Barry, Vale of Glamorgan dock basin was opened in 1889 to be followed by two other docks and extensive port installations. The Barry Railway brought coal down from the South Wales Valleys to the new docks whose trade grew from one million tons in the first year, to over nine million tons by 1903. The port was crowded with ships and had flourishing ship repair yards, cold stores, flour mills and an ice factory. By 1913, Barry was the largest coal exporting port in the world. Behind the docks rose the terraced houses of Barry which, with Cadoxton, soon formed a sizeable town. The
Coal town the tract and sold lots and eventually the housing it had built, recouping part of its capital (money) out of the unproductive property of the tract. The more typical structures such as churches, and schools would appear later as the town grew, often with a donation by the employer, but mostly financed by the community growing around the main employer. Given the typically remote location and the absence of any travel infrastructure at the mines," 'coal camps' "often became a part of being a coal miner. Coal town A coal town, also known as a coal camp or patch is