Penarth Dock, South Wales - the heritage and legacy

about . . .

Volume Ten - Pre-Victorian to the present day - even more aspects - Construction of the Penarth Slipway and Gridiron . . .

The majority of the technical and constructional detail of the gridiron and slipway is probably lost in time, that is, except for Mr Jackson's Cost Book for the period 1874 to 1883 which includes interesting itemised detail regarding the expenditure involved in building the Penarth Gridiron and Slipway. The following extracts are based upon the entries within this document the original of which is held at the Tyne and Wear Archives. [Archive reference : NRA 8919 : 2263/2] [062]

Analysis of Cost Book of W. E. Jackson (contractor) : Wage Bill :

The graph above illustrates the level of the (approx.) total weekly payments of wages to navvies and artisans during construction of the gridiron and slipway ; also it shows the duration of the main construction works. The commencement of work proper was in July/August 1878 and appears to be winding down to completion and commissioning towards the end of September 1879 based upon these entries taken from Mr. W. E. Jackson's Cost Book. The total paid out in wages was c.£5,569 which equates in buying power terms (in 2019) to a value of c.£657,390.

contents . . .

information . . .