A rear view of the former Penarth Hotel [086] in the 1880's with the low water pier distant at Cardiff Docks and with ships at anchor in the safety of the Penarth Flats (Not, no-how, never was it Cardiff Bay!). The hotel was originally built by the Taff Vale Railway Company in September 1870 and it was used as a hotel until the decline in trade forced its sale during the years of WWI. The lower image has been colourised.
1868 - The Taff Vale Railway - This, the crack line of South Wales, so far as profit is concerned, has this year been compelled to declare a dividend at the rate of 8½ per cent. instead of the usual 10 per cent. per annum. The directors are building a hotel at Penarth, wholly unauthorised by the shareholders, and the latter were coolly told by the chairman of the late meeting, that the Board would shortly have to ask the proprietors for an indemnity for the amount expended ; the report was, of course, adopted. - Engineering [627] 28th August 1868. [499]
During the 1897 wireless trials at Lavernock, Marconi made his headquarters at the Penarth Hotel.
Major Gibbs D.S.O. of the Welsh Regiment, was killed in action during September 1917. The following year, his wife, Mrs. Gladys Gibbs (nee Morel of the Cardiff based shipping line) bought the property which had just come up for sale by the TVR Co., and converted it for use as a home for boys, around 150 of them! It was presented to the Trustees of the National Children’s Home as a memorial to her late husband. The proximity of the docks of Cardiff and Penarth obviously had great influence and gave the home a purpose to train the boys for a maritime future.
In 1936 it became a home for delinquent boys. Boys at the time were made of of 'slugs and snails and puppy dogs tails' whereas girls were made from 'sugar and spice and all things nice', so I suppose there was no need for delinquent schools for girls in Penarth! Does anyone know differently? Only after WWII did it become the Headlands School.
