Glamorganshire Canal
Encyclopedia
The Glamorganshire Canal was a canal
in south Wales
, UK
, running from Merthyr Tydfil
to Cardiff
. Construction started in 1790, and the 25 miles (40 km) of canal was fully opened by 1794. Its primary purpose was to enable the Merthyr iron industries to transport their goods, and it later served the coal industry. It closed progressively between 1898 and 1951, as a result of subsidence and competition from the railways, and much of its course is now buried beneath the A470
Cardiff to Merthyr Tydfil trunk road.
and partners took over the lease of the Cyfarthfa Ironworks, and soon engaged the canal engineer Thomas Dadford
to survey a route for a canal to Cardiff. The survey was paid for by Crawshay and three other Merthyr ironmasters, and was completed in 1789. Having engaged the support of Lord Cardiff, the most powerful landowner in the region, the bill to authorise the canal passed through Parliament
without amendment, and the Act of Parliament
was granted on 9 June 1790.
, a pupil of the canal engineer James Brindley
, arrived on site, with Thomas Sheasby
, his son Thomas Dadford, Jr.
, and a team of workmen. Construction started from the Merthyr Tydfil end. An extension from Merthyr to Crawshay's Cyfarthfa Ironworks
was also built, although payment for it resulted in a dispute which was eventually resolved by arbitration; but a plan to build a branch to the Dowlais
and Penydarren Ironworks, which would have risen 411 feet (125.3 m) in only 1.75 miles (2.8 km) was dropped, and was replaced by two tramroads, one from each works.
The Merthyr to Newbridge (later renamed Pontypridd
) section was completed by June 1792, and the rest of the canal was progressively opened to Pwllywhyad (Treforest) in January 1793 and Taffs Well by June 1793. By this time the project was well over budget, and although the final section to Cardiff was opened on 10 February 1794, it was not well constructed, and there were several stoppages for repairs during 1794. The canal breached in December, but Dadford refused to start repairs without payment, despite the terms of his contract, and promptly dismissed his workforce and walked away from the job. The canal company attempted to recover £17,000 from the Dadfords, and had them arrested, but two independent surveyors employed by the engineer Robert Whitworth judged largely in the Dadfords' favour, and only £1,512 was refunded.
The canal was around 25 miles (40 km) long, with a drop of around 542 feet (165.2 m) requiring 50 locks. It clung to the western side of the valley down to Navigation (now called Abercynon
) where it crossed the River Taff
on an aqueduct, to cling to the eastern side for most of its route to Cardiff
. A second act of parliament was obtained on 26 April 1796, which enabled the canal to be extended by half a mile (0.8 km) ending in a sea lock in Cardiff docks. This was opened in June 1798 when the event was celebrated by a naval procession and the firing of ships' guns The total cost of the canal was £103,600, which included the costs of buying the land, as well as the contract with the Dadfords.
Although the Dadfords left the canal under a shadow, their work was vindicated by Whitworth, and they went on to build other canals in neighbouring valleys, while their achievement was summed up by John Bird in 1796: "The canal is brought through mountainous scenery with wonderful ingenuity"
Water for the top of the canal was obtained from the tail races from Cyfarthfa ironworks, which had previously been fed back into the River Taff, so that it could be reused by the Plymouth ironworks. In order to safeguard this supply, all water discharged from the third lock was supposed to be fed into the Plymouth feeder, rather than the canal below it. This was a source of dispute for some years, with legal action instituted by both sides and the occasional bout of vandalism to ensure water actually flowed to the Plymouth works. The situation was eased with the opening of the Merthyr Tramroad, as there was less traffic on the upper section, and therefore less water used by the locks.
The canal was profitable for many years. Dividends were limited to 8 per cent by the authorising act of parliament, and so between 1804 and 1828 the profits were used to give refunds to the traders, periods when no tolls were charged, and others when they were reduced to one quarter of the rate fixed by the act. Railways began to encroach onto the canal's territory from 1841, when the Taff Vale Railway opened to Merthyr. The canal held its own for another twenty years, but the ironworks started to close in the 1870s, while some moved to the manufacture of steel. 1876 was the first year when the canal company was unable to pay the full 8 per cent dividend, and profits fell rapidly after that. The canal was sold to the Marquess of Bute
in 1885, who made some improvements at the Cardiff end, but six railway companies were serving Merthyr by 1886, all competing for traffic, and the upper sections, particularly the 4 miles (6.4 km) pound at Aberfan
, was suffering from severe subsidence as a result of the coal mining. An inspection was carried out, and the canal was closed from Merthyr to Abercynon on 6 December 1898, to safeguard the village of Aberfan.
in 1915, the company decided not to invest in its repair, but instead built a wooden flume around the breach, so that water from the Elen Deg feeder could still reach the rest of the canal. A further breach occurred on 25 May 1942, near Nantgarw and, although engineers examined the problem, no work was carried out.
Cardiff Corporation moved quickly, and agreed to buy the canal for £44,000. This proposal was enshrined in the Cardiff Corporation Act of August 1943, allowing then to take control of the canal on 1 January 1944, and immediately declare it closed, most business having effectively ceased in 1942. However, Section 27 of that act prevented them from closing the final mile above the sea lock, while it was used by sand traders. An attempt to evict the sand traders failed when the Ministry of War Transport invoked section 27 and ruled that the sea lock pound must be kept navigable until 6 months after the present emergency ended. The war emergency was not declared to have ended until 8 October 1950.
Meanwhile, the two sand and gravel firms continued to use the sea lock and the pound to carry on their business. However, the end came on the night of 5 December 1951, when a steam suction dredger, called Catherine Ethel and weighing 154 tons, crashed into the inner lock gates. The gates collapsed, and all of the water in the mile-long section (1.6 km) emptied into the estuary. The gates were never repaired and the difficult job of closing the canal was solved overnight for the Cardiff Corporation.
Today, limited traces of the canal remain, as most of it was covered by the A470 Cardiff to Merthyr Tydfil trunk road, which was constructed in 1971. The section from Tongwynlais to the Melingriffith Works at Whitchurch
has been retained in water and was used for fishing, but is now a nature reserve. In addition, there are a few bridges and locks which have not been destroyed. A boat weighing machine, one of only four known to have existed on British canals, which was originally installed at Tongwynlais
, and later moved to North Road, Cardiff, was presented to the British Transport Commission in 1955, and re-erected at the Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum
in 1964. A footbridge over the canal near to Cardiff Castle
is now in use as an underpass that allows pedestrians to go under a road near the Castle.
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
in south Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, running from Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of...
to Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. Construction started in 1790, and the 25 miles (40 km) of canal was fully opened by 1794. Its primary purpose was to enable the Merthyr iron industries to transport their goods, and it later served the coal industry. It closed progressively between 1898 and 1951, as a result of subsidence and competition from the railways, and much of its course is now buried beneath the A470
A470 road
The A470 is a major long-distance connective spine road in Wales, running from Cardiff on the south coast to Llandudno on the north coast. It covers approximately 186 miles , over a zig-zagging route through the entirety of the country's mountainous central region, including the Brecon Beacons and...
Cardiff to Merthyr Tydfil trunk road.
History
The region around Merthyr Tydfil was rich in iron ore, coal and limestone, and this combination resulted in a number of industrialists being attracted to the area in the second half of the 18th century. Four major ironworks, Dowlais, Plymouth, Cyfarthfa and Penydarren, began production between 1759 and 1784, but transport of the finished iron was difficult. In 1786, Richard CrawshayRichard Crawshay
Richard Crawshay was a London iron merchant and then South Wales ironmaster.Richard Crawshay was born in Normanton in the West Riding of Yorkshire...
and partners took over the lease of the Cyfarthfa Ironworks, and soon engaged the canal engineer Thomas Dadford
Thomas Dadford
Thomas Dadford, Senior was an English canal engineer, as were his sons, Thomas Dadford Junior, John Dadford and James Dadford.He probably originated from Stewponey or Stourton near Stourbridge. He started as one of James Brindley's many pupil-assistants, in which capacity he worked on the...
to survey a route for a canal to Cardiff. The survey was paid for by Crawshay and three other Merthyr ironmasters, and was completed in 1789. Having engaged the support of Lord Cardiff, the most powerful landowner in the region, the bill to authorise the canal passed through Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...
without amendment, and the Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
was granted on 9 June 1790.
Construction
The Company of Proprietors of the Glamorganshire Canal Navigation was authorised to raise £60,000 in capital, with a further £30,000 if required, to build the main canal, together with branch canals as required, and feeder railways linking the canal to any works within 4 miles (6.4 km) of its course. These railways were deemed to be part of the canal itself, and so land for their routes could be obtained by compulsory purchase if required. Construction began in August 1790, when Thomas DadfordThomas Dadford
Thomas Dadford, Senior was an English canal engineer, as were his sons, Thomas Dadford Junior, John Dadford and James Dadford.He probably originated from Stewponey or Stourton near Stourbridge. He started as one of James Brindley's many pupil-assistants, in which capacity he worked on the...
, a pupil of the canal engineer James Brindley
James Brindley
James Brindley was an English engineer. He was born in Tunstead, Derbyshire, and lived much of his life in Leek, Staffordshire, becoming one of the most notable engineers of the 18th century.-Early life:...
, arrived on site, with Thomas Sheasby
Thomas Sheasby
Thomas Sheasby, Senior was a British civil engineer and contractor. His early work involved bridge construction, after which he went on to build canals, including several in South Wales...
, his son Thomas Dadford, Jr.
Thomas Dadford, Jr.
Thomas Dadford was an English canal engineer, who came from a family of canal engineers. He worked with his father and later independently, contributing to a number of canal schemes before dying at the relatively young age of 40....
, and a team of workmen. Construction started from the Merthyr Tydfil end. An extension from Merthyr to Crawshay's Cyfarthfa Ironworks
Cyfarthfa Ironworks
The Cyfarthfa Ironworks was a major 18th century and 19th century ironworks located in Cyfarthfa, on the north-western edge of Merthyr Tydfil, in South Wales.-The beginning:...
was also built, although payment for it resulted in a dispute which was eventually resolved by arbitration; but a plan to build a branch to the Dowlais
Dowlais Ironworks
The Dowlais Ironworks was a major ironworks and steelworks located at Dowlais near Merthyr Tydfil, in Wales. Founded in the 18th century, it operated until the end of the 20th, at one time in the 19th century being the largest steel producer in the UK...
and Penydarren Ironworks, which would have risen 411 feet (125.3 m) in only 1.75 miles (2.8 km) was dropped, and was replaced by two tramroads, one from each works.
The Merthyr to Newbridge (later renamed Pontypridd
Pontypridd
Pontypridd is both a community and a principal town of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales and is situated 12 miles/19 km north of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff...
) section was completed by June 1792, and the rest of the canal was progressively opened to Pwllywhyad (Treforest) in January 1793 and Taffs Well by June 1793. By this time the project was well over budget, and although the final section to Cardiff was opened on 10 February 1794, it was not well constructed, and there were several stoppages for repairs during 1794. The canal breached in December, but Dadford refused to start repairs without payment, despite the terms of his contract, and promptly dismissed his workforce and walked away from the job. The canal company attempted to recover £17,000 from the Dadfords, and had them arrested, but two independent surveyors employed by the engineer Robert Whitworth judged largely in the Dadfords' favour, and only £1,512 was refunded.
The canal was around 25 miles (40 km) long, with a drop of around 542 feet (165.2 m) requiring 50 locks. It clung to the western side of the valley down to Navigation (now called Abercynon
Abercynon
Abercynon is a small village in the Cynon Valley in Mid Glamorgan, Wales. The unitary authority is now known as Rhondda Cynon Taff. It is composed of the village of Abercynon itself,Carnetown,Glancynon,Park View and Pontcynon. However, in recent years the sign to show motorists they are entering...
) where it crossed the River Taff
River Taff
The River Taff is a large river in Wales. It rises as two rivers in the Brecon Beacons — the Taf Fechan and the Taf Fawr — before joining to form the Taff north of Merthyr Tydfil...
on an aqueduct, to cling to the eastern side for most of its route to Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. A second act of parliament was obtained on 26 April 1796, which enabled the canal to be extended by half a mile (0.8 km) ending in a sea lock in Cardiff docks. This was opened in June 1798 when the event was celebrated by a naval procession and the firing of ships' guns The total cost of the canal was £103,600, which included the costs of buying the land, as well as the contract with the Dadfords.
Although the Dadfords left the canal under a shadow, their work was vindicated by Whitworth, and they went on to build other canals in neighbouring valleys, while their achievement was summed up by John Bird in 1796: "The canal is brought through mountainous scenery with wonderful ingenuity"
Operation
Richard Crawshay was the principal shareholder in the canal company, and seems to have used his influence to his own advantage, treating the canal as his own. His attempts to squeeze the profits of the other ironmasters led to them proposing a Tramroad from Merthyr to Cardiff, to compete with the canal. Crawshay resisted this, and the canal tolls were reduced somewhat, but the ironmasters on the east side of the Taff Valley soon built the Merthyr Tramroad, which opened in 1802 and linked their iron works to the canal at Abercynon, near the River Taff aqueduct.Water for the top of the canal was obtained from the tail races from Cyfarthfa ironworks, which had previously been fed back into the River Taff, so that it could be reused by the Plymouth ironworks. In order to safeguard this supply, all water discharged from the third lock was supposed to be fed into the Plymouth feeder, rather than the canal below it. This was a source of dispute for some years, with legal action instituted by both sides and the occasional bout of vandalism to ensure water actually flowed to the Plymouth works. The situation was eased with the opening of the Merthyr Tramroad, as there was less traffic on the upper section, and therefore less water used by the locks.
The canal was profitable for many years. Dividends were limited to 8 per cent by the authorising act of parliament, and so between 1804 and 1828 the profits were used to give refunds to the traders, periods when no tolls were charged, and others when they were reduced to one quarter of the rate fixed by the act. Railways began to encroach onto the canal's territory from 1841, when the Taff Vale Railway opened to Merthyr. The canal held its own for another twenty years, but the ironworks started to close in the 1870s, while some moved to the manufacture of steel. 1876 was the first year when the canal company was unable to pay the full 8 per cent dividend, and profits fell rapidly after that. The canal was sold to the Marquess of Bute
Marquess of Bute
Marquess of the County of Bute, shortened in general usage to Marquess of Bute, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1796 for John Stuart, 4th Earl of Bute.-Family history:...
in 1885, who made some improvements at the Cardiff end, but six railway companies were serving Merthyr by 1886, all competing for traffic, and the upper sections, particularly the 4 miles (6.4 km) pound at Aberfan
Aberfan
The Aberfan disaster was a catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip that occurred in the Welsh village of Aberfan on Friday 21 October 1966, killing 116 children and 28 adults.-Mining debris:...
, was suffering from severe subsidence as a result of the coal mining. An inspection was carried out, and the canal was closed from Merthyr to Abercynon on 6 December 1898, to safeguard the village of Aberfan.
Decline and closure
The takeover of the canal by the Marquess of Bute was a little too late to have any great effect. Improvements at Cardiff involved the construction of a new lock, Number 51, which raised the water level between there and Crockherbtown lock, so that the junction canal and the West Bute and East Bute docks were all on the same level. The new lock was not included in the 1888 returns to the Board of Trade, and so must have been built after that date. Traffic on the rest of the canal continued to decline, and when a breach occurred at CilfynyddCilfynydd
Cilfynydd is a village in South Wales a mile from the South Wales Valleys town of Pontypridd, and 13 miles north of the capital city Cardiff.- History :...
in 1915, the company decided not to invest in its repair, but instead built a wooden flume around the breach, so that water from the Elen Deg feeder could still reach the rest of the canal. A further breach occurred on 25 May 1942, near Nantgarw and, although engineers examined the problem, no work was carried out.
Cardiff Corporation moved quickly, and agreed to buy the canal for £44,000. This proposal was enshrined in the Cardiff Corporation Act of August 1943, allowing then to take control of the canal on 1 January 1944, and immediately declare it closed, most business having effectively ceased in 1942. However, Section 27 of that act prevented them from closing the final mile above the sea lock, while it was used by sand traders. An attempt to evict the sand traders failed when the Ministry of War Transport invoked section 27 and ruled that the sea lock pound must be kept navigable until 6 months after the present emergency ended. The war emergency was not declared to have ended until 8 October 1950.
Meanwhile, the two sand and gravel firms continued to use the sea lock and the pound to carry on their business. However, the end came on the night of 5 December 1951, when a steam suction dredger, called Catherine Ethel and weighing 154 tons, crashed into the inner lock gates. The gates collapsed, and all of the water in the mile-long section (1.6 km) emptied into the estuary. The gates were never repaired and the difficult job of closing the canal was solved overnight for the Cardiff Corporation.
Today
Whitchurch
Whitchurch can refer to:Towns in the United Kingdom:*Whitchurch, Shropshire*Whitchurch, HampshireVillages in the United Kingdom:*Whitchurch, Bristol*Whitchurch, Buckinghamshire*Whitchurch, Cardiff*Whitchurch, Devon...
has been retained in water and was used for fishing, but is now a nature reserve. In addition, there are a few bridges and locks which have not been destroyed. A boat weighing machine, one of only four known to have existed on British canals, which was originally installed at Tongwynlais
Tongwynlais
Tongwynlais is a village in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales, in the Taff Valley.- Overview :Tongwynlais lies in the River Taff Valley. Its population is 1946 people....
, and later moved to North Road, Cardiff, was presented to the British Transport Commission in 1955, and re-erected at the Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum
Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum
Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum, part of England's National Waterways Museum, is a canal museum located next to the Grand Union Canal just south of the Blisworth Tunnel, near the village of Stoke Bruerne in Northamptonshire...
in 1964. A footbridge over the canal near to Cardiff Castle
Cardiff Castle
Cardiff Castle is a medieval castle and Victorian architecture Gothic revival mansion, transformed from a Norman keep erected over a Roman fort in the Castle Quarter of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The Castle is a Grade I Listed Building.-The Roman fort:...
is now in use as an underpass that allows pedestrians to go under a road near the Castle.
See also
- Canals of Great Britain
- History of the British canal systemHistory of the British canal systemThe British canal system of water transport played a vital role in the United Kingdom's Industrial Revolution at a time when roads were only just emerging from the medieval mud and long trains of pack horses were the only means of "mass" transit by road of raw materials and finished products The...
External links
- Old Merthyr Tydfil: Glamorganshire Canal - Historical Photographs of the Glamorganshire Canal.