of Cardiff, Wales
c.1881 The Melingriffith Ironworks were leased to the Cardiff Iron and Tinplate Co Ltd., with James Spence as managing director; the Pentyrch section was closed down.
1885-7 Melingriffith operated only intermittently
1887 suspended operations and the company went into liquidation.
1888 the Melingriffith and Pentyrch properties were sold. Melingriffith Works and railway and 39 freehold cottages were bought by Richard Thomas, of Lydbrook, in conjunction with William Thomas Lewis and others, for only £12,000, plus £10,500 for machinery and plant. The Melingriffith Co was formed (otherwise Melingriffith Tin Plate Works).
Melingriffith continued as a private company under the directorship of Richard Thomas until 1916.
1916 Control then passed to Thomas's sons
1934 Spence Thomas was managing director when the works was sold to Richard Thomas and Co Ltd. Tinplate manufacture was temporarily suspended.
1937 British Industries Fair Advert for Welsh Tinplate Works. As part of Richard Thomas and Co. Tinplate and Blackplate. (Engineering/Metals/Quarry, Roads and Mining/Transport Section - Stand No. D.328)
1939 The company was wound up[1]
WWII the buildings and plant were used for war purposes
1952 Employees of the Melingriffith Tinplate Works (Steel Company of Wales) were featured in the TV documentary "Other People's Jobs". The tinplate was still being produced in the old labour-intensive way. One man featured, Dai Llewellyn, had started at Melingriffith aged nine and was still doing a full shift at 75.'[2]
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] A Glamorgan Chronology
- 1937 British Industries Fair Advert pp666 and 667; and 388
- Historic Melingriffith [2]