Views of the once proud offices of the Penarth Dock Engineering Co. Ltd. in the mid to late 1980's.

As previously indicated, by 1970 the company had profits of only £3,000 which had dropped from £48,000 only two years earlier. This was due to the decline in the coal mining and the steel industry. Other sectors of the general engineering function included the repair and manufacture of parts for the electricity generator, the CEGB, aerospace projects and the rail industry.

A new company Penarth Dock Engineering (1977) Limited was formed but, I understand that it folded only a few years later.

The kerb-stones in the upper image [069] of the car park indicate the line of the former quayside. The entrance to the offices was through the tunnel. In the tunnel, there was an entrance into the main machine shop on the right, left took you into the ground floor office which was for accounts. The office had a Gestetner duplicating machine, manual typewriters, comptometers (adding machines for pre-decimal £ - s - d) and a telephone switchboard complete with plugs, sockets and headphones. Then up the dingy stairs to the main offices. Julie worked in the office above the tunnel.

In the lower image, [069] just to the right of the offices and in the distance is the oil store on the ground floor with the apprentices' messroom above. Next, the two storey stores building where Mr. Hopkins, a distinguished war veteran and a gentleman, was the storekeeper, and right, the original 1883 pumping engine house. This was complete with boilers and engine until Eddie Avoth took his burning tourches to it for its scrap value.