Volume Nine - Pre-Victorian to the present day - even more aspects - Radyr Stone  . . .

The two engineers had examined the wrecked gantry and could not reach a firm conclusion as to why it had failed. One possibility was that a bolt had sheared. One press report stated that a bolt hole passed through a knot in a timber, intimating that this was the cause of the failure of the member. Another suggestion was that the engine driver had somehow put unexpected pressure on the structure by driving it too hard against the stop. However, in his evidence Sallack stated that the crane had not reached the stop. Evidence was given that William Prescott, engineer and foreman of the carpenters at Penarth Docks, had constructed the gantry, had used the best materials, and had twenty years' experience in constructing such structures.

It transpired that the men had been warned that when stones were being lifted they should get out of the way of the gantry. However, the men who were killed had been sitting under it when the accident happened. The verdict was accidental death.

There was an accidental explosion at the Radyr quarry smithy in November 1890 which resulted in the death of the smith, James Batten. Various other deaths and incidents are documented by Michael in his paper and he goes on to cover the closure of the works and the subsequent site conversion to a natural park assisted by Mother Nature who reclaimed her lands and did her utmost to repair the scars left by human activity during and since our nineteenth century industrial revolution.

'The History of Radyr Quarry and Radyr Stone' by Michael Statham is a document well worth reading in its entirety for those with an interest in the history of the Radyr area. The foregoing is an edited version of the paper intended to compliment our Penarth Dock heritage story. Many thanks to Michael for his research and valuable contribution.