YESTERDAY AND TODAY

There is much talk these days about the development in what is now called the ‘Victoria Dock’ in Caernarfon and, in order to fully appreciate the significance of this area of the town, it may be of interest to remind ourselves of its history by turning back the clock 139 years. It was in 1868 that the foundation stone for ‘The New Harbour’, as it was then called, was laid by the then Mayor Mr. Llewelyn Turner. The ‘Victoria Pier’ was already in existence and it was only later that the new harbour became to be called ‘Victoria Dock’.

In the Archives at Caernarfon old issues of the ‘Illustrated London News’ are kept and in one dated December 26. 1868 there is an artist’s impression of the laying of the foundation stone and a report of that activity which took place on November 25. 1868.    It reads:

                “The first stone of the proposed new harbour works in Caernarfon was recently laid by the Mayor Mr. Llewelyn Turner. The proposed new harbour is on the North side of the town, near the station of the London & North Western Railway Company. It is not intended to supersede the accommodation already afforded, but will be an addition to it. At the same time the improvement of the present harbour is also contemplated. The estimate of the cost of the portion of the plan about to be carried out is £24,000 which will be obtained from the Public Works Loan Commissioners under the Passing Tolls Act. The estimated cost of the entire works is £50,000. Mr. Frederick Jackson, C.E. supplied the plans; and the contractors are Messrs. Bugbird & Jones. The works will be completed in about two years.”

Thomas Bugbird was a Civil Engineer who originally came to North Wales to work as deputy to Robert Stephenson, who was responsible for building the Britannia Railway Bridge in the year 1850. He settled in the area and built a house for himself at Cae Cristo, The Cliffe, on the corner with the Bethel Road. In an issue dated October 31. 1868, a local weekly newspaper welcomed the fact that Mr. Bugbird was to be responsible for the work on the new harbour, as earlier in the year he had completed the town’s New Water Supply and Drainage System. It was he, also, who had planned and supervised the erecting of the Fountain on Castle Square, which was officially opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales on April 25. 1868.  He was well thought of in Caernarfon and was Mayor of the town in 1892/93.

Three reasons are given in the report for the necessity to build a new harbour. The building earlier of the stone wall of the Victoria Pier had resulted in the narrowing of the channel directly opposite Caernarfon and silt was building up in the port. Secondly, the addition of the new harbour would mean that the port could accommodate more ships and thus bring more trade into the town. Thirdly large sums of money would be spent on the harbour and on extending the railway line through the town and westwards, thus being of benefit to Caernarfon. Not only would private individuals gain from the sale of land for these projects, but a large number of local people would be employed and the money that they would earn would be spent in the town itself.

Compare these hopes for a brighter future that our forefathers had with the arguments going on today about the development on the North side of the Victoria Dock. Many show concern that it will have an adverse effect on businesses in the town centre. Firstly it is stated that the development is too far from town and that visitors to the Dock will not enter the main shopping area. Also that the occupants of the fifty luxury homes need not visit the town centre as there will be shops on the site and are within walking distance of a supermarket. Furthermore, it is stated that the loss of two doctors’ surgeries and an optician’s premises to the new development will result in financial loss to the town’s traders, as those patients from the estates on the peripheral of the town will be reluctant to come to the town centre. And finally it is prophesised that local people cannot afford the expensive luxury homes with an unparalleled view facing the Strait, even though 10 out of the 13 homes already sold have been bought by existing local house owners and with only 3 from outside the area.

These concerns have been listed in order to show that there is a strong feeling by many residents regarding this new venture and only time will tell whether their fears will or will not be realized. But let us hope that we can learn from the experiences of the past.

Along the years Caernarfon has been accused of lack of vision with regard to its future and, now at least, something on a large scale is happening here. This project is worth £20,000,000 at Victoria Dock, another worth £3,000,000 to give Y Maes a facelift and yet another in the pipeline for the St. Helen’s Road area.

Sir Llewelyn Turner was the indisputable visionary of the 19th century in Caernarfon and yet he had to fight extremely hard to get his contemporaries to accept the necessity for improvements. He, during his lifetime, either instigated or was in the forefront of all improvements that came to the town. He spent years trying to convince the Town Council that it was paramount that the town had a new water supply and drainage system and it was only through a visitation of the Cholera in 1866/67, resulting in the deaths of nearly 100 residents that he was able to achieve his aim. He had realized the danger many years previously. The new harbour was another improvement he helped to bring about and during his term as Deputy Constable of Caernarfon Castle he was responsible for the renovations that took place, thus turning what was a ruin into the fine edifice that today attracts so many tourists from all over the world.

Yes, it is only right and expected that new plans be scrutinized and even criticized before work being commenced on, but no-one should stand in the way of progress. It should be remembered that a town which is content to stand still is a town that is dying on its feet.

T. Meirion Hughes