Volume Nine - Pre-Victorian to the present day - even more aspects - Swing Bridge Connections : Penarth Dock, River Taff and Glamorganshire Canal . . .

The Long and Winding Road from Butetown to Penarth Dock:

The foregoing establishes that the roadway from the Cardiff Pier Head to the temporary offices of the TVR near the Grangetown Iron Works via two swing bridges was complete by 1866. What then was the status of the intended phase two connecting road to Penarth?

•  February 1866 - 'The Penarth Railway and Dock Company have commenced running a train to carry passengers between this town (Grange) and the Docks, for the facility of their workmen and parties connected with the shipping and other business at the Docks. This is a great boon conferred on the public, as there is no direct footpath between Cardiff and Penarth, though there is a report that a path is about to be made over that portion of the way that passes through the Marquis of Bute's land, though the dock is not situate on his lordship's property.' - The Cardiff Times [019] [361] 2nd February 1866.

•  July 1866 - A newspaper report of the recent proceedings of the Bute Dock Bill in the House of Lords provides a witness statement of the situation at that date relating to travel between Cardiff and Penarth :

' . . . The proposed low-water pier would, in witness's opinion, be a great boon to Penarth dock, by enabling people to cross from Cardiff to Penarth at all states of the tide. At present there was a little steamer plying between Cardiff and Penarth for about eight hours of the twenty-four, when the tide served, which was about eight hours out of the twenty-four. The other means of access to Penarth were, going round a long way by the road under the hill, or using the new road of the Penarth company, by which, in order to reach the dock the passenger had to cross a swing bridge over the canal, another swing bridge over the river Taff, and a ferry across the river Ely - a journey which involved great delay and loss of time.' - The Cardiff Times [019] [361] 6th July 1866.

I have a chapter on the ferry services - see also 'Crossing the River Ely'. The new road to Penarth was complete by November 1869, as confirmed by a news article which I include later, but when the intended road was actually completed has not been established thus far in my research. I suspect that the overrun on time and costs relating to the building of the Penarth Dock and the dispute with Messrs Smith and Knight may have adversely influenced the completion of this roadway.