Volume Six - Pre-Victorian to the Present Day - Select Aspects - The Pumping Engine House . . .

The inlet and source of water to top up the dock, as stated, was in the River Ely and a search of the archives of the National Museum of Wales has revealed the design of the proposed inlet to the culvert which served the centrifugal pumps.

1890 - Penarth Centrifugal Pumps - Proposed Culvert and Retaining Wall in River - Drawings.

I seem to recall that the centrifugal pumps had the name 'Invincible', which is a patented name of Messrs J. & H. Gywnne & Company, cast into their casings. But time plays tricks on the mind and following research at the Lincolnshire Archives during May 2019, I concluded that I was mistaken! The records for GWYNNE/2/ and APE/4 revealed no references to drawings or orders relating to Penarth Dock, the Company, or the T.V.R.

1890 - Penarth Centrifugal Pumping Engines - The Bedford Archives hold within the Order Book for W. H. Allen & Company the details of two centrifugal pumping engines for Penarth Dock.

Messrs. W. H. Allen & Company had a history of supply of pumps to the South Wales area ; in a letter from Mr. Allen to Sir William Lewis, the General Manager of the Bute Docks, Cardiff in May 1893 he stated : 'I have ever since I came to London taken a keen interest in all that has gone on in Cardiff, and have supplied all the Pumping Engines that have been hitherto used in the district.' It was on the occasion that the Company lost a contract to Gwynne's for the supply of two 39 inch centrifugal pumps, boilers and steam engines. William Henry Allen acted as an advisor to the Bute Docks and was called to Court to give evidence during November 1895.