The historic harbour with its old Lighthouse, Watchtower and Lifeboat Station used to be a busy exporting port and fishing harbour before the huge docks at Cardiff, Barry, Port Talbot and Swansea eclipsed them in size and capabilities. In the 19th century large quantities of coal, iron and coke were shipped from Porthcawl, the produce of the mineral districts of the neighbourhood. Jennings Buildin
g was built in 1832 and it is a grade II listed building and Wales' oldest maritime warehouse (sadly it is currently vacant). The building has been identified as a potentially important facility as part of the Porthcawl Regeneration Strategy. The port of Porthcawl (according to SMT) owes its existence to Sir John Nicholl MP, one of the Dyffryn-Llynfi tram-road investors in 1825, along with Benjamin Disraeli MP. The original plan was to build a port at the river-mouth in Ogmore, but Nicholl didn't want noisy dusty trams trundling past his home in Merthyr Mawr, so he insisted it was relocated to Porthcawl Point. That's why our's is the only harbour in Wales, possibly in the whole of the UK, not to be sited on a river. In 1840 the docks were enlarged by extending northwards and in 1847 the Llynfi Railway Company was formed and immediately took over the Duffryn, Llynfi and Porthcawl tramroad railway. At the end of Porthcawl Pier stands a white lighthouse built in 1860. The lighthouse is currently in use as a navigational aid. Porthcawl Lighthouse was the last coal and gas powered lighthouse in the UK. It switched to being powered by North Sea gas in 1974, before becoming powered by electricity in 1997. It is at the moment renevated (part of the harbour development). The pier and harbour surrounding area are popular spots for sea fishing. In 1864, the dock was improved with alterations to the original entrance to the outer basin and lock gates for the inner basin, to retain a high level of water in the 7½ acre lake area allowing larger vessels to visit the port resulting in increased activity. In 1865 Porthcawl dock was eventually connected to the Llynfi and Ogmore Valleys by a steam railway mainly due to the Brogden family, from Manchester. They had iron interests at Tondu and coal interests in the Ogmore Valley. By 1871 the port exported 165,000 tons of coal compared with just over 17,000 seven years earlier. By 1878, port trade had halved due to the decline of the iron industry but was supported briefly by an upsurge in the use of coal. In 1889 the port handled more than 800 vessels with ¾ of them loaded with coal. The future looked rosy until the new docks were opened at Barry in 1889 and in Port Talbot in 1898. They were larger, deeper and far more modern and in 1903 Porthcawl only handled 2767 tons. The inner harbour was closed in 1906 and ships used the outer harbour till 1911. The inner harbour became a popular recreational area with boating and bathing until it was subsequently filled in during the Second World War. It is now a car park known locally as Salt Lake, but the entrance to the old harbour can still be seen in the outer harbour area. Porthcawl Lifeboat Station, purpose built in 1995, is situated by the harbour. The station operates an inshore B class Atlantic 85 lifeboat and a D class IB1. 'Cosy Corner' is a park adjacent to the harbour. Over the years it has housed a theatre, cinema, roller skating rink and ballroom. The historic ships PS Waverley, the last sea-going paddle steamer in the world, and the MV Balmoral sail from this harbour during the summer months. In 2012 works started for its marina development; a £3.2m project. The harbour will be renovated to include a new lock gate and pedestrian footbridge, while the number of berths will double up to 70.
