Barry Docks Offices is a council building in

Barry, Vale of Glamorgan Barry (; ; ) is a town and community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It is on the north coast of the Bristol Channel approximately south-southwest of Cardiff. Barry is a seaside resort, with attractions including several beaches and the resu ...

in south-east

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. It is prominently sited, overlooking the docks to the south, below the town and on a level site near Castleland Point, a promontory within Dock View Road.

Barry Docks railway station Barry Docks Railway Station is one of three railway stations serving the town of Barry, South Wales. Rail passenger services are operated by Transport for Wales as part of the Valley Lines network. More centrally located than Barry station, i ...

is adjacent to the building and to its rear.

History and architecture

The offices were constructed between 1897 and 1900 and bear the date 1898. The development was part of the industrialist David Davies's scheme for

Barry Docks Barry Docks () is a port facility in the town of Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, a few miles southwest of Cardiff on the north shore of the Bristol Channel. The docks were opened in 1889 by David Davies and John Cory as an alternative to the co ...

and was intended to regulate the substantial coal exporting trade which had grown to world prominence in the town. The building cost £59,000. and is constructed of red brick with

Portland stone Portland stone is a limestone geological formation (formally named the Portland Stone Formation) dating to the Tithonian age of the Late Jurassic that is quarried on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. The quarries are cut in beds of whi ...

dressing. The architect was Arthur E. Bell who was the son of the resident engineer of the Barry Dock and Railway Company. The building is in

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

revival style, based on the work of

Sir Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren FRS (; – ) was an English architect, astronomer, mathematician and physicist who was one of the most highly acclaimed architects in the history of England. Known for his work in the English Baroque style, he was acc ...

. The building is a massive block, eleven bays by seven, with giant

pilaster In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

s of the

composite order The Composite order is a mixed order, combining the volutes of the Ionic order capital with the acanthus leaves of the Corinthian order.Henig, Martin (ed.), ''A Handbook of Roman Art'', p. 50, Phaidon, 1983, In many versions the composite o ...

above the ground floor, slightly projecting their bay centre, with a triangular pediment above on paired pilasters. The central tower consists of a clock tower with a

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

above. The design of the central doorway in a concave surround, imitates Wren's design for

St Mary-le-Bow The Church of St Mary-le-Bow () is a Church of England parish church in the City of London, England. Located on Cheapside, one of the city's oldest thoroughfares, the church was founded in 1080, by Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury. Rebuilt s ...

. The Dock Offices were badly damaged by fire in 1984 but were later restored by

Associated British Ports Associated British Ports (ABP) owns and operates 21 ports in the United Kingdom, managing around 25 per cent of the UK's sea-borne trade. The company's activities cover transport, haulage and terminal operations, ship's agency, dredging and mari ...

and now house the part of

Vale of Glamorgan Council The Vale of Glamorgan Council is the governing body for the Vale of Glamorgan, one of the Subdivisions of Wales, Principal Areas of Wales. History The new Vale of Glamorgan Council unitary authority came into effect on 1 April 1996, following th ...

dealing with building construction and new civil engineering projects. The statue of David Davies, the man responsible for the building of the docks, stands in front of the offices. It is a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

.Former Barry Docks Offices (now offices of Associated British Ports)
British Listed Buildings

Gallery

Image:David Davies Statue.JPG, David Davies statue outside Barry Dock Offices Image:Dock Office, Barry - geograph.org.uk - 1897338.jpg, Barry Dock Offices (June 2010)

History and architecture

Gallery

References

Further reading