Penarth Dock
Penarth Dock was a port and harbour which was located on the south bank of the mouth of the River Ely, at Penarth, Glamorgan, Wales. It opened in 1865 and reached its heyday before World War I, after which followed a slow decline until closed in 1963. The site has since been redeveloped to become Penarth Marina, which now opens into Cardiff Bay. Early development Harriet Windsor-Clive, Baroness Windsor, whose Plymouth Estate owned vast areas of Glamorgan, formed the Penarth Harbour Company in 1855 with a view to develop a dock for Penarth. She wanted a facility which could rival the new Cardiff Docks which were being constructed a few miles to the north. She was joined in the venture by several prominent politicians and businessmen and, in 1858, engineer John Hawkshaw designed the dock, curving along the south bank of the River Ely. Work on Penarth Dock began in 1859. The dock was officially opened on Saturday, 10 June 1865. Though Baroness Windsor and her grandson Robert were intended to perform the ceremony, they failed to arrive in time for the high tide. The event was carried out by James Poole, the chairman of the Taff Vale Railway, who