Volume Two - The Era of Optimism, Investment & Development - Growth of coal exports . . .

Despite the strikes, coal exports continued to expand into the 20th century. Even in the 1890's the South Wales ports provided 38% of all British coal exports this being approx. a quarter of all coal traded in the World, but imports were also necessary for the continued growth of the iron and steel industry. The 1901 O.S. map provides an insight into the development of the Ely Tidal Harbour, with its specialist facilities for the Dowlais iron and steel works, the petroleum works and its proximity to the coal handling facilities at Penarth Docks. The dock extension and coal tips are clear from the OS map published in 1901. At the western end is a pumping engine house. On the north bank of the Ely Tidal Harbour are numerous coal tips and to the right a landing jetty for iron ore for the Cardiff, East Moors steel and iron works.

“Dowlais by the sea” as it became known, should not be confused with the iron works 25 miles or so further north near Merthyr. The iron ore wharf was built between 1885 and 1887 for the importation of ore predominately from northern Spain. Railways transported the ore in trucks directly to the iron and steel works. Also at the north headland is the Victoria Petroleum Works.

Steel was in great demand for industry and “The Engineer” [015] [016] of January 1907 reported upon the phenomenal growth of the shipbuilding industry in the UK in comparison to the rest of the World and concluded that 60% of the shipping of the World was built here in the UK.

Of a World total of 2,790 ships built, 510 were built in Scotland, 882 in England, 28 in Ireland, 110 in the British colonies, leaving a balance of 1260 in the rest of the World. In tonnage terms 2,002,570 tons was combined UK output plus 28,780 from the colonies leaving the rest to launch 1,822,450 tons. Some estimates suggest that the combined total of goods shipped by sea on a Worldwide basis was in excess of 80% of all tonnage in British built ships. This trend continued for a few years longer.