Amroth, Pembrokeshire

Amroth

Amroth village and beach
Amroth
Amroth shown within Pembrokeshire
Population 1,232 (2011)[1]
OS grid reference SN1607
Community
  • Amroth
Principal area
Country Wales
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town NARBERTH
Postcode district SA67
Dialling code 01834
Police Dyfed-Powys
Fire Mid and West Wales
Ambulance Welsh
EU Parliament Wales

Amroth is a village and community east of Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire, Wales, noted for its long sandy beach. The name is Welsh, and probably means "On (the brook called) Rhath".[2]

History

The beach stretches the whole length of the village and at extreme low tide one can still see the petrified forest, destroyed when sea levels rose 7000 years ago, while fossilised antlers, nuts, animal bones and Neolithic flints have been discovered.[3] The parish was an important anthracite coal mining area until the end of the 19th century. Slight remains of mines and tramways are still visible. Ruins of Amroth Castle still remain, and one mile inland is the Anglican parish church of St Elidyr, which is a grade II* listed building.[4]

Amroth Castle

Amroth Castle

Amroth Castle stands on the north side of the unclassified coast road east of the village of Amroth. It is surrounded by a high wall with an entrance archway at the south-western corner. The present building is a 19th-century country house built in the style of a mock castle which possibly replaced a small stone castle dating from the 12th century. The gatehouse is much restored. The ruinous remains of the house are a grade I listed building.[5]

After passing through several hands the castle was used as a lunatic asylum in the 1850s. Converted back to a private house in the 1880s it was later owned and occupied by Owen Colby Philipps, the shipping magnate who bought the White Star Line and was created Baron Kylsant of Carmarthen and Amroth in 1923.[6] It passed to his daughter Nesta, who had married George Coventry, grandson of the 9th Earl of Coventry. They moved out in 1930 when George inherited the Coventry title and estates.

Present

Amroth lies in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and is the southern start of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, part of the national Cistercian Way.[7]

Governance

Amroth is an electoral ward and a community in Pembrokeshire, which includes Amroth, Crunwere, Summerhill, Stepaside, Pleasant Valley, Wisemans Bridge, Llanteg and Llanteglos.[8] The ward elects a councillor to Pembrokeshire County Council and up to twelve community councillors to Amroth Community Council.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Ward and community population 2011". Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  2. ↑ Charles, B. G., The Placenames of Pembrokeshire, National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, 1992, ISBN 0-907158-58-7, pp. 464–5
  3. ↑ "Amroth beach". BBC Wales. Archived from the original on 2012-07-24. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  4. ↑ "St Elidyr's Church, Amroth". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  5. ↑ "Amroth Castle, Amroth". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  6. ↑ "Amroth Castle". Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  7. ↑ "Cistercian Way: Penally to Amroth". BBC Wales. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  8. ↑ Pembrokeshire County Council Community review
  9. ↑ "First vote for almost three decades", Western Telegraph, 1 May 2008. Retrieved 3 March 2018.

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