The pilotage house was an administrative building for the river pilots who operated in the Bristol channel. It was from here the local pilots would pick up their roster and their pay.

The pilots' job was vital in helping ships negotiate the treacherous waters. They were employed for their local knowledge to guide the large ships into the dock through narrow and shallow straits.

They knew where the rocks and sandbanks were, which side of the buoys to pass, they were familiar with weather conditions and the rise and fall of the tide - the Bristol Channel has the second highest in the world.

The building wasn't purpose built and its origins are steeped in mystery. No one really knows why it was built, but it could be the oldest building in the Bay. Its thick stone walls make it so distinct from the other buildings close by.

Local historian Professor Neil Sinclair suggests that it may have built by the second Marquis of Bute to stable the large work horses that pulled barges down the Glamorganshire Canal.

Around the back of the building there used to be large arched stable doors which might verify this. If you look up you can still see the arch but today the doors have been removed and replaced by a glass extension.

The building may well have been built before then and may have had an earlier connection with the Glamorganshire Canal which was built in 1790. There is no documentation to prove it. All we do know is that it was there in 1880 on a survey map.

One of the most distinctive things about the buidling is the weather vane. It is connected to the clock below and gives the direction of the wind in quarter points. The mechanism still works but the weather vain itself was replaced in the 1970s.

Turn left on passing the old Pilotage Building and then right just before you get to Harry Ramsden.