 Completed in 1837, it is considered the first major docks in South Wales, ahead even of developments at Cardiff Docks.The lock entrance was enlarged in 1874.In 1894, the Port Talbot Railway and Docks Company was formed to directly link the port to the various competitive railways, particularly the South Wales Mineral Railway and the Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway; and the coal mines and ironworks in the surrounding Llynfi and Garw valley areas, via the Duffryn Llynvi and Porthcawl Railway.