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South Wales Plateways 1788–1860

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 April 2011

John van Laun  and
David Bick
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Extract

In 1787 John Curr (1756–1823) started using the L-shaped rail underground at Sheffield. This, as far as we know, was the first use of this type of rail. Benjamin Outram (1764–1805) is generally thought to have been the major influence in the development of the surface plateway in South Wales but, from the recent evidence gathered, it appears that the tramroad or plateway arrived in South Wales from a different source. In February 1788 Plymouth Ironworks at Merthyr Tydfil cast 176 ‘Dram Plates’ for James Cockshutt of Cyfarthfa each weighing 441bs (19.96kg). Cockshutt hailed from Wortley Forge near Sheffield. Wortley lay only a few miles from where Curr used plateways for the first time. It was therefore Cockshutt who brought the plateway to South Wales.

Type
Notes
Information
The Antiquaries Journal , Volume 80 , Issue 1 , September 2000 , pp. 321 - 331
Copyright
Copyright © The Society of Antiquaries of London 2000

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References

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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