Kidwelly and Llanelly Canal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kidwelly and Llanelly Canal |
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Kymer's dock at Kidwelly, reconstructed in 1990.
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| Specifications | |
| Locks | 5 plus 3 inclined planes |
| Status | Replaced by a railway 1869 |
| History | |
| Original owner | The Kidwelly and Llanelly Canal and Tramroad Company |
| Principal engineer | Thomas Kymer |
| Other engineer(s) | James Green |
| Date of act | 1766 |
| Date of first use | 1768 |
| Date completed | 1837 |
| Date closed | 1865 |
| Geography | |
| Start point | Kidwelly |
| End point | Cwmmawr |
| Branch(es) | Burry Port |
The Kidwelly and Llanelly Canal was a special system of canals and tramways in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It was built to move anthracite coal from mines to the coast. From there, the coal could be shipped to other places.
The story of the canal began in 1766 with Kymer's Canal. This first part connected coal pits at Pwll y Llygod to a dock near Kidwelly. Over time, it became harder for ships to reach the dock because the river got filled with mud.
Because of this problem, a plan was made in 1812 to extend the canal to Llanelli. Building this new section took a long time. The canal was first connected to a harbour at Pembrey. This harbour was built by Thomas Gaunt in the 1820s. Later, the canal company finished its own harbour at Burry Port in 1832. Tramways, which are like small railways, helped connect many coal mines to the east of Burry Port.
In 1832, an engineer named James Green suggested making the system even longer. He proposed a route with three special "inclined planes" to reach Cwmmawr. This area was further up the Gwendraeth Valley. Green had used inclined planes on other canals. However, he didn't guess how much this project would cost. He couldn't finish the work and was fired in 1836. But the canal company completed the new route the next year.
The canal worked quite well. In fact, people who owned shares in the company started getting money back from 1858. In 1865, the company changed its name to the Kidwelly and Burry Port Railway. The next year, it joined with the company that ran Burry Port. By 1869, the canal had become the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway.
Kymer's dock at Kidwelly kept being used for shipping coal for another 50 years. In the 1950s, it was used as a place to dump trash. But in the 1980s, the dock and a small part of the canal were cleaned up and fixed. Today, you can still find parts of the old canal in the landscape. You can also follow the path of the old railway for most of its length.
Contents
History of the Canal
The area around Kidwelly has lots of coal and ironstone. The canal and tramway system was built to get these valuable resources out. Much of the coal found here was a good type called anthracite.
Kymer's First Canal
Thomas Kymer started mining coal in 1760. His mines were at Pwll y Llygod and Great Forest. In 1766, he asked the government for permission to build a canal. He wanted to pay for it himself.
Permission was given on February 19, 1766. The canal would go from his coal pits at Pwll y Llygod to Ythyn Frenig. This spot was about 0.8 kilometers (half a mile) west of Kidwelly. There, he built a dock on the Gwendraeth Fach river. The canal was ready to use by May 1768.
When it was built, the canal was about 3 miles (4.8 km) long. The water channel was about 26 feet (7.9 m) wide. Some parts were wider, like at Morfa and Muddlescombe. This allowed barges to pass each other. There was also a wider area at Pwll y Llygod. This let barges turn around. A tramway crossed the Gwendraeth Fawr river from the wharf to connect to the coal pits.
The canal worked well for almost 30 years. But the dock and river started to fill up with mud. A new path for ships was made in 1797. However, this new path also filled with mud. By 1809, it was becoming dangerous for ships to reach Kymer's dock.
The Kidwelly and Llanelly Canal Company
In 1811, people met to figure out how to fix the problem. Two engineers, Edward Martin and David Davies, suggested extending the canal. They wanted it to go to the top of the Gwendraeth valley. They also suggested another branch that would go to Llanelli. This new part would pass through Pembrey. This would make it easier to reach the harbour there.
This idea was approved. On June 20, 1812, a new law created "The Kidwelly and Llanelly Canal and Tramroad Company." The plan was for the canal to reach Cwm y Glo, beyond Cwmmawr. Many smaller canals or tramroads would connect to coal mines. The law listed 13 coal mines that would use this system. Wharfs at Llanelli would be built next to a dock owned by another railway company.
The new company had to finish the extension to Pontyates within six years. They also had to complete the first part of the Llanelli branch. Anthony Bower was the engineer, and Pinkerton and Allen were hired to build it. The canal reached a new bridge over the Gwendraeth Fawr in 1815. But not much else happened until 1817. Most of the money raised had been spent trying to clear the old harbour.
A second law was passed on May 28, 1818. This law gave them more time to build the canal. It also removed the need to clear the old river channels. Pinkerton and Allen kept building. They finished the routes to Pontyates and the Ashburnham Canal crossing in 1824. Meanwhile, the company asked famous engineers, John Rennie and Edward Bankes, to find a good harbour. Rennie suggested extending the canal towards what is now Burry Port. He also suggested building a new harbour there.
Pembrey's Harbours
While the canal was being extended, Thomas Gaunt was also busy. He was digging up iron ore for new furnaces at Pembrey. He also owned a coal mine and built a harbour at Pembrey. Rennie and Bankes didn't think Gaunt's harbour was big enough for all the coal. But Gaunt really wanted a canal link.
Between 1823 and 1824, Gaunt built 2 miles (3.2 km) of canal. This included a lock at Cross Lane cottage. At its north end, it joined the Kidwelly and Llanelly canal. At its south end, a short tramway connected it to Gaunt's harbour. Newspapers reported a special opening on April 30, 1824. By 1843, this canal was not used anymore. Coal was going to the newer harbour at Pembrey instead.
On June 10, 1825, a new law created the New Harbour Company. This company had the power to build the harbour at Tywyn Bach, near Pembrey. The law also allowed them to build a short canal section to connect to the Kidwelly and Llanelli Canal. This new harbour was finished in 1832. The town of Burry Port didn't exist in 1825. It wasn't until 1835 that the company's name changed to the Burry Port Company.
James Green's Big Plans
Once the new harbour was being built, the canal company built a tramway from Llanelli to Pwll colliery. Another tramway was built from Burry Port to the coal mines at New Lodge. There was also a branch to Kilrhos. The company planned to connect New Lodge to Pwll later. This would create a tramway link from Burry Port harbour to Llanelli. This connection opened on July 8, 1837.
In 1832, the canal company asked engineer James Green for advice. They wanted to extend the canal system even more. His first report said that much of the previous work was not good enough. He suggested finishing the link from the Ashburnham Canal to the new Pembrey harbour. This would need a lock at Ty Mawr. Water for it would come from a stream and a new reservoir.
Three months later, Green gave a second report. He suggested extending the canal along the Gwendraeth valley. He also proposed building three special "inclined planes" to reach a stopping point just above Cwmmawr. Water for the higher parts would come from a new reservoir.
Using inclined planes was a new idea that Green had used before. He had worked on the Bude Canal, which had six such planes. Some were powered by water wheels, others by a system where a heavy bucket going down pulled a lighter one up. He was also working on the Grand Western Canal. That canal had seven boat lifts and one inclined plane. The land rose 190 feet (58 m) on the last section to Cwmmawr. Three inclined planes would be much faster and use less water than building 20 or more locks.
The old wooden bridge over the Gwendraeth Fawr river often had the river flow over it. It was replaced with a new iron bridge built a bit higher. This gave the river more room to flow underneath. The two locks built by Pinkerton were rebuilt. The banks of Kymer's canal were raised by 2 feet (0.6 m). This allowed the water level to be higher. The walls of the Kidwelly basin also had to be raised. At the southern end, a deep cut was made to reach Burry Port harbour. This was finished by March 1835.
Above Pontyates, two more locks were built. Then came an inclined plane at Capel Ifan that rose 52 feet (16 m). Another one at Pont Henry rose 53 feet (16 m). A third at Hirwaunissa rose 85 feet (26 m). There were flat sections of canal between these planes. The very top of the canal had a walled basin, 200 by 50 feet (61 by 15 m). It was reached by another bridge over the Gwendraeth Fawr.
In October 1835, Green said he couldn't finish the inclined planes. This was because the costs were much higher than expected. The company raised more money from its shareholders. On January 30, 1836, Green was fired as engineer. All the building work was finished by 1837.
How the Inclined Planes Worked
People have wondered a lot about how these inclined planes worked. This is because there are no clear records from when they were built. A local writer said that "the inclined planes were moved by hydraulic pumps." He also noted that only two of the three inclines were used. It's not clear if the Hirwaunissa one was unfinished or if there simply wasn't enough traffic there.
An engineer named W. Robinson described "balance caissons with hydraulic brakes." This means that heavy boats going down would pull empty ones up. An old newspaper, Colliery Guardian, had an eyewitness report. It said the inclines were "self-acting." It also said all three were working at the time.
Maps are another important source of information. Maps made when the canal was being turned into a railway clearly show two tracks at Capel Ifan and Pont Henry. Most of the traffic went downhill. So, a simple system where one boat balanced another was probably used. Some people think a water tank on the second track might have helped control the speed. The Hirwaunissa incline was longer and narrower. It only had one track. Recent studies suggest it was powered by a water wheel. The water from the wheel would then flow down the incline to supply the lower parts of the canal.
What's Left Today
Kymer's dock was used as a rubbish dump in the 1950s. But in 1988, a two-year project cleaned up and restored the dock. They also restored about 0.6 miles (1 km) of the canal. This section goes from the dock to where the South Wales Railway crosses it. The old bridge over the Gwendraeth Fawr river is still there. Parts of the Hirwaunissa inclined plane and the final bridge below Cwmmawr can also still be seen.
Images for kids
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Kymer's dock at Kidwelly, reconstructed in 1990.
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The bridge which carried Stanley's Tramway over the canal near Pembrey old harbour
