talycafnwales

Tal-y-cafn ferry

from Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru / The National Library of Wales

• 1 older comment, and then…
• FrigateRN said:

  Fabulous 'period' picture of life long gone. These old snaps of ordinary people living their lives are endlessly fascinating I think.One day people will be looking at us in the same way. Now there's a thought!

• flick0 said:

  a very simple life, very simple transportation, just a wooden container and they called it a ferry. it is a quite good example of how civilizations develop.

• Picture Esk said:

  "For many years the ferry at Tal-y-Cafn was the property if Lord Bulkeley, who rented it out at £50 per annum. Passenger, sheep and cattle were conveyed across the river on a heavy floating platform retained in it's position by a stout rope passing through a double set of rollers." www.tal-y-cafn.com/history.asp I can see the rope and a set of rollers on the left hand side of the ferry. But how was the ferry propelled across the river, I can see any signs of oars?

• FrigateRN said:

  Thank you Picture Esk, this is the kind of information, redolent of history, that brings any picture to life.

• Picture Esk said:

  Having looked at various rope ferries on the Net, I get the impression that most ferryboats were propelled by the ferryman who simply pulled his way across the river using the rope. Looking at the size and weight of the Tay-y-cafn ferry I suspect that there may have been two of them pulling on that rope!