Great Orme grave William Letts

Sep 14, 2018

Cardiff's Victorian barrage plan


More than 120 years before the Cardiff Bay barrage was completed, businessman John Batchelor proposed an embankment between the same points to create a giant harbour. His plan depended on rival vested interests ...

joining together to transform Cardiff's docks with 15 times more wharf space. His antics as a Liberal campaigner had upset powerful Conservatives, including the Bute family, and the plan was ignored. His statue in The Hayes was defaced repeatedly when new, but the inscription "The Friend of Freedom" explains how he was regarded by many Cardiffians. For more about this larger-than-life character, use your mobile to scan the HistoryPoints QR codes on the low, modern plinth of the statue. Or click here