Volume One - Into the Victorian Age - The construction of the dock . .

The area on the south side behind the coal tips was formerly the site of a number of lime kilns and quarries. The escarpment was excavated extensively with millions of tons hewn and moved by navvy-power. The objective was make space for the requisite number of railway lines to serve the coal tips.

Spoil was tipped to form an embankment along the southern side of the river, including the Cogan Pill, so as to protect the land from tidal flooding. This embankment became Penarth Road and the railway follows this route to their respective crossings over the River Ely.

There were originally ten coal tips in the main dock, two of which could be utilised to load a ship simultaneously. The coal tips, or staithes, were only partially hydraulically operated, the power being supplied from the hydraulic accumulators. Gravity and hoists were also used to handle the coal trucks.

Dock offices and a Customs House were built on the leeward side of Penarth Head; the Customs House being built on the site of the former Penarth Head Inn. The navvies are digging the footings for the new Customs House; I suspect that they would prefer a glass of ale in-hand rather than a pick or shovel! Daily life and death is reflected in these 1860's newspaper reports.