Penarth Dock, South Wales - the heritage and legacy

Volume Two - The Era of Optimism, Investment & Development - Imports and Exports to 1908 . . .


The date of this photograph is claimed to be 1907, however, I can't see the two new moving coal tips numbers 19 and 20 which were installed 1905 - 06, so logically it must have been taken at an earlier date. The scene at the northern quay of the main dock where bales of wood pulp are being unloaded from the steamship 'Progress' destined for use at the Ely paper mill a few miles inland. The Ely mill was opened in 1865 and produced newspaper which was transported by rail to Fleet Street for printing. [039]
	left : 1895 - An entry from Kelly's Directory of Monmouthshire & S. Wales, Part 2, South Wales Court & Trade Directories for Owen Thomas & Company Limited, the largest makers of paper for newspapers in Europe, Mill No. 50 (Charles John Smart, manager), Ely paper works, Cardiff. T A " Paper Cardiff " [175]



An identical photograph appeared an article 'The Sea-Power of Our Railways' within 'The Windsor Magazine' [478] and also within a book, 'The Ways of our Railways' [479] in 1906. Also a colourised version. The title 'Discharging wood-pulp at Penarth Dock, Taff Vale Railway Company - At this and other docks, wagons are loaded and discharged immediately alongside the vessels.'

1916 - Paper Pulp Exportations - 'In spite of the alleged shortage of raw material in this country (being the United States of America) its exportation to foreign countries goes on without interruption. On September 14th at Baltimore, the Norwegian steamer ‘‘Granli’’ arrived from the Tyne to load wood pulp for Manchester, England, and Penarth, Wales. Her cargo will consist of many hundreds of bales of the pulp. The pulp is in great sheets and is ready for the process of being made into paper. The pulp has been stored in one of the great elevators in Baltimore for many months, and at last has been disposed of, to be taken across the sea for the use of the British paper manufacturers.' - Ben Franklin Monthly [1102] [499] October 1916.