Melingriffith Tin Plate Works

The Melingriffith Tin Plate Works stand beside the River Taff in Whitchurch, Cardiff. Built before 1750, it grew to be the world’s largest tin-plate works by the late 1700s. The site once stretched over four acres between the river and the Glamorganshire Canal. A 200-year-old water pump there is now a scheduled monument. The works once relied on the Radyr Weir, strengthened in 1774, to keep water flowing. Velindre, the overseer’s house, still overlooks the remains from a nearby hill. The works played a central role in South Wales industry for two centuries. By 1906 it employed about 530 people and produced over 17,500 tons of tin-plate a year. Partners such as Richard Blakemore and Thomas William Booker-Blakemore ran the site in the 19th century. The works connected to Pentyrch Iron Works by railway and supplied markets in Germany and the US. After closing in 1957, the land became housing, but the pump remains a key monument. Visitors today see the remains of the rolling mills, once powered by water falling to lower levels. The boiler house once held Lancashire boilers made by Daniel Adamson and Co. The tin-house contained fourteen Melingriffith Patent tin-sets and four dusting machines. Workers once bought food and clothing in the company shop. The Melingriffith Brass Band, founded in 1798, still performs under the City of Cardiff Brass Band name. The site sits between the river and canal, with Velindre House above offering a clear view of what once was a busy industrial heartland.