Penarth was an agricultural community but the Industrial Revolution brought a great change. The town owes its early development to the success of the South Wales coalfields and the necessity for additional port facilities to accommodate the industry that followed. A tidal harbour was planned, which became a dock. The beach and Esplanade provided relaxation for locals and tourists alike and Penarth could boast a pier constructed by James & Arthru Mayoh in 1894. It was from Penarth beach that Kathleen Thomas became the first person to swim the Bristol Channel in 1927. She swam into Weston-super-Mare in seven hours and eighteen minutes. The book contains over 200 fascinating photographs, some loaned from family albums and others from prized postcard collections. It explores the dock, the town and includes its churches, as well as Penarth's gardens and the Esplanade, before travelling on to Sully via Lavernock and Swanbridge. Penarth holds many happy childhood memories for the author and the book will be enjoyed by all who have lived in Penarth or know it as a place they have visited since their childhood.