Industrial History Online
The Cob
Key Words :- embankment
Address :- Porthmadog, Gwynedd
Grid Ref :- SH 572 384
Co-ordinates :- Lat 52.923971 , Long -4.125625
Local Authority :- Gwynedd Council
Pre 1974 County :- Caernarfonshire
Site Status :- Listed - Grade II*
Historic England List No :- 5234, 85406,
Description and History of Site:-
Morgan Rees (1975): 'Porthmadog developed swiftly after the building of The Cob by William Madocks, completed in 1811 and developed into important shipbuilding centre.'
Gwyn and Williams (1996): 'William Alexander Madocks' most ambitious venture, which eventually bankrupted him, was to build an embankment across the bay of the Traeth Mawr from a sluice bridge at SH5717385 to SH584379. This was eventually completed in 1813. The quarries from which the rock was won may still be seen, as may the powder house for the explosives and the lime kiln where lime-mortar was produced at Ynys Cyngar (SH554366). At the point where the Glaslyn's waters scooped out a harbour he built a series of wharves, from which Ffestiniog slate came to be exported. The local shipbuilders became famous world-wide for the grace and turn of speed of the vessels they produced, the so-called 'Western Ocean Yachts’. Porthmadog grew up by these wharves, and it was in the offices of a local solicitor's firm that the young David Lloyd George began his career as a lawyer. Porthmadog harbour preserves not only its wharves and the courses of the various narrow gauge railways which served them but also a sail loft, the seamen's mission and the fragmentary remains of a limekiln (SH571384).'
Further Reading and References:-
Morgan Rees, D. 'The Industrial Archaeology of Wales'. 1975, David & Charles
Sivewright, W J [ed]. 'Civil Engineering Heritage - Wales and Western England'. Institution of Civil Engineers, 1986
Gwyn, David and Williams, Merfyn. 'A Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of North West Wales'. Association for Industrial Archaeology, 1996
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Grid Ref :- SH 572 384
Co-ordinates :- Lat 52.923971 , Long -4.125625
Local Authority :- Gwynedd Council
Pre 1974 County :- Caernarfonshire
Site Status :- Listed - Grade II*
Historic England List No :- 5234, 85406,
Morgan Rees (1975): 'Porthmadog developed swiftly after the building of The Cob by William Madocks, completed in 1811 and developed into important shipbuilding centre.'
Gwyn and Williams (1996): 'William Alexander Madocks' most ambitious venture, which eventually bankrupted him, was to build an embankment across the bay of the Traeth Mawr from a sluice bridge at SH5717385 to SH584379. This was eventually completed in 1813. The quarries from which the rock was won may still be seen, as may the powder house for the explosives and the lime kiln where lime-mortar was produced at Ynys Cyngar (SH554366). At the point where the Glaslyn's waters scooped out a harbour he built a series of wharves, from which Ffestiniog slate came to be exported. The local shipbuilders became famous world-wide for the grace and turn of speed of the vessels they produced, the so-called 'Western Ocean Yachts’. Porthmadog grew up by these wharves, and it was in the offices of a local solicitor's firm that the young David Lloyd George began his career as a lawyer. Porthmadog harbour preserves not only its wharves and the courses of the various narrow gauge railways which served them but also a sail loft, the seamen's mission and the fragmentary remains of a limekiln (SH571384).'
Morgan Rees, D. 'The Industrial Archaeology of Wales'. 1975, David & Charles
Sivewright, W J [ed]. 'Civil Engineering Heritage - Wales and Western England'. Institution of Civil Engineers, 1986
Gwyn, David and Williams, Merfyn. 'A Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of North West Wales'. Association for Industrial Archaeology, 1996
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Contributor :- Robert Mason - 13 July 2024
Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © Robert Mason
Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © Robert Mason