Volume Three - The Pontoon Era - The delay in preparation of the pontoon berth . .

The National Archives hold an 'Agreement between the TVR and Penarth Pontoon Slipway & Shiprepairing Co. Ltd. for tenancy of land at Penarth Dock, with correspondence' dated November 1910, also with reference to the years 1941 -1962, which requires close scrutiny. "The Penarth Pontoon Company's new works were opened on December 1912, by Mrs. Beasley, of Penarth, and are equipped with the latest plant and machinery for carrying out all classes of repairs with despatch and economy." Western Mail [164] 29 April 1914.

	The image on the left, taken in the 1970's, clearly shows the vertical wall at the western end of the dock and some of the eight vertical slots to house the shore connecting booms of the pontoon.
	The modified blueprint of cross-sectional views showing the extents of the shore boom and the masonry work necessary for operation of the pontoon.

How they built the new dock wall and modified the masonry at the northern quay wall for the pontoon berth was initially not known. 1910 was almost at the zenith of coal exports from the dock; surely they couldn't have closed the dock for business, reduce its water depth or drain it to undertake the considerable masonry work. I would dearly love to know the answer to this amazing engineering feat and found in the National Archives the documentation which provides most of the answers - see Volume 6, Chapter 13.