Kidwelly Quay was built circa 1768 by Thomas Kymer, to ship anthracite on his canal that ran from coal pits in the Gwendraeth Fawr valley. Trade was good until 1800 but then Kidwelly started to go into decline as a result of silting of the river estuary. The opening of Burry Port led to the quay gradually becoming obsolete. Occasional shipments of coal continued until its final closure in 1934.

A seven metre section of quay wall stands approximately 3 metres high, although the remainder of complex has been reduced to rubble. However, the lock was filled in and the area is used has a hard standing next to the adjacent quay. The quay appears to have originally had a sea lock, whereby vessels could enter and leave the canal. The site was cleared out and partly rebuilt by a government-funded scheme during the 1970s and it now forms part of an amenity area.

Sources:
Stephen Hughes and Paul Reynolds (1989) "A Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of the Swansea Region" Association for Industrial Archaeology.
NMRW Record TAJ March 1999

RCAHMW, 14 September 2011.