Construction of Barry Docks

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David Davies and other leading industrialists selected Barry to be developed as a coal port in the early 1880s, and although the first bill for the construction of the docks and railways on Barry Island was initially rejected, the ambitious scheme was approved the following year and an act was passed in Parliament in 1884.

Work on Dock No. 1 commenced on 14th November 1884, and was opened formally in 1889. The Barry Dock and Railway Company also began to construct the railway from the docks to the Rhondda Valley in 1885, providing a vital link to the south Wales coal fields.

Barry's second dock opened in 1898 which significantly increased the capacity for coal export. By 1913 Barry had overtaken Cardiff as the busiest coal port in the world.