The Heritage Hiker’s Guide to Aberthaw

Where is Aberthaw?

Aberthaw – Aberddawan is made up of the villages of East Aberthaw and West Aberthaw. It is about 5 miles from Barry along the Glamorgan Heritage Coastline. Aberthaw get its name from the Welsh word ‘Aber’, meaning estuary or river mouth, of the river Thaw. The existence of a safe, natural harbour provided an early impetus for the area’s development and trade. It is home to Aberthaw Cement Works, Aberthaw Lime Works, and Aberthaw Power Station. With the coming of the first coal-fired power station at Aberthaw around 1958 the river Thaw was diverted to form a straight channel. Its former tributary now forms an enclosed pond area near the old lime works and is rich in wildlife.

History of Aberthaw

The earliest sign of people living in the area are from the earthworks found in ariel photographs that show prehistoric settlement. On the ground there is a possible flint knapping site to the west of West Aberthaw and In East Orchard Wood there are the remains of earthworks from an Iron Age defended enclosure.

The development of a new pipeline in the 1950s in East Aberthaw uncovered Roman pottery, shells and tiles from the 2nd and 3rd century. Excavations at Well Road revealed the foundations of walls which may have belonged to a Roman settlement. Later discoveries of coins, jewellery, tiles and Samian ware pottery suggests that the nearby bay served as a landing point or port during the Roman period. In west Aberthaw there are the earthworks of a shrunken Medieval village hamlet. Medieval pottery has been found between East Aberthaw and Fonmon – Ffwl-y-mwn, which  is a hamlet just north east of Aberthaw. Fonmon is known for its castle.

History of Fonmon Castle

Fonmon Castle has its origins in the 12^th century during the Norman conquest of south Wales. It is now a mansion that incorporates substantial elements of a medieval masonry castle, including a late 12th century keep and further building work of the 13th to 14th century. The castle was heavily added to in the 16th century, with a major refurbishment around 1760, and minor modern additions and alterations.

The 19^th century saw the estate in decline and little was done to the castle except for the addition of the entrance porch and the extension to the south wing between 1840 and 1878. The castle passed by marriage to Sir Seymour Boothby in 1917 and then to his grandson. In 2019 the castle was sold and it is now run as a visitor attraction and wedding venue. To the west of Fonmon are the remains of East Orchard Castle . East Orchard Castle was a manorial estate that included a chapel, barn and dovecote. Its main building phase is date to the 14^th century with later additions. The main house was dismantled in the 18^th century.

For a local rest stop with medieval origins look no further than the Blue Anchor Inn. The Blue Anchor is a Grade II* listed building. It is a long low stone building with walls and low timber beams dated to 1380 and it has a quaint thatched roof. In the days when smuggling was rife along the south Wales coast the inn was used as a tobacco drying shed. The inn caught fire in 1922, 2004, and again in 2009, the last fire burning about 30% of the thatched roof and required extensive reconstruction work.

Aberthaw Power Station, Lime and Cement Works

Aberthaw grew as a village with the coming of industrialisation. The key to its development is its location near to the sea and the resource of lime. This has given the local landscape large local features such as Aberthaw Limeworks, Power Station and Cement Works. It is also the site of a lost Spitfire. On 7th December 1941 a Spitfire spun and crashed into the ground near east Aberthaw during an aerobatics display.  The Spitfire was built by Supermarine at Southampton around 1940 and at the time was assigned to 53 Operational Training Unit. The exact location of the remains has been lost, although the general location has been recorded and protected.

Aberthaw Limeworks

Aberthaw Lime Works were established in 1888 by the owner of the ‘Western Mail’ newspaper, David Owen. The lime at Aberthaw is well known for its quality of setting under water which is required for harbour works and lighthouses. The works ceased operation in 1926 and surviving remains include roofless stone buildings, two tall shaft kilns and a square brick chimney. The site makes an impressive view along the Wales Coast Path stretch from Aberthaw to Rhoose and the area that surround it is a beautiful nature reserve.

Aberthaw Power Station

The power station is formed of two decommissioned coal-fired and co-fired biomass power stations named Aberthaw A & B. Aberthaw A Power Station had officially opened by 1966, at the time it was the most advanced in the world. It closed in 1995 and had been demolished by the end of 1997. Aberthaw “B” station was designed to burn low-volatile coal from opencast mines in Wales. It opened in 1971. In 2017, due to the plant emitting too high a level of pollution, it was downgraded. The plant closed in March 2020 and is now in the process of being decommissioned.

The best way to view the power station is to head towards Limpert Car Park. When visiting the carpark at Limpert Bay you will see a large circular structure off the coastline, near the power station. This was the caisson (water tight structure) for the cooling system serving Aberthaw Power Station. It was constructed onshore in 1958 and then moved and fixed into position at the end of that year.

Aberthaw Cement Works

Cement is still produced about 1km north of here, at a factory founded in 1914. It receives limestone from an adjoining quarry. The facilities were modernised at a cost of £2m by Lafarge Tarmac in 2015.

The Aberthaw and Bristol Channel Portland Cement Company was established in 1912 and the cement works started operation in 1914. Various kilns were added over the years, some now decommissioned. The last that was built in 1967 remains in operation today.

Blue Circle bought the two sites at Aberthaw and Rhoose in 1983. Rhoose Works closed in 1987 and was later demolished. Lafarge Cement UK bought Blue Circle industries PLC in 2001, creating the largest cement maker in the world. Cement from the site is carried to destinations by Road and Rail

It is said that Watercolour artist Thomas Frederick Worrall worked as a time keeper, then store man at Aberthaw Cement Works for a few years when it was first opened. Originally from Staffordshire Worrall moved to south Wales in the early 20^th century and is known to have produced work inspired by the landscape.

Walks

If you want combine a visit to Aberthaw with a walk,  there are two that take in some of the heritage sites outlined in this blog – The Vale Trail 4 and the longer South Wales Coast Path (Ogmore-by-Sea to Barry Island). The Vale Trail 4 is a pleasant coastal walk around 7 miles/11 km long starting at Limpert Bay Carpark (Aberthaw) and finishing in Barry Island (See Barry Blog). It is a comfortable summer’s day walk there and back (around 8 hours). This gives time to stop at Barry Cold knap or the finish point at Barry Island for refreshment and facilities (there are no facilities or refreshment at Limpert Bay carpark). The South Wales Coast Path (Ogmore-by-Sea to Barry Island) is longer stretch at around 21 miles /33.5km long. It starts at Ogmore-by-Sea and ends again at Barry Island, going via Aberthaw.

For articles relating to areas near Aberthaw see Rhoose, Fontygary and Penmark