Brunel Dock

Briton Ferry Dock was built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel to handle coal and goods for the Vale of Neath Railway. The dock is located on the Neath Estuary in south Wales and consists of an inner floating dock and an outer tidal basin. The dock was Brunel's first experiment with buoyant lock gates, and the only surviving example of his work in this area.

The construction of the dock was a major undertaking. The River Neath had to be dredged and a training bank built to improve the navigable channel. The dock itself was built behind a bank of slag and soil, and the hydraulic machinery was installed by William George Armstrong.

The dock was opened in 1861 and operated for over 90 years. However, trade declined after the Second World War and the dock closed in 1959. The lock gate was partially dismantled and the dock basin filled with silt. The accumulator tower fell into disrepair.

In 2003-7, the accumulator tower was refurbished and its hipped slate roof reconstructed. In 2005, the Briton Ferry Brunel Dock Trust was formed to restore the dock and Brunel's unique lock gate. Plans for restoration are underway, but funding is still needed.

The dock was furnished with hydraulically-operated apparatus such as coal-tipping equipment capable of lifting 12.2m, three loading cranes each with a 1.5-tonne lifting capacity, and a ballast crane that could handle up to 30 tonnes per hour. This machinery was the work of William George Armstrong (1810-1900), who was later made Baron Armstrong of Cragside in 1887. To ensure adequate hydraulic pressure, an Armstrong accumulator—a cylinder filled with water and released by a heavily weighted plunger—was positioned in a square-layout masonry tower (SS736935) built near the dock's south corner.

After Brunel's passing in September 1859, his principal assistant, Robert Pearson Brereton (c.1818-94), oversaw the completion of the project. The accumulator tower's construction took place between December 1858 and September 1859, and the dock commenced operations on August 22nd, 1861. Upon project completion, the temporary river dam was dismantled, and a channel was excavated to a depth of 1.8m below low water.

On February 1st, 1865, the Vale of Neath Railway, also a Brunel design, merged with the Great Western Railway.

In 1872 and 1873, under the engineering supervision of Brereton, Briton Ferry Dock underwent a series of enhancements. Despite these improvements, the dock company faced financial difficulties and entered receivership in 1872. By 1873, it was transferred to the Great Western Railway through the Briton Ferry Transfer Act (20th July) and the Great Western Railway Company Act (21st July).

As time passed, the dock saw a decrease in trade and became scarcely used. The last repair to the lock gate was done in 1929, while at an unknown date, the channel and walls between the inner and outer basins were reinforced with concrete.

By 1951, the dock was practically inactive with only sand delivery vessels making use of it. Eight years later, in 1959, the dock operations were entirely suspended. The lock gate was partially taken apart, leaving the lower section in place, which resulted in silt accumulation in the dock basin. Concurrently, the accumulator tower started to deteriorate.

Between 2003 and 2007, efforts were made to refurbish the accumulator tower, including the reconstruction of its hipped slate roof, which led to its reopening on 15th June 2007. In commemoration of Armstrong's bicentenary, the Institution of Civil Engineers' Panel for Historical Engineering Works unveiled a stainless steel plaque near the tower on 26th November 2010.

The Briton Ferry Brunel Dock Trust was established in 2005, with a vision to restore the dock and Brunel's unique lock gate. However, these plans are still pending due to funding requirements.