C O N T E X T 1 3 0 : J U LY 2 0 1 3 21 side heritage seaside ritage Our seaside her Our seaside heritag seaside heritage Our itage Our seaside her seaside heritage Our seaside he TINA LLOYD Silver shingles for a seaside town Closed to the public for over a decade and a former blight on the seafront, Penarth Pavilion is due to reopen later this year after a major conservation and regeneration project. The seaside town of Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, is situated on the South Wales coast, four miles to the west of Cardiff, theWelsh capital. Penarth is sited on a plateau 220 feet above sea-level and looks down over its marina to the east and towards Cardiff Bay.The gentle slopes to the south-west of the town meet waters of the Bristol Channel, where the difference between the highest and lowest tide can be more than 14.5 metres in any one day,. Penarth was originally a small fishing and farming community, owned by theWindsor family of St Fagans, which came to prominence through the development of the coal and iron industries during the industrial revolution. Lord Windsor transformed the agrarian landscape of the parish and by 1895 Penarth supported a population nearing 10,000.Vast quantities of coal were exported around the world, together with coke, patent fuel and ironwork from the 28-acre dockland site. The town, provided with well-built housing, adequate sewers, drains and lighting, escaped the typhoid epidemics which were prevalent in Cardiff at the time. The pleasant town which emerged easily lent itself to further development as a seaside resort. The legacy of this is evident today in the Victorian and Edwardian architecture and formal parks. The steep, winding, manicured, paths within the parks created, lead down from the town to the esplanade, where the yacht club, swimming pool, Italian Gardens and the symbols of the town – the Grade II listed pavilion and pier – are located. In 1888 the Penarth Promenade and Landing Pier Company replaced the fragile timber jetty with a pier of cast-iron piles with timber decking designed by HF Edwards. It was constructed by James and Arthur Mayoh of Manchester, who were simultaneously working on Brighton Palace Pier and Morecombe’s West Pier. The length of the pier was limited to 658 feet, to allow clear access to Penarth and Cardiff Docks. The new facility enabled engagement with the lucrative steam ship trade of the Bristol Channel, which brought between 25,000 and 35,000 visitors to Penarth, while fashionable Penarthians paid tuppence to promenade on its deck. The pier was requisitioned during the first world war Penarth’s Grade II listed pavilion and pier Far left: Looking east to Cardiff Bay from Penarth Penarth Marina
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