Volume Two - The Era of Optimism, Investment & Development - Penarth's contribution to coal exports . . .

1897 - 1907 – South Wales compared to UK total compared to the entire World production of coal expressed in millions of tons.

If we bear in mind that in 1907 Penarth Dock had a total reported area of 26 acres and Cardiff had 160.75 acres, 6,925 feet versus 36,760 feet of quayage, 20 coal tips versus 68 coal tips, the tonnage shipped in 1907 makes Penarth about 20% more efficient than Cardiff per acre of dock but only half as efficient in terms of tons shipped per coal tip. It is, however, difficult to make a definitive comparison to the relevant efficiency of one dock against the other due to the lack of complete data.

On the 8th April 1905 the Cardiff Times [019] recorded that Mr. W. Parker gave a short account of the Penarth Dock which was leased by the Taff Vale Railway at that time. He says: - “Its trade grew by leaps and bounds from 558,525 tons in 1885 to 3,350,252 tons in 1888. In 1889 its great competitor Barry came into active being.

Barry, like Penarth, was the outcome of a movement on the part of the colliery proprietors delirious of supplementing by another dock the then existing accommodation. The freighters who shipped the bulk of the Penarth traffic were promoters of Barry Dock, and on the opening of the latter quite 60 per cent of the Penarth trade went there, and it will not be until 1901 that Penarth recovered the position of 1888. . . .