The Heritage Hiker’s Guide to Barry

Overview

Barry (Y Barri) is a place where I spent the first few years of my life (Tynewydd Road to be precise, set along a steep hill running up from the town centre). Barry is probably best known for its Island and the long sandy beach – Whitmore Bay. The town has a rich wealth of heritage and history, there is clear evidence of early occupation from burial barrows to Roman buildings and lost Medieval villages and even a ‘castle’ (a fortified manor).  

Growing up, there was always an invisible divide between the east and the west side of the town; the west being seen as more affluent and home to the bigger houses set into more leafy green suburbia. Along with the Island and its attractions (including a former Bultins holiday camp, later Majestic and now a housing estate) there was an outdoor Lido at nearby Cold Knap and a small boating lake within Cold Knap Park. The lake remains but the Lido has now been filled in and is its own green space. The Cold Knap has its own stone beach (where it is possible to find fossils) and is close to Romilly Park  opened in 1920 to mark the National Eisteddfod held in Barry that year.

The Beginnings of the Town

The Barry we see today grew from the late 19^th century, the coastline and natural positioning lent itself to the building of a harbour and with the congestion at Cardiff Docks the new port of Barry Docks took shape. The docks brought trade, work and people to Barry and the town grew rapidly from a little over 100 (1871) to around 55,000 (2016). The Barry we see today is like many other towns, a fusing of various smaller villages now merged to form a bigger town.

The railway was built to support this new venture and opened Barry up to the coalfields of Wales and the wider world. In 1896 a spur line to Barry Island was opened and in 1912 the funfair arrived making Barry a ‘go to’ destination for day trippers. There is plenty of parking at Barry Island and dogs are permitted part of the year on the beach. There are also plenty of cafes, amusements, shops and facilities along the seafront and you can walk from Jackson’s Bay along the coast path over to Friar’s Point and/or continue along the road to get to the Cold Knap (see below).

Famous People Linked to Barry

Considering the population of Barry was a little over 100 people in 1871 it is amazing how many notable people have been born and raised there. It is the birthplace and home to the former World Boxing Champion Lee Selby and 2008 Olympic open water swim silver medalist David Davies. Derek Brockway, meteorologist and T.V. presenter was born and grew up in Barry and it was the birthplace and home to Grace Williams (1905 -1977) a prominent Welsh Classical Composer.

Barry Prehistory

Evidence of human occupation covering the area of Barry goes back as far as the Mesolithic period (over 10,000 years ago) and Mesolithic flint tools have been found on Friar’s Point. A later Neolithic axe was found in the upper peat layers at Barry Dock (reasonable to think when they were being built). Bronze Age cremation burials have been excavated at Cold Knap Point matched by similar burial barrows still visible in the landscape on Friar’s Point  Barry Island (not to be confused with the pillow mounds that sit nearby).

Early Bronze Age pottery was found during work to build the Atlantic Trading Estate to the east of the town. There was an Iron Age hillfort at Westward (Rise) and another at nearby Porthkerry. Recent excavations at Five Mile Lane(A4226) near Barry between 2017-2019 uncovered Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman and Medieval features that further enhance the local historic record.

Roman Barry

Along with the Roman farmstead believed to underlie the site of Barry Castle, Roman material and finds have been found across the modern footprint of Barry and Roman masonry has been reused in building of St Baruc’s Chapel (origins in 8th century) and St Nicholas Church . The most impressive exposed remains of a large Roman building can be visited for free at the Cold Knap. Just set back from the cobbled shoreline behind the Cold Knapp car park are the remains of a substantial Roman building. Built in the late 3^rd century, it doesn’t display the opulence of an expensive Roman villa, but it appears to be a functional building of a good size and layout. It is well placed to be associated with a natural harbour for boats visiting on the coastline and could easily have acted as a guesthouse and/or official building for maritime use.

Exploring the Cold Knap area makes for a lovely day out away from the hustle and bustle of the busy Island in the summer months. There is a small car park  near the beach or there is a small car park behind a row of shops at the top end of the Knap Gardens and on road parking around Romilly Park. Toilets are situated at various spots in and around the above (please check ahead to make sure they are open).

Barry Castle

Barry Castle was built by the de Barri family as their manorial home around the 12^th century.   It was first built in drystone or timber and surrounded by a bank and a ditch. Although listed as a castle it fits the defensive description of a fortified manor house. By the 13^th century it had been built in stone and in the first half of the 14^th century it was extended further to include a hall and a gatehouse. By 1536-9 it was in ruins.

Sometime between 1558 -1603 a small cottage was built in its shell and by the end of the 16^th century this structure had become a tavern. This house was still standing in the 18^th century and was known as ‘Castle House’. Excavation and recording work in the 20^th century turned up both Medieval and Roman material in the building and rebuilding on the site lending weight to idea that potentially a Roman farmstead had once existed on or near the site.

Although not much of the fortified manor remains the gatehouse and walls of Barry Castle stand amongst the redbrick built up area known as the ‘West End’ of Barry. The site is free to access and is an open site with a couple of interpretation boards but there no facilities and parking is on the main road nearby. Porthkerry Country Park is just a short distance away and here you will find a nice spot to picnic and/or rest and recharge (note car parking charges apply). The park is made up of 220 acres of woodland and meadowland and is home to the remains of a medieval mill of a lost Medieval village and the still standing impressive railway viaduct.

Barry’s Industrial Landscape

Barry like many towns in Wales exploded in population during the industrial period. The main reason for its growth being the docks. Cardiff Docks had become so congested with shipments of coal an alternative was sought and Barry Docks were built by David Davies and others, with the first dock opening in 1898. By 1913 it was said that Barry Docks was the largest coal port in the world. I remember growing up with the sight of Geest boats and HMS Cambria associated vessels as part of naval reservist exercises taking place. There were maritime events and galas for a short time too.

Link to Pathe footage of Barry Docks 1948

The sound between the Island and the mainland had long served as a natural harbour and it was this that was developed to form the current docklands. In creating the docks, the Island became permanently linked to the mainland by road and rail, as it is still today. Former docks in the harbour are now mainly housing and retail areas now, although a small port does still operate.

Barry’s Growth

Barry grew to serve the expanding population and to cater for the trade from seaman living and working in the area. Many of the schools, churches and municipal buildings which were built at this time still stand today although some are sadly and slowly being lost. Many of the houses in Barry are made of red brick and are from the Victorian and Edwardian period, catering for this boom. The bigger of this style of house being found in the west of Barry near the Island and Cold Knap and as smaller terraced housing in most other areas. The census records from around the turn of the 20^th century make for fascinating reading especially buildings such as the Barry Hotel which appeared to be housing serving seamen from around the world.

Walks

For a comprehensive look across Barry taking in most of the sights including the docks there is the Wales Coast Path which can be walked from Barry Island to nearby Sully and back (or vice versa) easily on a long summer’s day (See Sully Blog). This path also extends out to Cardiff but at just under 26km its more of a one way in a day distance. There are plenty of place to stop and eat along the way and you never know you might even spot a dinosaur footprint along parts of the coastal shoreline. There is also the Vale Trail 4 that takes you out in the other direction towards Aberthaw.

Dedicated to (John) Richard Stott local doctor, he served the community of Barry as a General Practitioner for many years. A kind and gentle man who loved Barry and its history. Gone but not forgotten.

For articles relating to areas near Barry see Rhoose, Sully and Penarth