 1883.

◊ February 1883 - Penarth New Dock - 'Considerable progress has been made during the last six months, although the weather for a great part of the time has been unfavourable. About two-thirds of the excavation is now completed and the greater part of the dock wall is finished and ready for coping.' - Engineering [627] [716] 23rd February 1883.