Volume Two - The Era of Optimism, Investment & Development - The gridiron and slipway of the Penarth Shipbuilding & Ship Repairing Co. . . .

	Are these timbers the remains of the gridiron in the River Ely taken in the 1970's and 80's and prior to being lost during the development of the Cardiff Bay and Penarth Marina?

The National Archives hold documentation relating to "River Ely. Assent to construction by private person of a gridiron and slipway on the foreshore near Penarth Dock" dated 1877.

It would be of great interest to me to receive further information or pictures of the gridiron and slipway and of the history of the Penarth Shipbuilding & Ship Repairing Company Limited.

The Weekly Mail [067] recorded in their 22nd May 1909 publication that a dredger was launched at Penarth:

"Dredger Launched at Penarth:- The Penarth Shipbuilding and Ship-repairing Company successfully launched a large mud-hopper barge on Saturday. Among those present were Mr. and Mrs. A. Beasley, Mr. S. Thomas, J.P., and Messrs. W. J. Bennett (secretary of the company) and J. J. Bryson (manager). The barge, which was built to order of the Penarth Dock Company, had the name 'Dredgenought' painted on the bow. It is 76ft. in length, with beam 25ft."

I thought it may be useful to elaborate on the development, design and use of the gridiron and slipway so I referenced my book 'The Design, Construction and Maintenance of Docks, Wharves & Piers' by F. M. Du-Plat-Taylor which was published in 1949. [238] He states:

'In rivers and harbours where the rise of the tide is sufficient to float a vessel on to part of the foreshore affording a hard bottom, and leave her dry there at low water, advantage has been taken has been taken of the tide for carrying out minor repairs.