Barry
| |
|---|---|
  Barry Location within theVale of Glamorgan | |
| Population | 51,502 [1] |
| OS grid reference | ST119682 |
| • Cardiff | 9.9 miles (15.9 km) |
| • London | 164.1 miles (264.1 km) |
| Community |
|
| Principal area | |
| Preserved county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BARRY |
| Postcode district | CF62–63 |
| Dialling code | 01446 |
| Police | South Wales |
| Fire | South Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
51°24′18″N3°16′12″W / 51.405°N 3.270°W /51.405; -3.270  Map of the community | |
Barry (/ˈbæri/;[2][3]Welsh:Y Barri;pronounced[əˈbari])[citation needed] is a town andcommunity in theVale of Glamorgan, Wales. It is on the north coast of theBristol Channel approximately 9 miles (14 km) south-southwest ofCardiff. Barry is aseaside resort, with attractions including several beaches and the resurrectedBarry Island Pleasure Park. According toOffice for National Statistics 2021 estimate data, the population of Barry was 56,605.[4]
The town of Barry has absorbed its larger neighbouring villages ofCadoxton andBarry Island. It grew significantly from the 1880s with the development ofBarry Docks, which, in 1913, was the largest coal port in the world.[5]
The origin of the town's name is disputed. It may derive from the sixth-century SaintBaruc who was buried on Barry Island where a ruined chapel was dedicated to him. Alternatively, the name may derive from Welshbar, meaning "hill, summit".[6][7] The name in WelshY Barri includes thedefinite article.
The area now occupied by Barry has seen human activity in many periods of history.Mesolithic or MiddleStone Agemicrolith flint tools have been found at Friars Point onBarry Island and nearWenvoe[8] andNeolithic or New Stone Age polished stone axe-heads were discovered inSt. Andrews Major.[9] A cinerary urn (pottery urn buried with cremation ashes) was found on Barry Island during excavations ofBronze Agebarrows[10][11] and two more were found in a barrow at Cold Knap Point.[12] A large defended enclosure orIron Age promontory hillfort was located atthe Bulwarks atPorthkerry[13] and there was evidence of the existence of an early Iron Age farmstead during construction ofBarry College off Colcot Road.[14]
InRoman times farmsteads existed on the site ofBarry Castle and Biglis and there were verbal reports of discovery of a cemetery including lead coffins with scallop-shell decoration. BothSt. Baruc's Chapel andSt. Nicholas Church have re-used Roman bricks and tiles incorporated in their building fabric[15] and aRoman villa was discovered inLlandough.[16] In 1980 a Roman building consisting of 22 rooms and cellars in four ranges around a central courtyard was excavated at Glan-y-môr and is believed to be a third-century building associated with naval activity, maybe a supply depot.[17]
TheVikings launched raids in the area and Barry Island was known to be a raider base in 1087.[18]Flat Holm andSteep Holm islands in theBristol Channel have their name Holm name derived from a Scandinavian word for an island in an estuary. The excavation of the Glan-y-môr site revealed the site had been reused in the 6th and 7th century and also between AD 830 and 950 as adry stone sub-rectangular building with aturf orthatched roof.[15]
The main feature of the area at this time was the island in the Bristol Channel, separated from the mainland by a tidalestuary. It is described inGiraldus Cambrensis or Gerald of Wales'Itinerarium Cambriae ("Journey through Wales", 1191). He states that Barry derives its name from St.Baruc whose remains are deposited in a chapel on the island. The local noble family who owned the island and the adjoining estates took the name ofde Barri from the island.[19]
Following theNorman conquest of England the area was divided intomanors with the Barry area split into two largelordships,Penmark andDinas Powys. Penmark was split into the sub-manors of Fonmon, West Penmark and Barry. Dinas Powys was split into the sub-manors ofCadoxton andUchelolau ('Highlight').[20] The sub-manor of Barry was granted by thede Umfraville family to the de Barri family and the seat of the manor was Barry Castle, located on high ground overlooking the Bristol Channel, a site occupied in Roman times by a native homestead.[21] Thecastle was a smallfortified manor house, built to replace an earlier earthwork. By the late 13th century the castle had two stone buildings on the east and west sides of a courtyard. Early in the 14th century the castle was strengthened by the addition of a large hall and gatehouse on its south side, the ruins of which are all that survive today. By now Barry had grown into a village and port with its own church andwatermill but in the 14th century its population was drastically reduced by theBlack Death and the consequences of the rebellion ofOwain Glyndŵr.[22] It took the population some 300 years to recover and once more hold the title of village, essentially a sparsely populated area with a few scattered farms and much of the land a marsh that a small river flowed through.[23] By 1622 the pattern of fields, where enclosure was almost complete, around Barry village was pretty much as it was to remain until the growth of the modern town. According to the 1673hearth tax list the parish contained thirteen houses.
Whitehouse Cottage, the oldest existing inhabited house in modern Barry, dates from the late 1500s with the east end of the building added in around 1600. It overlooks the sea atCold Knap.[24]
By 1871 the population of Barry was over 100, with 21 buildings, the new estate-owning Romilly family being involved in the buildup of the village but it remained a largely agricultural community.[15][25] It grew when it was developed as a coal port in the 1880s. The coal trade was growing faster than the facilities atTiger Bay inCardiff ever could and so a group of colliery owners formed theBarry Railway Company and chose to build thedocks at Barry. Work commenced in 1884 and the first dock basin was opened in 1889 to be followed by two other docks and extensive port installations. The Barry Railway brought coal down from theSouth Wales Valleys to the new docks whose trade grew from one million tons in the first year, to over nine million tons by 1903. The port was crowded with ships and had flourishing ship repair yards, cold stores, flour mills and an ice factory. By 1913, Barry was the largest coal exporting port in the world.Barry Council Office and Library was completed in 1908.[26]
Behind the docks rose the terraced houses of Barry which, with Cadoxton, soon formed a sizeable town. The railways which had played a major part in the development of the dock helped make Barry Island a popular resort.Barry Memorial Hall on Gladstone Road was inaugurated in November 1932, and obtained its name to honour those locals who lost their lives in World War I.[27]
During its industrial peak a number ofships sank off the Barry coast.
Following the rise of diesel and electric power on the UK railways, the marshalling yards at Barry Docks became the largest repository of steam engines awaiting scrapping in the UK.Dai Woodham owned theWoodham Brothers Scrap yard and he allowed rail preservation organisations to buy back the locomotives at the scrap value, allowing around 200 of the 300 locomotives to be saved for future generations, although during the years of storage many were vandalised or looted by souvenir hunters. When interviewed just before his death, Woodham was reluctant to take full credit for this and pointed out that the town of Barry with its redundant sidings was the major factor in allowing these locomotives to be saved.[citation needed]
Barry is the administrative centre of theVale of Glamorgan, and home toBarry Town United F.C.
The road from Bonvilston was originally the B4266, as only Pontypridd Road within the town still is, and the road from Highlight Park right through the Vale toBridgend was the B4265, as beyondCardiff International Airport it still is. Since the 1970s, parts of these roads are numbered A4226, with the result that the A4226 radiates from Weycock Crossroundabout inthree directions.
Although still a port, Barry is more of a manufacturing town and as a service centre for theVale of Glamorgan. Barry Docks and the adjoining industrial area form the largest employment centre in the town. The docks, whose road links were dramatically improved with the opening of the Docks Link Road in 1981, now have direct road access with theM4 motorway. The docks can handle vessels up to 23,000 tonnes and the first-class tidal position close to the deep-water channel of theSevern Estuary, allows for scheduled sailings. With its transit sheds, warehouses and open storage, the docks are equipped to handle bulk cargoes but with the scrapping of their former electric cranes, ships’ own derricks have to be used or cranes hired in by ABP as required. Two roll on/roll off berths are available and have been used by routes to Ireland and West Africa. As at January 2016, Intermodal rail freight traffic is being operated from No. 2 Dock. With a new presence on the Mole in No. 1 Dock and the provision of a concrete slipway from it, leisure rowing and dinghy sailing is available (2016).
The town has atown council which is controlled by theLabour Party.
The majority of industrial firms are located in the dock area. The largest are the chemical producing concerns such asCabot Carbon andDow Corning who not long ago completed the development of the largest silicones plant in Europe. Other main employers in Barry Docks areJewson Builders' Merchants, Western Welding and Engineering, Bumnelly, andAssociated British Ports Holdings who, since 1982 have run the docks as successors to the British Transport Docks Board.
To the west of Barry isPorthkerry Park. This is a large area of open space, with woodlands, streams, and access to a pebbly beach. In the park is the formerBarry Railway Company viaduct with 13 arched spans standing 110 ft high. Following the closure of the Vale of Glamorgan line to passengers between Barry and Bridgend in 1964, it was reopened on 10 June 2005 and for most of its 19 miles, provides a scenic view and link toLlantwit Major and beyond to Bridgend.
The Barry Island peninsula was an island until the 1880s when it was linked to the mainland as the town of Barry expanded. This was partly due to the opening of Barry Dock by the Barry Railway Company. Established by David Davies, the docks now link up the gap which used to form Barry Island.
There is a railway station to access the island atBarry Docks, there is also aheritage railway station which houses refurbished steam passenger trains. The railway is open to the public and holds events involving a largesteam engine replica ofThomas the Tank Engine.
Barry Island is now known for its beach andBarry Island Pleasure Park. From 1966, the island was home to aButlins Holiday camp, which was closed in 1987 and taken over by Majestic Holidays who renamed it Barry Island Resort. Between Butlins' closure and Majestic's reopening the camp was used as for filming scenes in the "Shangri-La" holiday camp from theDoctor Who serialDelta and the Bannermen. The camp closed in 1996 after Majestic had a disagreement with the local council, who refused an entertainments licence unless work was carried out to improve the now 30-year-old site. It was redeveloped for housing between 1997 and 2003 with the remaining two camp buildings and outdoor pool demolished in early 2005.
The preservedVale of Glamorgan Railway runs on Barry Island.
TheBBC sitcomGavin & Stacey was filmed in many areas of Barry and Barry Island, including establishments such as Marco's Café which feature in the show. Long-running medical dramaCasualty which is filmed inCardiff, regularly films scenes in and around Barry Island.
From the1536 Act of Union,Glamorgan was represented in parliament by one member, from the constituency ofGlamorganshire, elected by the freeholders in the county.[28] In 1885, the constituency was split, with Barry represented bySouth Glamorganshire. TheRepresentation of the People Act 1918 created theLlandaff and Barry constituency.[29]Sir William Cope (Conservative) won the1918 general election. Labour regained the seat at the1929 general election when Charles Ellis Lloyd was returned but two years later lost the seat to the Conservatives' Patrick Munro.
After Munro's death in 1942Cyril Lakin won the by-election for the Conservatives.Arwyn Lynn Ungoed-Thomas (Labour) won the seat at the1945 general election. The Llandaff and Barry constituency was abolished by theRepresentation of the People Act 1948.[30] and replaced by theBarry parliamentary constituency. This seat was first contested in the1950 United Kingdom general election whenDorothy Rees (Labour) was elected. She lost the seat toSir Herbert Raymond Gower (Conservative) at the1951 general election. He held the seat until its abolition in 1983.[31]
It was replaced by theVale of Glamorgan constituency which Sir Herbert Raymond Gower (Conservative) won at the1983 general election. He remained as MP until his death in 1989. At the subsequent by-election the seat was won byJohn Smith (Labour). At the1992 general electionWalter Sweeney (Conservative) won it by only 19 votes. That made it the most marginal seat in Britain.[32] John Smith won it back at the1997 general election. In the 2010 General election there was a 6.1% swing from Labour to Conservative. This resulted in the election of Alun Cairns, a Conservative MP[33] who has held the seat until 2024.
Barry is part of theVale of Glamorgan Senedd constituency[34] and part of theSouth Wales Central Senedd region.[35]Jane Hutt of theWelsh Labour Party has been the assembly member since the inception of theSenedd.
Barry was incorporated as amunicipal borough byroyal charter in September 1939. The Borough was the successor to Barry and Cadoxton Local Board (1888–1894) and Barry Urban District Council (1894–1939). The area covered by the borough comprised Barry, Cadoxton-juxta-Barry, Merthyr Dyfan and parts of Penmark, Porthkerry and Sully. In 1974, it was abolished and its functions taken over by the Vale of Glamorgan District Council andSouth Glamorgan County Council.[36]
The local council,Barry Town Council, is the largest town council in Wales. It has given Olympic silver medalistDavid Davies freedom of the town, the first freedom granted since 1958. .[37] The town council has no overall control with Labour, Plaid Cymru and Conservative councillors.
The local unitary authority, created in 1995, is theVale of Glamorgan Council which has its administrative headquarters in Barry. There are 23 wards electing 47 councillors, including eight wards in Barry (electing 18 county councillors) which compriseBaruc (2 councillors),Buttrills (2),Cadoc (3),Castleland (2),Court (2),Gibbonsdown (2), Dyfan (2) andIlltyd (3).
As with the rest of theBritish Isles and Wales, Barry experiences amaritime climate with cool summers and mild winters, and often high winds. It is amongst the sunnier of Welsh locations, due to its southerly and coastal position. The nearest official weather observation station is at Cardiff Airport near Rhoose, about 3 miles (5 km) west of the town centre.
| Climate data for Rhoose 65m asl, 1971–2000 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.3 (45.1) | 7.5 (45.5) | 9.7 (49.5) | 12.0 (53.6) | 15.5 (59.9) | 18.2 (64.8) | 20.5 (68.9) | 20.4 (68.7) | 17.7 (63.9) | 14.0 (57.2) | 10.4 (50.7) | 8.3 (46.9) | 13.5 (56.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.3 (36.1) | 2.0 (35.6) | 3.4 (38.1) | 4.5 (40.1) | 7.4 (45.3) | 10.1 (50.2) | 12.4 (54.3) | 12.4 (54.3) | 10.6 (51.1) | 8.0 (46.4) | 4.8 (40.6) | 3.3 (37.9) | 6.8 (44.2) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 95 (3.7) | 69 (2.7) | 77 (3.0) | 60 (2.4) | 60 (2.4) | 64 (2.5) | 63 (2.5) | 83 (3.3) | 98 (3.9) | 106 (4.2) | 107 (4.2) | 103 (4.1) | 983 (38.7) |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 55 | 74 | 113 | 174 | 212 | 208 | 220 | 207 | 150 | 103 | 74 | 49 | 1,639 |
| Source:MeteoFrance[39] | |||||||||||||
Barry has four secondary schools. Since 1993,Bryn Hafren and Barry Comprehensive School have worked together to provide the co-educational Barry Sixth Form. In July 2018, as part of the 'Transforming Secondary Education in Barry' scheme, both Barry Comprehensive School and Bryn Hafren closed their doors to make way for two new mixed-sex secondary schools which opened in September 2018. The old Barry Comprehensive School site has now becomeWhitmore High School and Bryn Hafren has now become Pencoedtre High School.[50]
Primary education (5–11) in Barry is provided by a number of community, Welsh-language, and faith-based schools spread throughout the town.[51]
The main forms of public transport in the town are bus and rail. Barry is served byCardiff Bus which operates services toLlantwit Major,Penarth,Cardiff International Airport andCardiff City Centre as well as operating town circular services. Barry'sKing's Square bus station is located onKing's Square in the town centre. TheA4050 road connects Barry toCulverhouse Cross Interchange and the rest of west Cardiff.
There are four railway stations in the town:Barry,Barry Docks,Barry Island andCadoxton. These are operated and served byTransport for Wales and are on theValley Lines network, acommuter rail network focused on Cardiff. Services operate westbound toBridgend viaLlantwit Major andRhoose Cardiff International Airport, and eastbound toCardiff Queen Street viaDinas Powys,Cardiff Grangetown andCardiff Central. The latter service can continue to eitherMerthyr Tydfil,Pontypridd and/orAberdare.
Barry is located less than 3 miles (4.8 kilometres) east ofCardiff International Airport.
The following people and military units have received theFreedom of the Town of Barry.
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
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