Volume Six - Pre-Victorian to the Present Day - Select Aspects - The subway under the river Ely story . . .

Images from August 1898 of the surcharge or spoil dumped in the river Ely above the subway excavation to assist in blow-out prevention. The report confirms that despite these precautions there were two inundations during the construction of the subway.

The first inundation occurred in November 1897 when construction was near to the north bank of the river (Ferry Road side) and a second, in December 1898 beneath the southern river bank. Both resulted in the subway being flooded and significant (c.1,000 cubic metres) volumes of mud and water entering the workings. In context it amounted to about one third of the total excavated having to be cleared out! Obviously, these events caused delays and additional cost but no deaths were recorded during the construction.

"The Engineer" reported on the progress of the project in March 1899 and again in May 1900. The articles make mention of the late Mr. Greathead's experience of tunneling projects in the UK and it his book on the subject which I refer too in relation to the British Hydraulic Co. moulding machine used to cast the lining segments for the subway. The last ring was laid in September 1899 and the subway opened on the 14th May 1900. The subway had a local red-brick toll house at each end with turnstiles. The dock police office was included within the Penarth Dock toll house building. The entrance was tiled, half green, then a change to cream at the top. The tolls were 1d for each pedestrian, 2d for a bicycle and 4d for a pram. These tolls were collected until 1937 although the police and postal workers were exempt.