Penclawdd Sea Dock and Canal

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument.

The monument consists of the remains of a tidal dock and canal dating to c. 1810. The dock served as a place for repairing boats which travelled along the Penclawdd canal. The canal was intended to bring coal from inland down to Penclawdd for export, however this operation ceased not long after it opened. The dock survives as a series of earthworks which still hold water. The jetty, which once would have had facing stones on the exterior, now consists of a rubble build, and is c. 120m in length and 1.5m in height. It is now grass covered and has at its seaward end the foundations of a rectangular building. The breakwater lies to the east and consists of a low bank enclosing a rectangular area which would form a water catchment for boats. The linear depression which marks the remains of the canal lies to the south and shows that the canal ran further west to the Penclawdd copperworks.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of industrial or modern maritime economy and transport. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits. A dockyard may be part of a larger cluster of monuments and their importance can further enhanced by their group value.

The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.