Barry Docks Offices is a council building in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan in south-east Wales. It is prominently sited, overlooking the docks to the south, below the town and on a level site near Castleland Point, a promontory within Dock View Road. Barry Docks railway station is adjacent to the building and to its rear.
The offices were constructed between 1897 and 1900 and bear the date 1898. The development was part of the industrialist David Davies's scheme for Barry Docks and was intended to regulate the substantial coal exporting trade which had grown to world prominence in the town.
The building cost £59,000. [1] and is constructed of red brick with Portland stone dressing. The architect was Arthur E. Bell who was the son of the resident engineer of the Barry Dock and Railway Company. The building is in Baroque revival style, based on the work of Sir Christopher Wren. The building is a massive block, eleven bays by seven, with giant pilasters of the composite order above the ground floor, slightly projecting their bay centre, with a triangular pediment above on paired pilasters. The central tower consists of a clock tower with a cupola above. The design of the central doorway in a concave surround, imitates Wren's design for St Mary-le-Bow. [2]
The Dock Offices were badly damaged by fire in 1984 but were later restored by Associated British Ports and now house the part of Vale of Glamorgan Council dealing with building construction and new civil engineering projects. The statue of David Davies, the man responsible for the building of the docks, stands in front of the offices. It is a Grade II* listed building. [3]
The Vale of Glamorgan, often referred to as The Vale, is a county borough in Wales, bordering Bridgend, Cardiff, and Rhondda Cynon Taf. With an economy based largely on agriculture and chemicals, it is the southernmost unitary authority in Wales. Attractions include Barry Island Pleasure Park, the Barry Tourist Railway, Medieval wall paintings in St Cadoc's Church, Llancarfan, Porthkerry Park, St Donat's Castle, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park and Cosmeston Medieval Village. It is also the location of Atlantic College, one of the United World Colleges.
Glamorgan, or sometimes Glamorganshire, is one of the thirteen historic counties of Wales and a former administrative county of Wales. Originally an early medieval petty kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing. Then taken over by the Normans as a lordship. The area that became known as Glamorgan was both a rural, pastoral area, and a conflict point between the Norman lords and the Welsh princes. It was defined by a large concentration of castles.
Briton Ferry is a town and community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. The Welsh name may indicate that the church, llan, is protected from the wind, awel. Alternatively, Sawel may be a derivative of Saul, St Paul's earlier name. He once landed at Briton Ferry. An alternative Welsh name unused today is Rhyd y Brython, a direct translation of Briton Ferry. The Normans referred to the River crossing as La Brittonne and Leland in 1540 as Britanne Fery.
Barry is a town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, on the north coast of the Bristol Channel approximately 9 miles (14 km) south-southwest of Cardiff. Barry is a seaside resort, with attractions including several beaches and the resurrected Barry Island Pleasure Park. According to Office for National Statistics 2016 estimate data, the population of Barry was 54,673.
The Barry Tourist Railway is a railway developed to attract visitors to Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. It is a key element of the Barry Rail Centre which also includes engineering and training facilities.
The Vale of Glamorgan Line is a commuter railway line in Wales, running through the Vale of Glamorgan from Barry to Bridgend, via Rhoose and Llantwit Major.
Cogan railway station is a railway station serving Cogan in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It is on the Vale of Glamorgan Line 2 3⁄4 miles (4.4 km) south of Cardiff Central on the way to Barry Island and Bridgend.
Bridgend railway station is a main line station serving the town of Bridgend, south Wales. It is located approximately halfway between Cardiff Central and Swansea stations, at the point where the Maesteg Line diverges from the South Wales Main Line; it is also the western terminus of the Vale of Glamorgan Line from Cardiff. It is 165 miles (266 km) measured from London Paddington.
The Barry Railway Company was a railway and docks company in South Wales, first incorporated as the Barry Dock and Railway Company in 1884. It arose out of frustration among Rhondda coalowners at congestion and high charges at Cardiff Docks as well the monopoly held by the Taff Vale Railway in transporting coal from the Rhondda. In addition, the Taff Vale did not have the required capacity for the mineral traffic using the route, leading to lengthy delays in getting to Cardiff.
Aberthaw is an area containing the villages of East Aberthaw and West Aberthaw, on the coast of South Wales about 5 miles (8 km) west of Barry. It is home to Aberthaw Cement Works, Aberthaw Lime Works, and Aberthaw Power Station, a coal power station that is linked to the South Wales Valleys via the Vale of Glamorgan Railway. The area is historically within the parish of Penmark in the Vale of Glamorgan. The two villages of West and East Aberthaw are separated by the River Thaw. The village of East Aberthaw, near Rhoose, has a notable pub and local church.
The Vale of Glamorgan Railway Company was built to provide access to Barry Docks from collieries in the Llynvi, Garw and Ogmore areas. Proposed by the coalowners but underwritten by the wealthy Barry Railway Company, it opened in 1897 from near Bridgend to Barry, in Wales.
Barry Council Office and Library is a local government building and public library located in King Square, Barry, Wales. The building, which was once the meeting place of Barry Municipal Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Archibald Hood was a Scottish engineer and coalowner who became an important figure in the industrial growth of the Rhondda Valley. The son of a colliery official, Hood would make his name as a coalowner of collieries first in Scotland and later in Llwynypia in South Wales.
Cardiff Docks is a port in southern Cardiff, Wales. At its peak, the port was one of the largest dock systems in the world with a total quayage of almost 7 mi (11 km). Once the main port for the export of South Wales coal, the Port of Cardiff remains active in the import and export of containers, steel, forest products and dry and liquid bulks.
The Barry Docks is a port facility in the town of Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, a few miles southwest of Cardiff on the north shore of the Bristol Channel. They were opened in 1889 by David Davies and John Cory as an alternative to the congested and expensive Cardiff Docks to ship coal carried by rail from the South Wales Coalfield. The principal engineer was John Wolfe Barry, assisted by Thomas Forster Brown and Henry Marc Brunel, son of the famous engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical, or cultural significance; Grade II* structures are those considered to be "particularly important buildings of more than special interest". Listing was begun by a provision in the Town and Country Planning Act 1947. Once listed, strict limitations are imposed on the modifications allowed to a building's structure or fittings. In Wales, the authority for listing under the Planning Act 1990 rests with Cadw.
Barry Waterfront or Waterfront Barry, known locally as The Waterfront, is a retail park and neighbourhood of Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, built from redeveloped land from the old Barry Docks, to the southwest of the town centre and to the immediate west of Barry Dock Offices. It is accessed via the Gladstone Bridge from Broad Street, to the south of Barry Memorial Hall, and along the Ffordd-Y-Mileniwm road from the southeast, leading on from Cardiff Road approached via Palmerston.
Porthkerry Viaduct is a railway viaduct near Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales.
HMS Cambria is the lead Royal Naval Reserve unit in Wales. It is based at Sully near the Welsh capital, Cardiff.
Architecture of Wales is an overview of architecture in Wales from the Medieval period to the present day, excluding castles and fortifications, ecclesiastical architecture and industrial architecture. It covers the history of domestic, commercial, and administrative architecture.