Brunel's Creativity was Enabled only by Resources from Blaenavaon

Day 8: Bath to St. Briavel's Castle

by Marielle Narkiewicz

We started the day with a meeting around 9:00 in the morning.  During the meeting we discussed the research groups improvement on research proposal ideas.  We also went over the itinerary for the day: today we plan to see more of the coal aspect industry in the United Kingdom.  After our meeting we packed up the vans and started the day.   

First Stop:  The Steamship Great Britain in Bristol was the first stop for the day.  The following information was taken from http://www.ss-great-britain.com/

This ship was the world’s first iron-hulled, screw propeller-driven, steam-powered passenger liner.  Launched in 1843, the ship was two times the tonnage of any previous ship and over 100 feet longer than any previous ship.  Isambard Kingdom Brunel, of the Great Western Steamship Company, designed it.  The ship was designed for the Trans-Atlantic luxury passenger trade and could carry 252 first and second-class passengers and 130 crewmembers.  The S.S. Great Britain ran aground on Dundrum Bay in Northern Ireland in 1846.  Her engines were ruined and the expense of re-floating her did great damage to the financial resources of her owners.  The Australian gold rush rebuilt the ship between 1852 and 1876 as an emigrant carrier that could now carry 750 passengers.  Between 1854 and 1855 she took troops to and from the Crimean War.  Between 1866 and 1970 through the First World War she remained with coal from her hold helping to replenish the battle cruisers but was beached soon after.

The following information was taken from the S.S. Great Britain pamphlet

The ship consists of the following parts:

• The Hull- constructed of iron plates, each 6x2.5 ft. shipped down the Severn and Propeller and Rudder- reconstructions; the original was the first large built one, weighing 4 tons.

• The Stern- style of a sailing ship with an elaborate design.

• Promenade Deck- where saloon passengers walked when weather kept them from the upper deck.

• The Ship’s Wheel- linked by chains to the rudder.

• The Forecastle- accommodated the officers.

• The Engine Room- Brunel’s original engine was the most powerful in the world; it consumed 70 tons of coal daily. 

• The First Class Dining Room- is restored to look like it did in the past.

Photographs

Model of the ship. Corrosion from salt water on the ship

Model of bedroom cabin. Model of family cabin

Second Stop:  The next site that we visited was the Clifton Suspension Bridge, which is also located in Bristol.  We stayed on the bridge for a few minutes to get some photos.  Isambard Kingdom Brunel engineered the Clifton Suspension Bridge, like the S.S. Great Britain.  This bridge was opened in 1864.  Brunel’s design of the bridge was accepted after many designs were reviewed.  The construction of the bridge began around 1831, but the construction was stopped until 1836 because of problems in the city.  When the bridge was finally finished and opened in 1864, it was dedicated to Brunel, who was unable to see the finished piece due to his death in 1859.  After the visit to the bridge, we picked up Dana Bauer at the bus stop.  Dana will be writing an article about the Cause trip, so she is interviewing most of the students to hear their expectations and hopes for the trip, their projects, and the course. 

Photographs

View of Bristol from Clifton Suspension Bridge. Group with the Clifton Suspension Bridge in background

Third Stop:  Our next stop on the agenda was a Nuclear Power Plant, which Pete spoke to us about.  The Power Plant is the 217MW Old Bury Power Plant.  It opened on January 1, 1970 and is expected to close on January 13, 2014.  “Magnox generation” is written on the building.  This is a new fuel that is expected to deteriorate the graphite core of the reactor.  The channel that flows around the plant has the highest amount of Tritium pollution on the world. 

Photographs

Nuclear Power Plant

 Fourth Stop:  Next, we visited an old mining town called Blaenavon.   

The following information was taken from http://www.norbiton.com/blaenavon/

The iron industry collapsed fast with production of steel.  Then later, when the seams dwindled down, the coal industry abandoned the town and was left this way until it was declared a heritage site.  The area had an abundance of coal, ironstone, limestone, and timber, and was worked since pre-Roman times.  By the 16^th century contracts were made for extrapolation of the minerals and timber.  In 1787 three businessmen (Hill, Hopkins, and Pratt) officially made the area into a “town”.  Around 1797 the town was the top producer of iron, turning out about 5 ½ thousand tons a year.  New access to the coal industry was made possible with the construction of the Bedrock and Abergavenny Canal, and also with the construction of the railway system in the 19^th century.  Gilchrist made improvements on the Bessemer converter.  This lead to the downfall of Blaenavon because the converter was originally used with Blaenavon iron, which was free of impurities.  Therefore, the converter didn’t work with other types of iron, until Gilchrist made these improvements.  The last furnace was used in 1904, and today the canal is primarily used for recreation.  The “Big Pit” which we visited, opened in 1880 and there were over 160 drift mines and over 30 shaft mines here.  This pit also employed over 1300 men, who dug ¼ of a million tons of coal per year.  In February of 1980 the coal ran out.  The only deep mine still working in Wales (the Tower Colliery Hirwain) is now facing running out of coal as well. 

Another mining town that we actually didn’t get to travel to was Merthyr Tydfil.

The following information was taken from www.spartcus.schoonet.co.uk/Itmerthyr.htm

In 1750, Merthyr Tydfil was a quiet town but soon became known as a coke-producing town.  This coke could be used for iron smelting.  This area has large supplies of iron ore and coal.  The first ironworks opened in 1759.  The four large ironworks built by 1784 were Penydarren, Dowlais, Plymouth, and Cyfarthfa.  At first they employed only experienced workers from other iron workings, such as Shropshire, by offering them high pay and good housing.  By the 1830’s Dowlais became the largest ironworks in the world.  Josiah Guest, who owned Dowlais, thought it would be wise to join with ironworks of Merthyr Tydfil (owned by Anthony Hill).  Together they formed the Taff Vale Railway Company, which let them transport goods from Merthyr Tydfil to Cardiff in less than one hour.  Later, branches were built to link the mining valleys with Welsh ports and England’s fast growing industrial towns and cities, making it profitable to export coal to countries like India.  The fresh supply of water in Merthyr Tydfil was poor because the River Taff ran through the town and the iron masters diverted the water to supply their steam engines.  The river became an open sewer and resulted in outbreaks of cholera and typhoid. 

Fifth Stop:  The last stop today was St. Briavel’s Castle in Gloucestershire.  This castle was our hostel for the evening.  It was built in 1086 as a hunting lodge for Norman Kings.  It was once owned by King John, but is now owned by the Queen.

Photographs

Back-yard of St. Briavel's Castle.  St. Briavel’s Castle

Marielle Narkiewicz is a Graduate in Earth Sciences.

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Last updated: Wednesday December 03, 2003