North Dock
During its industrial heyday Llanelli had a network of docks and wharfs along its coastline, the largest and most important being North Dock.
For many years, North Dock was at the heart of the town’s industry, bringing in the raw materials for the mills and factories and shipping out the coal and finished products.
However, the dock suffered heavy siltation throughout its commercial lifetime. To alleviate this problem a training wall was erected in the middle of the Loughor Estuary with the aim of directing the river into the dock approaches.
This proved very successful but stones had to be carried out into the estuary by horse and cart to repair it on an almost daily basis. The wall was abandoned when the docks closed in the 1950s and, allegedly, disgruntled fishermen from North Gower used dynamite to blow a large hole in it. Remains of the wall can still be seen at low water from viewing points at the end of Machynys Peninsula. From these viewing points you can also see a number of vertical mounds, which are known locally as the ‘butts’ and were used for target practice during the Second World War.
Adjacent to North Dock is the oldest dock in the county of Carmarthenshire - appropriately called Carmarthenshire Dock. At the moment, this dock is subject to a major restoration programme, which will include a walkway along the dock and colourful panels about its long history.
© 2011 Carmarthenshire County Council.