The village of Aberthaw

The photographs in this gallery are of the village of East Aberthaw. West Aberthaw is a hamlet located about a mile away on the western side of the river Thaw. The two villages are now separated by the cement works and the power station.

The village dates to about the 13th century. Parts of the Blue Anchor public house are of this date. Aberthaw was a thriving port up until the 19th century with an apparent lucrative trade in tobacco smuggling. Unfortunately the river Thaw, which is very slow flowing, silted up the estuary which limited the ability of vessels to dock here. In the 1950s the mouth of the river was diverted during the construction of the first Aberthaw power station. Port Road which on the western edge of Barry was so named because it was the main route to the port of Aberthaw.

Just outside the village is a lime kiln dating from the mid 1800s, the ruins of which still exist. The building is listed. Aberthaw has been a centre for cement production since about 1920 and has been home to 2 coal fired power stations since the mid 1950s.