The Cadoxton River ( cy, Afon Tregatwg) is a short river in the
Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan ( cy, Bro Morgannwg ), often referred to as The Vale, is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It borders Bridgend County Borough to the west, Cardiff to the east, Rhondda Cynon Taf to the north, and the Bristol ...
, South
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
and with a length of about 5 miles/8 kilometres it is one of Wales's shortest rivers.
Course
The water course becomes known as the Cadoxton just north of
Dinas Powys
Dinas Powys (; also spelt "Dinas Powis" in English) is a small town and community in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. Its name means "fort of the provincial place" and refers to the Iron Age hillfort which overlooks the village. Dinas Powys ...
village near the hamlet of
Michaelston-le-Pit
Michaelston-le-Pit ( cy, Llanfihangel-y-pwll) is a village in the Vale of Glamorgan, just to the west of the city of Cardiff, Wales. It is part of the Michaelston-le-Pit and Leckwith community. The community population taken at the 2011 censu ...
, at the confluence of the Wrinstone Brook and the Bullcroft Brook. From there, it flows in a generally south-westerly direction through Dinas Powys, along the route of the
A4055, or Cardiff Road, towards the town of
Barry Barry may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name
* Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 19 ...
. Once at Barry, it flows through an artificial channel towards its manmade estuary at
The Bendricks, Vale of Glamorgan.
History
Although the river is but a stream today, it appeared to have had a greater flow in times gone by - large enough to appear on some maps of Britain. Some small vessels could almost reach Dinas Powys, but, like the River Thaw a few miles west, it is likely to have silted up, and the mouth became a mud channel before being redeveloped.
The lower reaches of the river have been extensively modified in the past. In 1884, the
Barry Railway Company began construction work on the Barry docks, which were cut into the natural estuary of the river, which was diverted away. The lower river should be tidal, but a sluice gate built at the same time as the docks keeps the water fresh.
From the 1940s through to the 1970s, the bottom stretches of the Cadoxton were polluted by effluents from the many chemical plants nearby. However, due to environmental regulation the water quality is now improving and the river supports fish, including trout.
On 19 April 2005, most of the river's trout were killed when dangerous pollutants leaked from a vehicle travelling to the Barry chemical plants, seeping into Bullcroft Brook and thus damaging the ecosystem. 183 dead fish were found in a 5 km stretch of the river and the company, a division of
Calor Gas Ltd, was fined £20,000.
Etymology
Despite its name, the river does not flow through the town of
Cadoxton any more. In the past, however, it did flow through the centre of Barry. At high tide, small boats could sail up into Barry. Originally it met the sea at the eastern edge of
Barry Island
Barry Island ( cy, Ynys y Barri) is a district, peninsula and seaside resort, forming part of the town of Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. It is named after the 6th century Saint Baruc. Barry's stretch of coast, on the Bristol Chan ...
, where the present dock entrance is situated today. Barry Island ceased to be an island when the river was diverted away and the docks constructed.
Tributaries
Along its short course, a few smaller streams join the river.
Bullcroft Brook
Bullcroft Brook rises near
Caerau, south of the
A4232 road. It is just under 2 miles long, and flows southward to join the Wrinstone Brook at Michaelston-le-Pit. On 19 April 2005 the stream was polluted when a vehicle carrying
styrene monomer
Styrene () is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5CH=CH2. This derivative of benzene is a colorless oily liquid, although aged samples can appear yellowish. The compound evaporates easily and has a sweet smell, although high conce ...
lost 620 litres of the chemical, which heavy rains carried to Bullcroft Brook. The trout in the river system suffered as a result.
Wrinstone Brook
Wrinstone Brook is the larger of the two main tributaries of the river, flowing eastwards for 3 miles. It rises from multiple sources around
Wenvoe
Wenvoe ( cy, Gwenfô) is a village, community and electoral ward between Barry and Cardiff in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. Nearby are the Wenvoe Transmitter near Twyn-yr-Odyn and the site of the former HTV Wales Television Centre at Culverhouse ...
and flows near the tiny cluster of houses at
Wrinstone
Wrinstone or Wrinston ( cy, Wrinstwn) is a medieval hamlet, just east of Wenvoe, Vale of Glamorgan, south Wales. The Wrinstone estate was variously also known as Wrenston, Wrencheston or Wrenchester. The Barry Railway line ran past the hamlet and ...
. It flows through a wooded ravine for much of its course, and just upstream from the confluence with Bullcroft Brook, several
weir
A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...
s dam the river, creating many ponds. These are known locally as the Seven Lakes, or alternatively the Salmon Leaps, despite the fact that they are used as a
trout
Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...
farm.
East Brook
The East Brook is a smaller tributary of the river. It starts at
Llandough, flowing for 2 miles before joining the Cadoxton south of the A4055 at Dinas Powys. It flows through the area of Dinas known as the
Murch, and also the area called Eastbrook, to which it gave its name.
Coldbrook
The Coldbrook rises in the
Merthyr Dyfan
Merthyr Dyfan or Dyfan is a northeastern suburb of Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, in south Wales, formerly an independent medieval village. It is also an ecclesiastical parish and a formal electoral ward of the Vale of Glamorgan. It borders Colco ...
area of Barry, and is 4 miles long. It has a few small tributaries, the largest of which is called the Nant yr Argae, which in turn starts at
St Andrews Major
St. Andrew's Major () is a village and parish in the community of Dinas Powys in the Vale of Glamorgan, between Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Barry and Cardiff in south-eastern Wales.
Description
The village has a church (building), church which i ...
and has a length of 2 miles. The Coldbrook meets the Cadoxton east of
Palmerstown
Palmerstown (; officially Palmerston, see spelling) is a civil parish and suburb in western Dublin on the banks of the River Liffey. It forms part of the South Dublin local authority and the Dublin Mid-West parliamentary constituency. The area ...
, Barry, in some fields in the locality known as Biglis. Another, much smaller stream with a length of about 1 kilometre also drains this area, and converges with the Colbrook just upstream from where it joins the Cadoxton.
Sully Brook
Sully Brook is one of the largest tributaries of the river. Its source is just west of
Penarth. It flows southward through the
Cosmeston Lakes Country Park
Cosmeston Lakes Country Park is a public country park in Wales, owned and managed by Vale of Glamorgan Council. It is situated between Penarth and Sully, Vale of Glamorgan, 7.3 miles (11.7 kilometres) from Cardiff. On 1 May 2013 the country pa ...
. Here it meets a much smaller, unnamed stream, and turns westward. It finally joins with the Cadoxton near Barry docks. Like the Cadoxton, it was also diverted slightly to cool the new chemical plants.
Flooding
According to the
Environment Agency, in the October floods of 1998 only six properties at Dinas Powys were affected. Flooding was caused by the floodwater overtopping the banks of the Cadoxton River among others and ordinary watercourses, restrictions to flow in channels and surcharging of drains.
1998 Flooding
/ref>
References
{{authority control
Rivers of the Vale of Glamorgan
Barry, Vale of Glamorgan