John H Luxton Photography

Transport + Industrial + History + Regional

  • Home
  • About
  • What's New
  • Browse
  • Photo Sales & Gifts
  • Info / Blog
  • Search
  • Contact
  • Links
  1. Industrial Archaeology
  2. Historic Ports and Docklands
Follow John H. Luxton Photography on Flickr

Neyland - Lost Great Western Railway Port

The lost Great Western Railway port of Neyland has a fascinating history its establishment being credited to Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Today the local authority recognises the importance of the heritage and promotes Neyland as “Brunel’s Great Western Town”. It is a place which should be on the visiting list of any GWR enthusiast.

The port town has its origins when the Great Western Railway (GWR) wished to link their system to Ireland. To do this, they supported the South Wales Railway (SWR), which would run from Gloucester to a port in west Wales; steamships would then carry the passengers and goods to a suitable port in Ireland.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the GWR Engineer, originally proposed to situate the Welsh port at Fishguard, which was intended to be the terminus when the line was authorised in 1845; but in 1852,
Brunel changed his mind in favour of Neyland, because it was sheltered and had deep water, which would allow large ships to dock and could be used to service ocean going ships, particularly those serving north America.

Brunel envisaged Neyland as the home port for the SS GREAT EASTERN the world’s largest ocean liner. A grid iron was constructed at Neyland to service the ship which did visit the port twice.

The South Wales Railway was opened in stages, and reached Haverfordwest on January 02, 1854; the last section from there to the new port was opened on 15 April 1856. A steamship service initially to Waterford was established with later routes to Cork.

To facilities for passengers, freight and livestock a large floating landing stage known as “the Pontoon” was constructed rather similar to the original landing stage in Liverpool.

Neyland became the headquarters of the Great Western Railway Marine Department. However, in 1906, the GWR transferred shipping services to Fishguard which it hoped would also tap into the trans-Atlantic trade attracting liner service heading to and from Liverpool.

Partly to offset the loss of jobs in the area caused by switching the mainline rail and shipping services to Fishguard the GWR then facilitated the development of Neyland as base for a fishing fleet and supported the establishment of an ice works and fish market which would of course provide much fishing rail traffic.

However, this fell victim of the depression and competition from the established port of Milford Haven nearby. The ice works closing in 1935.

The railway continued and was of some strategic importance during World War II with a Royal Airforce Flying boat base being established at Pembroke Dock across the estuary.

In recognition of the strategic importance of the site and given the developing Cold War a new quay was provided in Westfield Pill which feeds into the estuary. This quay being known as the NATO Quay.

No expense was spared in constructing the NATO Quay and the extensive trackwork featuring several “double slip” points can still be seen embedded in the surface of the quay to this day, the difficulty of its removal ensuring its survival when the rest of the railway was recovered for scrap in the 1960s.
Freight traffic ended in 1963 and passenger services were withdrawn in 1964.

Today the area has been developed for recreational and business use as “Brunel Quay” with promenade, a boat yard, marina and other commercial premises. Signs erected at strategic points by the town council promote the town’s historic railway links.
Read More
  • Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Victorian Post Box and South Wales Railway Hotel interpretation board. Sold into private ownership by the GWR in 1925 it later saw war time use as am RAF billet and offices for the British Overseas Airways Corporation before being used as an accomodation for oil industry employees before being demolished after it failed to sell in 1970.

  • Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    L2019_2641

  • Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Stump of the car ferrry slipway.

  • Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Stump of the car ferrry slipway.

  • Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    The former Neyland Station / Sea Terminal site is marked by this feature which carried the name plate Brunel Quay.

  • Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Brunel Memorial Bench, Neyland.

  • Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Brunel's Statue on the former station / marine terminal site. In one hand he holds a model of the SS GREAT EASTERN which was to have been "home ported" at Neyland and in the other hand is a broad gauge railway locomotive. This is a replacement statue installed in 2013 to replace the original of 1999 which was unfortunately stolen by scrap metal thieves. The new statue is now protected by CCTV!

  • Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Isambard Kingdom Brunel Interpretation board gives details of Brunel's plans for Neyland.

  • Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    View from near the site of the old Customs House

  • Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    View from the south end of NATO quay. The bridge providing the link to the floating landing stage pontoon was mounted on the abutment to be seen in the distance. Business units have been built on much of the passenger station site, the roof of these can be seen here.

  • Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Double slip pointwork on NATO quay.

  • Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Double slip point work on NATO quay.

  • Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Travelling Crane in operation at NATO quay used for moving boats to and from the boat yard.

  • Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Travelling Crane in operation at NATO quay used for moving boats to and from the boat yard.

  • Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Crane used for raising small craft onto NATO QUAY.

  • Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    View across Westfield Pill to the Iceworks site.

  • Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Interpretation board giving details of the Ice Works located opposite, closed in 1935 it was finally demolished in 1975.

  • Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    NATO Quay

  • Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    The story of the legal fight involving the Great Western Railway concerning the right of access across their land to a ferry which operated to Barnlake across Westfield Pill.

  • Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    The story of the legal fight involving the Great Western Railway concerning the right of access across their land to a ferry which operated to Barnlake across Westfield Pill.

  • Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    View along the track bed leading from the NATO Quay.

  • Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    Neyland: The Lost Great Western Railway Port - August 14, 2019

    NATO Quay ay looking towards the Marina Building.

  • Photo Sharing
  • About SmugMug
  • Browse Photos
  • Prints & Gifts
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Contact
  • Owner Log In
© 2023 SmugMug, Inc.