1 post tagged “cardiff”

Cory's Buildings | Bute Street, Cardiff

Cory's Buildings

 "Several more opulent banks and offices opened around the square - Baltic House, Ocean Building, Cory's Buildings, Cambrian Buildings..." ( X )

"But around the turn of the twentieth century, south Wales was one region where growth was still breakneck and full of promise. It was Old King Coal of course, who was the kingpin; he had conquered the British navy and his city had become the greatest coal port in the world. In 1921 he had at his command 270,000 miners (...). But this was not simply a matter of coal export huge though it was, of John Cory's bunkers straddling the world and south Wales keeping the greatest navy in the world afloat staggering though these were. The capital, technology, the enterprise, the skill and the labour of south Wales fertilised large and distant tracts of the world, from Montana and Pennsylvania to Chile, Argentine and Russia" (Gwyn A Williams, When Was Wales?)

Richard Cory (1799-1882) of Devon, was the owner of a small vessel which traded between Cardiff, Bristol and Ireland in the early part of the 19th century. In 1838, he opened a ships' chandler store in Cardiff, Glamorgan. In 1844, Richard Cory was joined by his sons, John (1828-1910) and Richard (1830-1914), and traded as Richard Cory and Sons</a> . They described themselves as ship brokers, ship owners, coal merchants and exporters. In 1859, when Richard Cory (the elder) retired, John and Richard re-named the business Cory Brothers &amp; Co. It became a limited liability company in 1888. John and Richard Cory became coal owners in their own right with the purchase of Pentre colliery in the Rhondda, Glamorgan, in 1868. Gelli, Tynybedw and Tydraw collieries were later acquired, as were several collieries in adjoining valleys. The brothers also became the largest private wagon-owners in the United Kingdom. They opened coaling stations around the world, and by 1908 had 118 agencies and depots on all the major shipping routes. They supplied coal on a worldwide basis, most of it coming from their collieries in the Rhondda. The company opertaed subsidiary companies including Aden Coal Co. Ltd and Gueret, Llewellyn and Merrett Ltd. In 1942, the company was bought by the Powell Duffryn Group, but has maintained its identity as a shipping agent to the present. As their wealth increased, the brothers began to give assistance to social, educational, and moral reform causes in Cardiff, and to evangelical movements, particularly the Salvation Army. They supported the temperance movement, and established the Cory Temperance Hall which was made available for public meetings. In memory of his work for the people of Cardiff, a bronze statue of John Cory, designed by Sir William Goscombe John, was erected in the city in 1905. ( X )

JOHN, Sir William Goscombe (1860 - 1952)
John Cory(1828-1910), Date 1906

After his election as Associate of the Royal Academy in 1899, Goscombe John began to receive commissions for public monuments and portraits of major figures in public life and in 1905 he made a bronze statue of the philanthropist John Cory which was erected in front of City Hall. Cory was the son of Richard Cory who traded between Cardiff, Bristol and Ireland. In 1859, John and his brother Richard established their own coal exporters Cory Brothers and Co. They established depots, offices and agencies on a world-wide basis. In addition they owned collieries and were reputedly the largest private wagon owners in the UK. Both brothers backed the Temperance Movement and were active Methodists. John's charitable donations amounted to nearly £50,000 annually, in the years before his death. It is likely that this bust was a gift to him to mark the unveiling of the City Hall statue.