Seventy Years Of Wenvoe In Transit
FORWARD OR BACK?: SEVENTY YEARS OF WENVOE IN TRANSIT
Recent weeks have seen the celebration of the Queen’s platinum jubilee, including a great display of local memorabilia organised by Mike and Glenys Tucker, which together with the Barry Festival of Transport gave me food for thought on the changes in transport and communications in and around Wenvoe during the years from 1952 to 2022. There were major achievements. For example, in 1952 Wenvoe was on the map with the television mast first broadcasting on 15 August 1952 (in plenty of time for broadcasting the coronation the following year) and on the same scale Rhoose airport, now Cardiff International Airport, was formally opened in October. Incidentally a private airstrip had operated in the 1930s near the TV mast site at St. Lythans Down. Formerly a RAF airfield, Rhoose opened with Aer Lingus flights to Dublin. There were some concerns at the time that the TV mast could be a hazard to aircraft but on 1 April 1954 all civilian flights were transferred from the old Cardiff Municipal Airport and by 1971 transatlantic flights were flying in and out of Rhoose.
At a local level what transport options were there? In 1952 17% of all passenger mileage was by rail and you could still travel from Wenvoe station, although local passenger services had been reduced to two trains on weekdays with all passenger services being withdrawn in 1962. In WWII Wenvoe tunnel had been used by Royal trains visiting the Cardiff area as it provided safe cover during air raids. In 1952 less than 30% of any distance travelled was by car, van or taxi but private car ownership was growing and whilst a new road bypassed the village in 1931 the Barry MP;; Sir Raymond Gower, was arguing for the Port Road to be given ‘A’ road status due to the high level of accidents in 1968. Serving the motorist was a local petrol station, Wenvoe garage, which still exists as a tyre centre today. By 1970 the figure of passenger mileage by private vehicles was at 75%, increasing to 85% by the late 1980s where it roughly remains today.
In 1952 the highest percentage of passenger mileage was by bus or coach at 42%. The excellent transport festival featured many heritage buses including those operated by Western Welsh and I’m sure many can remember the 303 service from Wenvoe, which in the 1961-62 timetable is a twenty minute service starting at 7:49 am up to 7:29 pm then half-hourly until 11:04 pm. Also passing through Wenvoe was the 305 bus to RAF St Athan and Llantwit Major
What service is available today? The bus stop sign at the Barry end of the village, Old Port Road (N) gives an interesting reminder of bus services in recent years; the 86 and 87 (to and from Dinas Powys) the 90 (to Culverhouse Cross), the 96A (Cardiff to Barry) and the X91 (Cardiff to Llantwit Major). Available before COVID at the Wallston Castle bus stop was the T9 Cardiff Airport Express (always usually empty and referred to as the ‘empty 9’).
Cycling is one mode of transport, popular for commuting in the 1950s and 60s, that has seen a revival. Whilst telephone usage has greatly increased and we have witnessed the birth of mobile phones and the internet in this period – how many have learnt to ‘zoom’ during the Covid lockdown? – we still need to travel, for commuting, shopping and pleasure. But we need to reduce our carbon footprint and cut down the use of the car – when compared to a single occupancy car journey, the local bus (carrying between 30 and 100 passengers) produces half the greenhouse gases – we have only one public bus service, the 96A.
Stephen K. Jones
For further details see Wenvoe Online http:// wenvoe.org.uk/?m=201710 and the Wenvoe History Group ‘Gwenfo Gynt’ series