Barry (Welsh: Y Barri) is a town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. Located just a few miles from Cardiff, the capital of Wales, Barry lies on the south coast and is a popular seaside resort, with attractions including a beach, and the Barry Island Pleasure Park (currently closed - May 2007).
Barry is currently home to roughly 50,000 people. It is the administrative centre of the Vale of Glamorgan, and home to Barry Town 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 to Bridgend was the B4265, as beyond the airport it still is. Since the 1970s, parts of these roads are numbered A4226, with the result that the A4226 radiates from Weycock Cross roundabout in three directions.
A chicken-and-egg situation afflicts the town's name. Sometimes, including in travel information, Barry is pedantically called "Barry Dock", and "Barry" considered to be just the western district of the town of "Barry Dock", the "Barry" district's existence requiring the town centre to be called "Barry Dock" to assert that it is not Barry and to distinguish it from Barry! Yet unofficially it is Barry, and if officially it is not Barry, whence would it come to be called Barry Dock ?
Originally Barry was a small village neighbouring the larger villages of Cadoxton and Barry Island. Today, Barry has swallowed both of these villages and the area is know as Barry with small areas or parishes known as Cadoxton and Barry Island.
The town was originally a fishing port, and grew when it was developed as a coal port in the 1880s. The coal trade was growing faster than the facilities at Cardiff Docks ever could and so a group of colliery owners formed the Barry Railway Company and chose to build the dock 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 the 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.
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 did a great deal, too, to make Barry Island a popular resort.
Although still a port, Barry is more important now as a manufacturing town and as a service centre for the Vale 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 the M4 motorway. The docks can handle vessels up to 23,000 tons and the first-class tidal position close to the deep-water channel of the Severn Estuary, allows for regular scheduled sailings. With its extensive transit sheds, warehouses and open storage, the docks are well equipped to handle hulk cargoes for which the batteries of high capacity grab cranes are invaluable. Two roll on/roll off berths are available and have been extensively used by routes to Eire and West Africa. These and the other port facilities have seen an increasing variety of traffic in recent years.
The great majority of industrial firms are located in the dock area. By far the largest are the chemical producing concerns such as Cabot Carbon and Dow Corning who have just completed the development of the largest silicones plant in Europe. Other main employers in Barry Docks are Jewson Builders' Merchants, Western Welding and Engineering, Bumnelly, Rank Hovis and, of course, Associated British Ports who, since 1982 have run the docks as successors of the British Transport Docks Board.
The name of Barry derives from St. Baruc who was drowned in the Bristol Channel and buried in Barry Island. Cadoxton, too, takes its name from an early saint, St. Cadoc, and it is around the Medieval church of St. Cadoc that the old village grew up. The church still survives, as do some of the older village houses.
Barry hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1920 and 1968.
The town is often associated with Woodhams' Scrapyard, a business that helped over 200 historic steam locomotives survive into preservation.
Buses in Barry:93 94 95 96 all to Cardiff City Centre, see www.cardiffbus.com for details
Libraries in Barry: The County Library King Square Barry CF64 4RW 01446 709737 Mon 8.30am-8.00pm Tue 8.30am-6.00pm Wed 8.30am-6.00pm Thur 8.30am-8.00pm Fri 8.30am-6.00pm Sat 9.00am-5.30pm Lift, disabled toilet, hearing loops
Campsites/Carvan Parks in Barry: Vale Touring Caravan Park Port Road West Barry South Glamorgan CF62 3BT 01446 719311
Barry Comprehensive School (Secondary) Port Road West Barry CF62 8ZJ 01446 411411 01446 411422
Bryn Hafren Comprehensive School (Secondary) Merthyr Dyfan Road Barry CF62 9YQ 01446 403500 01446 403504
High Street Primary School St Paul's Avenue Barry Vale of Glamorgan CF62 8HT 01446 734553
Romilly Infant School Romilly Road Barry CF62 6LF 01446 736390
Romilly Junior School Romilly Road Barry Vale of Glamorgan CF62 6LF 01446 736934
St Helen's R.C. Infant & Nursery School Maes-Y-Cwm Street Barry Vale of Glamorgan CF63 4EH 01446 732834
St Helen's R.C. Junior School Tynewydd Road Barry Vale of Glamorgan CF62 8BB 01446 740116
St Richard Gwyn R.C. High School (Secondary) Argae Lane Barry CF63 1BL 01446 733599 01446 720898
Ysgol Bro Morgannwg (Secondary) Colcot Road Barry Vale of Glamorgan CF62 8YU
Ysgol Sant Baruc (Primary) St Paul's Avenue Barry CF62 8HT 01446 735595
Ysgol Sant Curig (Primary) College Road Barry CF62 8HQ 01446 420109 01446 421256
All Saints C.I.W. Primary School Plas Cleddau (Off Severn Road) Cwm Talwg Barry CF62 7FG 01446 745726 01446 700802
Barry Island Primary Clive Road Barry Island Barry CF62 5UZ 01446 733807 01446 733807
Colcot Primary School Florence Avenue Barry Vale of Glamorgan CF62 9XH 01446 735719 01446 742717
Gladstone Primary School Gladstone Road Barry CF62 8NA 01446 735321 01446 721948
Holton Primary School Holton Road Barry CF63 4TF 01446 734844
Jenner Park Primary Hannah Street Barry Vale of Glamorgan CF63 1DG 01446 735587
Oakfield Primary School Amroth Court Caldy Close Gibbonsdown CF62 9DU 01446 744606 01446 741896
Pregnant Schoolgirls Unit (Pupil Referal Unit) Maes Y Coed Family Centre Gladstone Road Barry 01446 732755
Ysgol Gynradd Gwaun Y Nant (Primary) Amroth Court Caldy Close Gibbonsdown CF62 8HQ 01446 421723
Ysgol Maes Dyfan (Special) Gibbonsdown Rise Barry CF63 1DT 01446 732112 01446 742316
Chemists/Pharmacies in Barry: Aneurin Evans 42 High Street Barry South Glamorgan CF62 7YP 01446 735207
Boots The Chemist 121-125 Holton Road Barry South Glamorgan CF63 4SW 01446 735280
Brockway Pharmacy Unit 3 Plas Cleddau Barry South Glamorgan CF62 7FG 01446 720588
The Co-operative Pharmacy 148 Holton Road Barry South Glamorgan CF63 4HL 01446 735154
D Davies 8 Park Crescent Barry South Glamorgan CF62 6HD 01446 735814
Judith M Evans 88 High Street Barry South Glamorgan CF62 7DX 01446 733789
Lloyds Pharmacy 161 Holton Road Barry South Glamorgan CF63 4HP 01446 739949
Lloyds Pharmacy Unit 1 Stirling Road Barry South Glamorgan CF62 8NX 01446 746000
SR Bailey Ltd 9 Vere Street Barry South Glamorgan CF63 2YE 01446 735559
St Brides Pharmacy 1 St Anns Court Ramsey Road Barry South Glamorgan CF62 9DN 01446 743423
Doctors/GPs in Barry: Dr A Baig St Bride's Way Barry South Glamorgan CF63 1DU 01446 744877
Drs Evans JG, Brown GG, Hughes A, Donaghy C, Cunningham S 29 Court Road Barry South Glamorgan CF63 4YD 01446 733181
Dr Marianne Sullivan 31 Barry Road Barry South Glamorgan CF63 1BA 01446 700350
Highlight Park Medical Practice Lakin Drive Barry South Glamorgan CF62 8AH 01446 720100
High Street Family Practice 37-39 High Street Barry South Glamorgan CF62 7EB 01446 733355
Ravenscourt Surgery 36-38 Tynewydd Road Barry South Glamorgan CF62 8AZ 01446 734744
The Waterfront Medical Centre Heol Y Llongau Barry South Glamorgan CF63 4AR 01446 734131
Barry Island 2006
Barry - From 'A Topographical Dictionary of Wales' (1849) BARRY, a parish, in the union of Cardiff, hundred of Dinas-Powys, county of Glamorgan, South Wales, 10 miles (S. W.) from Cardiff; containing 104 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the shore of the Bristol Channel, by which it is bounded on the south; and comprises a small tract of country, pleasingly diversified, and richly ornamented with woods of luxuriant growth, and thriving coppices of underwood. The views, extending over the Channel and the adjacent country, are interesting and extensive. The soil of Barry, though resting upon a tenacious clay, is in general fertile, producing chiefly wheat of good quality. The manor is in the possession of William, John, Edward, Henry, Charles, and Frederick Romilly, Esqrs., the six sons of the late Sir Samuel Romilly. The living, which has lately been united to the rectory of Porthkerry, is a rectory not in charge: the church is dedicated to St. Nicholas; it is sixty feet long, and twenty-two broad, and contains about eighty sittings. The only memorial of the ancient castle that stood here, is its gateway, which still remains.
Barry Island - From 'A Topographical Dictionary of Wales' (1849) BARRY ISLAND, in the parish of Barry, union of Cardiff, hundred of Dinas-Powys, county of Glamorgan, South Wales, 9 miles (S. W. by S.) from Cardiff: the population is returned with the parish. This small islet, situated in a sandy bay of the Bristol Channel, is separated from the main land only by a narrow isthmus, which is dry at low water. It is about one mile and a half in circumference, and comprises about 300 acres of land, let as one farm, but chiefly in a wild state of heath and warren, abounding with rabbits, and producing only a scanty herbage for a few sheep and cattle. Lead-ore and calamine are stated to have been formerly obtained among the limestone of which the island consists. Barry is supposed to have derived its name from St. Baruch, a disciple of Gisalch, who was interred here in the year 700. In later times, it was in the possession of the family of Barri, one of the most distinguished members of which was Giraldus de Barri, otherwise Cambrensis, who was born at Manorbeer, in the county of Pembroke, where the remains of their castle may still be seen: some of the descendants of this family afterwards settled in Ireland, and became ennobled. Leland describes it as bearing "very good corne, grasse, and sum wood;" and says, "Ther ys no dwelling in the isle, but ther is in the midle of it a fair litle chapel of S. Barrok, wher much pilgrimage was usid." Since his time a house has been erected, for the farmer, which is fitted up in summer for the reception of persons desirous of enjoying in retirement the benefit of sea-bathing.
On the western side of the island, opposite to the ruins of Barry Castle, are faint vestiges of a similar structure, and of two ancient chapels, in one of which the hermit St. Baruch was interred. Towards the southern side, at a place called Nell's Point, is a well, much resorted to on Holy-Thursday by females, who, having washed their eyes with the water, each drop a pin into it, the memorial of some ancient custom, or offering to the presiding saint. Giraldus Cambrensis, in his description of the island, gives an account of a small cavity in a rock near the entrance to it, from which, on applying the ear, proceeded a noise resembling that of blacksmiths at work, the blowing of bellows, strokes of hammers, grinding of tools, and roaring of furnaces. He is at a loss to conjecture its cause, as the same sounds were heard at low water as at the ebb and flow of the tide, which might produce this effect by the influx of the waters under the rocky cavities. Modern writers, however, have not been able to discover any cavity whence these subterraneous noises issue; and the phenomenon, if it ever existed except in a fanciful imagination, exists no longer.
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