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Porthmadog - Its Heritage
Porthmadog and adjoining Tremadog are comparatively modern towns, not yet 200 years old. They developed with the slate trade, and more than a little enthusiasm, by William Madocks, born 1773 in London though from a wealthy Denbighshire family. He inherited a sum of money on his father’s death with the proviso that it be spent on acquiring land. By then, he had already bought a house in Dolgellau and had developed a deep and lifelong interest in this part of North Wales.
During one of his visits to the area, he first set eyes on the estuary and salt marshes of Y Traeth Mawr (“the Great Beach”). He then bought a few small holdings and the surrounding land, subsequently building an earth embankment from Prenteg to Clog y Berth, to dam the sea at high tide.
As this was a success, he turned his attention to Tremadog, in 1806 then but marshland, in the Glaslyn Estuary; he was responsible for its reclamation. The town was built as Madocks envisaged it would be, the last staging post on the London-Ireland stage coach route, via the anticipated new harbour at Porth Dinllaen on the Llyˆn peninsula. At that time the Menai Straits and the Conwy river were not bridged.
Encouraged by his achievements, Madocks’ next great success was the reclamation of the wide Glaslyn estuary, building an embankment, locally known as the Cob, between 1808 and 1811 (with bi-centenary celebrations planned in 2011). This diverted the river Glaslyn which created a new harbour between 1821 and 1825: hence the town’s name which translates as “Madog’s Port”. However, many local people believe the name celebrates the fabled voyage of Prince Madog to America in the tenth century AD.
Several shipyards were built on the quayside and these were to bring prosperity to the little town. In the 1870’s it was estimated that over a thousand vessels used the harbour in any one year, and, at its peak in 1873, over 116,000 tons of Blaenau slate left Porthmadog for all parts of the world.
The three-masted ships that carried the slate not only from Porthmadog were also built around Tremadog Bay and in the four shipyards by the delightful little bay at Borth y Gest. Today, this is still a favourite place for those who love the sea more than simply lying on the beach.
The local shipping industry and the export of slate from the port declined towards the 1880’s. However, the building of the Cambrian Railway in 1867, opened up the area to the growing number of tourists from all parts of the UK.
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