The Breakwater

The Breakwater is a long structure extending roughly east to west. It was originally built using large dressed stone blocks on a wooden frame, with smaller stones and materials like brick and concrete added for repairs and alterations over time. The landward side features three tiers. The main quay is made of stone blocks, heavily patched, with a concrete surface covering the original stone. In front, the slipway has been widened and reinforced with later concrete. The second tier is ramped and battered, also made of large blocks, and includes a small remaining section of the Dyffryn Llynfi Porthcawl Railway embedded in the stone, with the rest covered in concrete. The top tier serves as a sea wall, primarily constructed of smaller stones, with some larger stones in the center and a stepped design. Flights of stone steps connect the different levels. The seaward end is battered and faced in concrete, but the lighthouse features a stone surround with stone ledges, and a flight of steps descends to the water. On the seaward side, the defenses rise at about a 45-degree angle, made up of large, roughly hewn and mortared boulders topped with two vertical courses of large dressed blocks. An added concrete walkway is topped with blue bricks. Steps lead up to a single-width wall, which consists of large stone blocks at the base and smaller stones at the top.