"Tomahawk" tool

George worked in Cardiff Docks. He used this tool, known by the dockers as a 'tomahawk,' to drag timber off the ships to the saws, where it would be cut down for pit props. The timber was very often imported from Scandinavia. In the summers, Scandinavian wild flowers bloomed on the dockside. The pit props would then be taken by rail to the South Wales Valleys to serve the mines, whose coal would be transported in the opposite direction to be exported from Cardiff Docks to the rest of the world.

The dock George worked on was the Queen Alexandra dock, opened in 1907. It was a state of the art development, which meant Cardiff Docks could accommodate the newest and most advanced ships. This ensured Cardiff kept its role as the major coal exporting port.

The Cardiff Story is a new museum opening Cardiff's beautiful Old Library in autumn 2010. For the first time, Cardiffians and visitors alike will be able to see and hear the city's story through the eyes of its people.

The museum will focus on the stories that give the city its rich and wonderful character. If you have any stories or objects that tell an interesting tale about Cardiff, we'd love to hear from you.