Barry Before Barry-A Tour of Old Barry in Photographs

As most readers will already know, Barry as a town began its existence within the last few decades of the nineteenth century. Before the construction of the docks and accompanying urbanisation of Barry’s coastline, Barry was little more than a small rural village with a population of around one hundred people. The coastline of Barry and its surrounding countryside contained little more than a few isolated villages and the occasional farmstead.

(Photograph showing the construction of Barry Docks with the undeveloped countryside in the background-People's Collection Wales)

Barry as a town has grown exponentially since its Victorian inception. It is possible to trace this urban growth and outwards expansion by looking at Barry’s architecture. First came the Victorian buildings, which for the most part are concentrated around the coastline near the docks. Grand public buildings such as the docks offices and the town hall stand as a prominent reminder of Barry town’s Victorian origins when coal from Barry was exported worldwide-and Barry was the busiest port in the world. Barry’s numerous institutes and clubs, pubs and hotels were constructed to cater for its new communities and the sailors who docked at Barry. Many of the commodious mansions of the middle-classes were built around the peripheries-in particular, the west-end of Barry. And of course the ubiquitous red-brick terraced houses which tend to characterise Barry mushroomed around the port and dock nucleus of this new town.

(Western Square late nineteenth century showing the recently constructed buildings and street layout. This type of development of housing intermixed with hotels and shops tends to characterize the late Victorian town of Barry-People's Collection Wales)

During post-war Britain, the demand for coal fell, and the once busiest port in the world slid into terminal decline. Many of Barry’s architecturally fine dockland buildings became neglected and rundown, and a good number of them were sadly demolished-but the town it seems was set to expand. Despite the lack of new industry and jobs within Barry the civic authorities decided that the countryside surrounding Barry would be a suitable place to enlarge the municipality by constructing a series of massive housing estates. These housing estates consumed much of the open countryside which lay on the peripheries of the initial Victorian development.

The land around the village of Merthyr Dyfan was for example in the 1950’s utilised for a housing development. Within the subsequent decades after the initial development, yet more houses were constructed within the vicinity of Merthyr Dyfan and in many other places on Barry’s boundaries. The die had been cast-and the town of Barry was set to expand, seemingly indefinitely. This rapid urbanisation has seen the disappearance of almost all of the green spaces and countryside within and surrounding the Barry area and thus-in piecemeal fashion, the boundary of Barry’s urban sprawl has been pushed ever further from its late Victorian origin with Port Road now demarcating the extent of Barry’s urbanisation until the green undulation of the Vale of Glamorgan begins proper.  

(Photograph circa mid twentieth century showing gradual encroachment and urbanisation of Barry in the Gibsonsdown area-People's Collection Wales)

Many people will know that the majority of the districts within Barry were already small-but thriving communities before the late nineteenth century and have histories that stretch back hundreds of years. Reminders of Barry’s ancient past, such as Barry castle, Cadoxton Court dovecote and a number of medieval churches lie scattered throughout the town. Many people like us, wonder what Barry before Barry looked like. This article will go some way towards fulfilling this interest, and show the reader Barry as they’ve never seen it before.

 Barry's Coastline

(It seems only apt to begin our tour of Old Barry with a photograph of Barry Island, from which is derived the name of Barry from an early Christian Saint-Saint Baruc. Baruc is alleged to have drowned in the Bristol Channel sometime during the sixth century whilst running an errand for his mentor-St Cadoc. This photograph shows Barry Island, Barry Sound and the coastline as they would have appeared for centuries before the construction of Barry Docks and town. The Marine Hotel and Treharne Pier can be seen)                                                          

(This much reproduced photograph captures old Barry village when it consisted of little more than a few thatched cottages. Barry village has its origins in the Norman invasion of Glamorgan and was throughout the high medieval period a thriving community until the black death decimated its inhabitants. Archaeological evidence shows that it took centuries for the village to recover its population levels. The cottages, some of which date back to the late Tudor period, are still in existence and despite the surrounding area being developed, one can still feel the quaint ambience of yesteryear                                         when walking through-People's Collection Wales)

(The Ship Hotel from a photograph dated 1885. The Ship Hotel was constructed in 1860 by the Romilly estate replacing an earlier inn called Austry that stood nearby. It is interesting to note the village bobby in and amongst the assembled group)

(Near Broad Street stood the site of East Barry House. Evan Mouse's map shows that there was a building at this location in 1622, although it is likely that the building shown in this photograph is of a later date, or at least exhibits a later period façade and alterations. These buildings were located near to where the Barry Hotel is situated)

(A short distance from East Barry House was located the site of Barry's first post office. This photograph dated to 1885 shows Barry's countryside in the process of development behind the makeshift post office-People's Collection Wales)

(A lone figure stands in the foreground of this late nineteenth century photograph facing east Barry. The small medieval church of St Nicholas and the old and derelict 'Sign of the Ship' inn at Austry can clearly be seen in the distance)

(View of the coastline stretching towards Castleland. The land is sparsely inhabited and for the most part barren. The farm in the background is Holton Farm and was located near to where the Savoy now stands)

(This photograph shows the derelict Varlong Farm (Ty Fyrlon), which was located near to where the petrol station is on Cardiff Road. Varlong Farm stood close to the medieval grange of Biglis, the remains of which survived until the construction of the nearby bypass during the late 1970's-People's Collection Wales)

(Photograph taken in 1885 showing Barry Sound at its western extremity facing Cadoxton Moors with Hayes Farm in the distance-People's Collection Wales)

Barry's Countryside 

View of Western Hill Cadoxton from Cadoxton Moors early twentieth century-People's Collection Wales

    

(Cadoxton circa 1900 when it was still a village. Much of Cadoxton was developed during the late nineteenth century. The countryside in the background was developed during the middle to late twentieth century)

(Merthyr Dyfan church circa 1900. With the exception of a lone house there is little in the way of development within the vicinity)

(This well known late Victorian photograph shows the landscape around Colcot overlooking Merthyr Dyfan and provides a snapshot of how this area once looked)

(Walter's Farm farmhouse located near Weycock Cross. This nineteenth century farmhouse is now sadly a ruin. The surrounding fields were recently subject to a development threat, but thankfully this development proposal was refused. This original image was provided to the authors by a former resident of Walter's Farm who spent here childhood here when it was a working farm)

(Cwm Barry Farm. This Tudor period farmhouse was located at 'the Dump'. It was sadly destroyed by fire during the 1950's. The farm buildings survived until the mid 1990's when they were torn down with the construction of a housing estate)

(Romilly Park circa 1910. The landscape, which by and large appears to be free from enclosures, would not have changed a great deal since the medieval period until the area was landscaped into Romilly Park. The Tudor period Castle Farm can be seen at the top of the picture-People's Collection Wales)

(The final picture in our tour of old Barry shows Romilly Park shortly before landscaping. Much of the housing at the west end of Barry has yet to be constructed)

©Jonathan and Mark Lambert 2021

The right of Jonathan and Mark Lambert to be identified as Authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted, reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic means, including social media, or mechanical, or by any other means including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the authors.