Star Patent Fuel Works
of Maindy, Cardiff
One of a number of makers of 'patent fuel', or 'preserved coal' - a mixture usually comprising small coal - preferable steam coal - mixed with coal tar pitch and compressed into blocks, generally believed to have first been made near St Etienne (France) in 1842.
The Star works was founded in 1874 by Thomas Edward Heath and his partner Tom Evens, and located on the site of the former Maindy Forge of Isaac Russell. An interesting feature was the use of a former GWR broad gauge locomotive, 'Nelson' of 1853, to power machinery. Blocks were of regular shape and were neatly stacked on the company's wharf ready for shipping by barge on the Glamorganshire Canal to Bute Dock
The above information is taken from 'The Glamorganshire and Aberdare Canals'[1]. This source includes photos and maps showing the Star and other works (Cambrian, Anchor, and Crown).
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ 'The Glamorganshire and Aberdare Canals' Vol 2, by Stephen Rowson and Ian L Wright, Black Dwarf Publications, 2004