Earlier in 2010, I decided to spend a Sunday exploring the railway stations of the Coryton Line. This is the surviving section of the Bute’s Cardiff Railway, the last of the great railways built to bring coal down to the Cardiff docks. I’m sure I read somewhere that the Bute’s original intention was to run this railway along the route of the Glamorganshire Canal (which the Marquis had earlier bought), but that ultimately he wasn’t allowed to close the canal, and so had to come up with an alternative route for his railway.
Today, the Coryton Line is a single-track commuter run that swings east to west across the north of Cardiff. There are no services on a Sunday, making it the perfect day to explore these stations.
The Photos
Taken from the platform, looking north towards where the Coryton Line starts to make its turn west to Ty Glas Railway Station and beyond.
Looking south along Heath Low Level Railway Station’s platform. The station is approached through a little alleyway between houses, and is the only one of the Coryton Line stations that does not have the familiar red-and-white railway station sign outside it.
At its southern end, the railway quickly disappears beneath this road bridge before joining the main Cardiff to Caerphilly line.
The single best view of Heath Low Level station is from the road bridge. From here, you can clearly see the housing that backs onto the station.
For me, Heath Low Level wasn’t just the last of the stations I explored along the Coryton Line, it also contained by far the single most interesting photo to take. This public telephone can be found in the brick shelter at the station. I didn’t check to see if it worked, though.
Copyright (c) Stuart Herbert. blog | twitter: (photography) (all) | facebook: (Merthyr Road project) (all).
–
If you’re reading this in the RSS feed, my original blog post also includes a Google map showing where this photo was taken. Unfortunately I haven’t managed to get the map to appear yet in the RSS feed, so for now you’ll have to click through to my blog if you want to see the map. Sorry.
Be the first to leave a comment »
Whilst out looking for a suitable photo for Guardian Cardiff’s July photography challenge, I spotted these three folks hauling their luggage along the road (presumably heading to Cardiff Railway Station).
Copyright (c) Stuart Herbert. blog | twitter: (photography) (all) | facebook: (Merthyr Road project) (all).
Be the first to leave a comment »
Mount Stuart Square, a designated conservation area since 1980, is home to something like 60 listed buildings. Some of these listed buildings are considered landmark buildings; some are not.
The crown jewel of Mount Stuart Square is the Coal Exchange, where the world’s first 1 million pound business transaction was conducted. Today, it’s a multi-purpose building, and a walk around the outside of it reveals gems like this fading sign for the Shipping Federation Limited. I haven’t had a lot of luck tracking down information about this former office, but my best guess is that it was the Cardiff office of the Shipping Federation, an association of shipping owners formed in 1890 to oppose what was originally known as the National Amalgamated Sailors’ and Firemen’s Union, which became the National Union of Seamen before it was swallowed up by the RMT in 1990.
References
Copyright (c) Stuart Herbert. blog | twitter: (photography) (all) | facebook: (Merthyr Road project) (all).
–
If you’re reading this in the RSS feed, my original blog post also includes a Google map showing where this photo was taken. Unfortunately I haven’t managed to get the map to appear yet in the RSS feed, so for now you’ll have to click through to my blog if you want to see the map. Sorry.
Be the first to leave a comment »
Earlier in 2010, I decided to spend a Sunday exploring the railway stations of the Coryton Line. This is the surviving section of the Bute’s Cardiff Railway, the last of the great railways built to bring coal down to the Cardiff docks. I’m sure I read somewhere that the Bute’s original intention was to run this railway along the route of the Glamorganshire Canal (which the Marquis had earlier bought), but that ultimately he wasn’t allowed to close the canal, and so had to come up with an alternative route for his railway.
Today, the Coryton Line is a single-track commuter run that swings east to west across the north of Cardiff. There are no services on a Sunday, making it the perfect day to explore these stations.
The Photos
Taken from the bridge that carries the A469 over the Coryton Line. Looking east towards Ty Glas Railway Station.
Looking west to Ty Glas Railway Station. Taken from the gate to the pedestrian crossing at the eastern end of the station.
Looking east along the Coryton Line. In the distance the track finally abandons its straight march across the north of Cardiff and starts to turn to the south, towards Heath Low Level Railway Station and beyond to Cardiff Queen Street.
Looking west, back towards Birchgrove Railway Station, which is immediately beyond the bridge in the distance.
This is the comms tower seen in the earlier shot to the immediate south of Ty Glas Railway Station.
Copyright (c) Stuart Herbert. blog | twitter: (photography) (all) | facebook: (Merthyr Road project) (all).
–
If you’re reading this in the RSS feed, my original blog post also includes a Google map showing where this photo was taken. Unfortunately I haven’t managed to get the map to appear yet in the RSS feed, so for now you’ll have to click through to my blog if you want to see the map. Sorry.
Be the first to leave a comment »
At the top-end of the High Street, where the pedestrianisation work has been completed recently.
Copyright (c) Stuart Herbert. blog | twitter: (photography) (all) | facebook: (Merthyr Road project) (all).
Be the first to leave a comment »
