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Glamorganshire Canal




The Glamorganshire Canal was a Canal in Glamorgan , South Wales , UK , running from Merthyr Tydfil to Cardiff .

Construction began in 1790, after Parliamentary approval was given. Construction was funded by the Merthyr ironworks owners seeking a means of transporting their iron to the sea.

The contractor for the project was Thomas Dadford , a pupil of the canal engineer James Brindley .

The Merthyr to Pontypridd section was completed in 1792, the Pontypridd to Cardiff section in 1794. The canal was completed in 1798 with the addition of a Sea Lock in Cardiff docks. The cost was £103,600.

The canal was around 25 miles (40 km) long, with a drop of around 542 feet (165 m) requiring 50 locks.

The shares in the canal were bought in 1883 by the Marquess Of Bute .

The canal lost favour after the Taff Vale Railway opened, and the upper section suffered from the effects of mining subsidence. Today, limited traces of the canal remain - one or two bridges and locks. The only tunnel, in Cardiff, has disappeared entirely.


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