Hercelin: First version
[[File:Route of Ely Subway.png|thumb|400x400px|The Ely Subway's route beneath the river, mapped by [[Ordnance Survey]] in 1965 (shortly after the tunnel's closure)]]
The '''Ely Subway''' is a disused [[pedestrian]] tunnel beneath the mouth of the [[River Ely]] in [[South Wales]].
Open from 1900 to 1963, it provided a direct connection between [[Penarth Dock]] and [[Grangetown, Cardiff|Grangetown]].
== History ==
Penarth Dock opened in 1865 on the southern edge of [[Cardiff Bay]], at the mouth of the Ely. However, the nearest crossing over the river was a road bridge nearly a mile upstream at [[Llandough, Penarth|Llandough]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=8 August 1952 |title=Cardif–Penarth Tunnel |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000104/19520808/129/0006 |work=Western Mail |pages=6}}</ref> The operators of the dock, the [[Taff Vale Railway|Taff Vale Railway Company]], introduced a [[chain ferry]] across to the northern bank of the Ely as a shortcut for both their workers (many of whom lived in Grangetown) and members of the public. However, the ferry was unable to run in bad weather—even sinking twice during storms—and as the docks continued to develop in size and importance a permanent crossing was considered necessary.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=10 May 1900 |title=RIVER ELY SUBWAY. |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000919/19000510/084/0004 |work=South Wales Daily News |pages=4}}</ref>
The company submitted a bill to Parliament in 1896 seeking permission for a number of new works, one of which was a tunnel beneath the river to replace the ferry. Construction began in July 1897 on a subway designed by George Sibbering, the company's chief engineer, with works overseen by Thomas Taylor, a contractor from [[Pontypridd]]. The ramped entrances at either end were dug by hand but the majority of the tunneling—325 yards of the subway's total length of 400 yards—was done with a [[Greathead shield|Greathead tunneling shield]], of the same design used for the [[Central London Railway]]. The northern entrance was located at the southern end of Ferry Road in Grangetown (next to some large petroleum storage tanks owned by the Bear Creek Oil Company), while the southern entrance was next to the dockside Mission Church.<ref name=":1" />
The tunneling process was slow and difficult. The ground was largely a loose mixture of mud, gravel, and clay, and the cast-iron tunnel—only 11 feet below the river bed at its deepest point—was subjected to intense differentials in pressure between high and low tides in the bay above.<ref name=":0" /> The tunnel flooded twice during construction, in November 1897 and December 1898, although workers were able to evacuate both times without any loss of life.<ref name=":1" /> Tunneling finished on 25 September 1899, and a ceremony was held to mark the subway's official opening on 14 May 1900.<ref>{{Cite news |date=15 May 1900 |title=RIVER ELY SUBWAY. |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000919/19000515/083/0004 |work=South Wales Daily News |pages=4}}</ref> The total cost of construction was between £25,000 and £26,000.<ref>{{Cite news |date=12 May 1900 |title="The Ely sub-way..." |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002888/19000512/002/0001 |archive-url= |work=Pontypridd Observer |pages=1}}</ref>
The subway had a diameter of 10 feet 6 inches, with a usable footpath 6 feet wide, and 7 feet 6 inches of headroom. The interior was painted with a mixture of white enamel and granulated cork to prevent condensation, and was lit with electric bulbs.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=13 April 1996 |title=Grandfather's greatest feat |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004733/19960413/018/0018 |url-status= |work=South Wales Echo |pages=18}}</ref> A toll keeper oversaw [[Turnstile|turnstiles]] at either entrance until 1937, charging pedestrians a penny for entry, cyclists two pence, and prams four pence; horses also reportedly used the subway. During the [[Second World War]] the subway was repurposed as an air raid shelter for workers and sailors in the docks.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Elizabeth |date=2021-06-19 |title=The hidden tunnel under the River Ely which used to connect Cardiff to Penarth |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/cardiff-penarth-tunnel-history-secret-20848504 |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=Wales Online |language=en}}</ref>
With the post-war decline of the docks the subway lost its importance, and it gained a reputation for vandalism and petty crime.<ref name=":3" /> It was eventually closed in 1963 as part of the wider closure of Penarth Dock; the two entrances were bricked up in 1965, but it continued to be used as a conduit for power cables by the [[South Wales Electricity Board]] until being fully decommissioned in the 1980s.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-05-12 |title=I remember that... |url=https://www.penarthtimes.co.uk/news/letters/9022270.i-remember-that/ |access-date=2024-05-03 |website=Penarth Times |language=en}}</ref>
== Present day ==
The southern entrance was deliberately caved in and paved over in the 1980s as part of the redevelopment of Penarth Dock into [[Penarth Marina]]—the site is now Plas Pamir, a residential road. The bricked-up northern entrance is located within the grounds of Cardiff Bay Yacht Club.
The tunnel is not actively maintained, but is still intact.<ref name=":3" /> It was reopened for inspection in 1995 during the construction of the [[Cardiff Bay Barrage]], and other than a small amount of flooding was found to still be in good condition—however, reopening it as part of the Barrage project was ultimately not pursued.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Moore-Haines |first=S |date=13 April 1996 |title=RIVER SUBWAY |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004733/19960413/027/0027 |work=South Wales Echo |pages=27}}</ref>
A commemorative mural of the subway, painted by local artist Peaceful Progress, can be found on the nearby [[Pont y Werin|Pont Y Werin]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pont Y Werin Bridge – The Old Ely Subway |url=https://www.peacefulprogress.org/pont-y-werin-bridge-the-old-ely-subway/ |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=Peaceful Progress - Graffiti Art, Cardiff, Wales, UK. Graffiti workshops, commissions, vehicle artwork, bedroom murals, Graffiti artists for hire. |language=en-US}}</ref>
== References ==
<references />
[[Category:Tunnels in Wales]]
[[Category:Cardiff]]
[[Category
enarth]]
[[Categoryedestrian tunnels]]
Okumaya devam et...
[[File:Route of Ely Subway.png|thumb|400x400px|The Ely Subway's route beneath the river, mapped by [[Ordnance Survey]] in 1965 (shortly after the tunnel's closure)]]
The '''Ely Subway''' is a disused [[pedestrian]] tunnel beneath the mouth of the [[River Ely]] in [[South Wales]].
Open from 1900 to 1963, it provided a direct connection between [[Penarth Dock]] and [[Grangetown, Cardiff|Grangetown]].
== History ==
Penarth Dock opened in 1865 on the southern edge of [[Cardiff Bay]], at the mouth of the Ely. However, the nearest crossing over the river was a road bridge nearly a mile upstream at [[Llandough, Penarth|Llandough]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=8 August 1952 |title=Cardif–Penarth Tunnel |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000104/19520808/129/0006 |work=Western Mail |pages=6}}</ref> The operators of the dock, the [[Taff Vale Railway|Taff Vale Railway Company]], introduced a [[chain ferry]] across to the northern bank of the Ely as a shortcut for both their workers (many of whom lived in Grangetown) and members of the public. However, the ferry was unable to run in bad weather—even sinking twice during storms—and as the docks continued to develop in size and importance a permanent crossing was considered necessary.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=10 May 1900 |title=RIVER ELY SUBWAY. |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000919/19000510/084/0004 |work=South Wales Daily News |pages=4}}</ref>
The company submitted a bill to Parliament in 1896 seeking permission for a number of new works, one of which was a tunnel beneath the river to replace the ferry. Construction began in July 1897 on a subway designed by George Sibbering, the company's chief engineer, with works overseen by Thomas Taylor, a contractor from [[Pontypridd]]. The ramped entrances at either end were dug by hand but the majority of the tunneling—325 yards of the subway's total length of 400 yards—was done with a [[Greathead shield|Greathead tunneling shield]], of the same design used for the [[Central London Railway]]. The northern entrance was located at the southern end of Ferry Road in Grangetown (next to some large petroleum storage tanks owned by the Bear Creek Oil Company), while the southern entrance was next to the dockside Mission Church.<ref name=":1" />
The tunneling process was slow and difficult. The ground was largely a loose mixture of mud, gravel, and clay, and the cast-iron tunnel—only 11 feet below the river bed at its deepest point—was subjected to intense differentials in pressure between high and low tides in the bay above.<ref name=":0" /> The tunnel flooded twice during construction, in November 1897 and December 1898, although workers were able to evacuate both times without any loss of life.<ref name=":1" /> Tunneling finished on 25 September 1899, and a ceremony was held to mark the subway's official opening on 14 May 1900.<ref>{{Cite news |date=15 May 1900 |title=RIVER ELY SUBWAY. |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000919/19000515/083/0004 |work=South Wales Daily News |pages=4}}</ref> The total cost of construction was between £25,000 and £26,000.<ref>{{Cite news |date=12 May 1900 |title="The Ely sub-way..." |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002888/19000512/002/0001 |archive-url= |work=Pontypridd Observer |pages=1}}</ref>
The subway had a diameter of 10 feet 6 inches, with a usable footpath 6 feet wide, and 7 feet 6 inches of headroom. The interior was painted with a mixture of white enamel and granulated cork to prevent condensation, and was lit with electric bulbs.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=13 April 1996 |title=Grandfather's greatest feat |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004733/19960413/018/0018 |url-status= |work=South Wales Echo |pages=18}}</ref> A toll keeper oversaw [[Turnstile|turnstiles]] at either entrance until 1937, charging pedestrians a penny for entry, cyclists two pence, and prams four pence; horses also reportedly used the subway. During the [[Second World War]] the subway was repurposed as an air raid shelter for workers and sailors in the docks.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Elizabeth |date=2021-06-19 |title=The hidden tunnel under the River Ely which used to connect Cardiff to Penarth |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/cardiff-penarth-tunnel-history-secret-20848504 |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=Wales Online |language=en}}</ref>
With the post-war decline of the docks the subway lost its importance, and it gained a reputation for vandalism and petty crime.<ref name=":3" /> It was eventually closed in 1963 as part of the wider closure of Penarth Dock; the two entrances were bricked up in 1965, but it continued to be used as a conduit for power cables by the [[South Wales Electricity Board]] until being fully decommissioned in the 1980s.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-05-12 |title=I remember that... |url=https://www.penarthtimes.co.uk/news/letters/9022270.i-remember-that/ |access-date=2024-05-03 |website=Penarth Times |language=en}}</ref>
== Present day ==
The southern entrance was deliberately caved in and paved over in the 1980s as part of the redevelopment of Penarth Dock into [[Penarth Marina]]—the site is now Plas Pamir, a residential road. The bricked-up northern entrance is located within the grounds of Cardiff Bay Yacht Club.
The tunnel is not actively maintained, but is still intact.<ref name=":3" /> It was reopened for inspection in 1995 during the construction of the [[Cardiff Bay Barrage]], and other than a small amount of flooding was found to still be in good condition—however, reopening it as part of the Barrage project was ultimately not pursued.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Moore-Haines |first=S |date=13 April 1996 |title=RIVER SUBWAY |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004733/19960413/027/0027 |work=South Wales Echo |pages=27}}</ref>
A commemorative mural of the subway, painted by local artist Peaceful Progress, can be found on the nearby [[Pont y Werin|Pont Y Werin]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pont Y Werin Bridge – The Old Ely Subway |url=https://www.peacefulprogress.org/pont-y-werin-bridge-the-old-ely-subway/ |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=Peaceful Progress - Graffiti Art, Cardiff, Wales, UK. Graffiti workshops, commissions, vehicle artwork, bedroom murals, Graffiti artists for hire. |language=en-US}}</ref>
== References ==
<references />
[[Category:Tunnels in Wales]]
[[Category:Cardiff]]
[[Category
enarth]][[Category
edestrian tunnels]]Okumaya devam et...