Barry Island - photos, history, railway and memories

[pogofish]

Looking at the aerial view it makes you wonder where the crane was unloading stuff to as the breakwater rocks stretch out quite a way and it all looks rather shallow and sandy.

Yes - Especially when you consider the split level and as there is a similar crane visible on the opposite breakwater in that old photo?

 

[1927]

That must surely be an incorrect caption - Barry Pier was to the east and looked like this:

http://www.barrywales.co.uk/showimage.asp?ID=729

And looking out to sea it looked like this.

 

[davesgcr]

There is some book available (cant recall now) , about the life of a young railway fireman in Barry in WW2 , - there was an easy job on some shunting engine which scampered around as a "dock pilot" (carying bits and pieces , tools , stone etc - in those non mechanised and rubber / petrol rationing days) - where he describes taking stone out onto the breakwater lines for maintenance. Quite a good read , If I can find it, will post the ISBN etc.

 

[editor]

So it looks like the railway and (motorised?) crane was there for the maintenance of the breakwater? That makes sense, especially considering how busy the port used to be. I wonder if that curious shed on wheels was created from the base of the old crane.

 

[1927]

So it looks like the railway and (motorised?) crane was there for the maintenance of the breakwater? That makes sense, especially considering how busy the port used to be. I wonder if that curious shed on wheels was created from the base of the old crane.

I remember the shed on wheels it was used by the yacht club as a sort of starting hut for races. If you look at your photos of Cardiff bay Ed you will see that you photographed a pink thing on the Penarth side of the barrage that does the same job!

 

[editor]

If you look at your photos of Cardiff bay Ed you will see that you photographed a pink thing on the Penarth side of the barrage that does the same job!

That one might have trouble moving

 

[agricola]

So it looks like the railway and (motorised?) crane was there for the maintenance of the breakwater? That makes sense, especially considering how busy the port used to be. I wonder if that curious shed on wheels was created from the base of the old crane.

I know nothing about Barry breakwater, but that reason above is definately the same one for why Holyhead breakwater's railway was kept going, along with its unique engines.

 

[ddraig]

not sure how relevant but there is an article in yesterdays echo called "A waterside history" about an exhibition covering the history of Penarth Docks and the Ely Tidal Harbour
from the photocopy i can see that there is a pic of a chain ferry around 1898, construction of the sea gate, the Red House pub and a publicity poster for South Wales Docks, the old subway 1897

 

[1927]

On the subject of Penarth Docks did you know, or do you care, that the SS Great Britain made its final working voyage from Penarth Docks! ANd theres a painting to prove it!

 

[davesgcr]

Now that is an amazing find ! - thank you very much for this

 

[Stanley Edwards]

I came across this old breakwater near Barry Island and it rather strangely had a railway running along its length to the lighthouse.

Anyone know anything about it?

Only just come across this thread.

Normally, the rail lines were used to construct the breakwater itself. There are some incredible structures around the coast of Europe. In Spain, I was pretty gobsmacked by the size of the breakwaters at La Coruña. A huge engineering feat.

 

[Gethin]

I think its there for maintenance purposes.

Different question: does anyone know when the council house estate was built on Barry Island? My guess is around 1950/52.

 

[ddraig]

Ariel footage of Barry Island from Drone

from these people http://www.crazyhigh.co.uk/
few more here
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgm1reUzEhUQnbX5GHb8Aew?feature=watch

 

[Kerensky]

"Captions on two of the pics in the lower part of this page suggest the line was used to meet pleasure steamers and that it remained operational till 1975"

I can vouch for that.
As a school kid in Barry I can remember our annual school trip to Bristol Zoo, and for a change we went on the paddle steamer across to Avonmouth.
We all marched down to the train station, and boarded a special service which went thru Barry Island station, thru the tunnel, and onto the dockside, where we all embarked onto the paddle steamer.
(I get the feeling it was a few Barry schools, not just ours - High Street)

Then we dis-embarked at Avonmouth & got buses to the Zoo.
If memory serves me, we all returned by train.

Had to have been about 1965/66 ?

 

[ddraig]

sorry to put this here
latest thread on Railways in Wales and couldn't find anything more appropriate
Classic locomotives in Wales on new Royal Mail stamps
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-26262966

 

[ViolentPanda]

I'm just shocked that there aren't loads of dead bodies washed up against the breakwater, after phildwyer's tales about Barry being tougher than hell's Kitchen.

 

[editor]

The fun fair is looking in a terrible state these days although apparently it will be rebuilt.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/barry-island-pleasure-park-demolition-8175285

 

[mwgdrwg]

That place was magical to me when I was a kid in the late 70s. So sad to see.

 

[bendeus]

That place was magical to me when I was a kid in the late 70s. So sad to see.

This. Magical and huge. Its dazzle and allure masked the smell of piss in the fun house and the crapness of the ghost train.

Remember going back as a grown up during the death rattle of the pleasure park. It was tiny, sad and crap

 

[editor]

I've been sent a really detailed update about the breakwater, so have added a new article.

Forgotten railways of south Wales: the south-west breakwater at the entrance to Barry Docks revisited

 

[editor]

Behold the beauty of Barry Island in its prime.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Behold the beauty of Barry Island in its prime.

View attachment 136433

To be fair, I still wouldn't want to go there, 'cos phildwyer reckoned the people there were dead hard, and would stab up anyone who wasn't from Barry, AND some people who were from Barry!

 

[ddraig]

 

[editor]

my gramps built this building (the white one with the pillars) and fell off it and broke his back

Have you got any other old pics? Sorry to hear about your grandpa.

 

[editor]

Good to see some investment coming to the island

Barry Island photos: sea, sand, beach huts and Butlin’s

 

[editor]

Barry Island in the 1960s.



More here: 63 marvellously nostalgic photographs that show Barry Island and Porthcawl in their wonderful heyday

 

[8ball]

Tidy.

 

[Supine]

Barrybados

Costa Del Barry

Barry Del Mar

 

[isvicthere?]

No man is an island - except Barry Island.

Every mention of my hometown comes with a stack of flak,knowing jibes and now bloody Porthcawl has been referred as an upscale edition by the editor.
It aint right.
I feel it's time someone restored the balance.
Some Barry facts
1) When the Welsh edition of Monopoly was launched Barry got the covetted Old Kent Road spot.
2) Barry has a park dedicated to the blind. It used to have a wooden rail alongside perfumed plants with the plants name in braille.
It now has weeds and the shelters have been bricked in to stop that other smell.
Then the council built a pond.
Then they banned dogs.
3) My favourite snippet of overheard conversation was a mother and a daughter arguing while walking their dog. 'He's not a paedo he's just a pervert'. Local colour you just don't get in the city.
Please feel free to add more favourable facts and restore some of the old dignity.

I used to work with someone from Barry Island. I'd actually been there (circa 1983) but all I could say was a highly predictable, "Gavin and Stacey?"

 

[isvicthere?]

Barrybados

Costa Del Barry

Barry Del Mar

Barrio Barry!