Aberthaw Signal Box

Cadw's description

Location

Standing on the platform of the demolished Aberthaw High Level station about 100m to the west of Station Terrace in East Aberthaw.

History

Opened in 1897 as a part of the Vale of Glamorgan Railway from Barry to Bridgend, and this was incorporated into the Great Western Railway at the 1923 Grouping. This structure is a Barry Railway Type 2 signal box, a type individual to the Vale of Glamorgan Railway, and now one of only two of its kind surviving and in use. [The other example is the Operators Cabin of 1889 at the Sliding Bridge, Barry Docks.] It still works the junctions and sidings for Aberthaw Cementworks and Aberthaw power station.

Exterior

Red brick base with a timber framed upper storey and a Welsh slate roof. The ground floor locking room has three arched windows with glazing bars while the first floor is glazed in four sections with small panes over larger ones. Door to locking room and timber stair to gabled porch entry to the box on left hand gable end. The window returns on the right hand gable. Rear wall blind. Roof with plain bargeboards and spike finials. The signal box stands on what was the platform of Aberthaw (Barry or High Level) station, closed in 1964.

Interior

Interior not available at resurvey. It is understood to contain a lever frame of 53 levers which was installed in 1962, but not all of these levers will now be in use.

Reason for designation

Included as a complete and working late C19 signal box which is the only example of its kind.