Leveson Francis Vernon-Harcourt (1839-1907)

Leveson Francis Vernon-Harcourt became a pupil of Sir John Hawkshaw in 1862 at the age of 23 and was involved in the construction of the Penarth Dock. [236] - image [015] [016] By this date Hawkshaw had developed a civil engineering consultancy which was second to none and had been appointed President of the Institute of Civil Engineers; Vernon-Harcourt was therefore well placed to be schooled in the structural requirements of harbours and docks etc. around the UK and he also worked in France and had an input at Calcutta. He wrote a number of papers and books on the subject of harbour construction and became professor of civil engineering at the University College, London during the years 1882–1905. His father was Admiral Frederick Edward Vernon-Harcourt being son of Edward Vernon-Harcourt, Archbishop of York. He died in September 1907 aged 68 and left a great legacy for other civil engineers to tap into. [236] He wrote about Penarth in his book "Harbours and Docks - Their Physical Features, History, Construction, Equipment, and Maintenance With Statistics As to Their Commercial Development" published in 1885. [237]

"Penarth Docks. - Description. Penarth is only about three miles from Cardiff, and its docks emerge into the river Ely which joins the river Taff close to its mouth. (Plate 11, Fig. 6.) The docks were constructed by the Taff Vale Railway Company, in opposition to the Cardiff Docks, and were opened in 1864. They consist of an entrance from the river, 60 feet wide.

Description of the Penarth Docks. reverse gates; a halftide basin of 3 acres; a lock, 275 feet long and 60 feet wide; and a dock which originally had an area of 17 acres, but was extended in 1883 to 23 acres. Sections of the dock walls, and a plan and sections of the lock, sluices, and gates, are given in Plate 14, Figs. 11 and 12, Plate 15, Figs. 7 and 8, and Plate 16, Fig. 3. The depth of water on the sills is 32 feet at springs and 25 feet at neaps. The dock has the rather large proportion of 98 lineal yards of quay for each acre of water space, owing to the small width of the dock. The whole of the south quay is occupied with coal tips and their accompanying sidings, and the north qiiay is provided with hydraulic and steam cranes.

It was not feasible to furnish the Penarth Docks with a supply of fresh water, as was done for the Bute Docks, so the muddy waters of the Bristol Channel have to be admitted."