| 1798 |
The sea lock of the
Glamorganshire Canal is opened. |
| 1806 |
The Glamorganshire Canal is
exporting 10,400 tons of iron a year from the sea lock. |
| 1822 |
Marquess of Bute first has the
idea of opening a dock at Cardiff. |
| 1826 |
Total tonnage of shipping using
Cardiff is 90,000 tons. |
| 1827 |
Cardiff's total export tonnage is
144,000 tons. |
| 1828 |
James Green, a famous canal
engineer, prepares a report on the need for a dock at Cardiff, and gives
it to the Marquess. |
| 1829 |
Thomas Telford, the famous
engineer amends Green's original dock plans. |
| 1830 |
A Bill to build the dock receives
royal assent. The dock scheme is opposed by the Glamorganshire Canal
Company, and the Melingriffith Iron Works. |
| 1830 |
Total tonnage of shipping using
Cardiff is 125,000 tons. |
| 1833 |
James Green's plans are no
longer considered suitable and new plans are prepared under the guidance
of the engineer William Cubbit. |
| 1834 |
Work on the dock feeder canal
begins |
| 1835 |
The excavation of the entrance
channel was started in June.. |
| 1835 |
Total tonnage of shipping using
Cardiff is 213,000 tons. |
| 1839 |
The Glamorganshire Canal is
exporting 132,781 tons of iron a year from the sea lock. |
| 1839 |
The dock was opened on 8 October.
It was first called the Bute Ship Canal. |
| 1839 |
Cardiff's total export tonnage is
344,000 tons. |
| 1840 |
Defects in the construction cause
the dock to be closed. |
| 1841 |
The dock is reopened in January. |
| 1841 |
The Marquess, increasingly
frustrated by the dock's inability to return a profit, fires the dock
management. |
| 1844 |
The trade of the dock totals
490,000 tons, which exceeded the Glamorganshire Canal for the first time. |
| 1847 |
C. F. Cliffe visits the dock and
records 160 vessels using it. Local opinion is that the dock is too small
for all the ships that want to use it. |
| 1848 |
The second Marquess of Bute
dies. |
| 1849 |
The trade of the dock had risen
to 827,000 tons. |
| 1851 |
Various shipping companies in
Cardiff petition the Bute Estate for a new dock at Cardiff. |
| 1851 |
The dock is inspected and its
shallow sea gate and small half-tide basin are considered sub standard for
Cardiff trade. |
| 1852 |
The trade of the dock exceeds a
million tons. |
