Pembrey

Pembrey
Welsh: *Pen-bre*
Pembrey Welsh: Pen-bre;
	Pembrey village post office
	Pembrey Location within Carmarthenshire
Population	2,154 (2011)
OS grid reference	SN4201
Community	Pembrey and Burry Port Town ;
Principal area	Carmarthenshire ;
Preserved county	Dyfed ;
Country	Wales
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BURRY PORT
Postcode district	SA16
Dialling code	01554
Police	Dyfed-Powys
Fire	Mid and West Wales
Ambulance	Welsh
UK Parliament	Llanelli ;
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament	Llanelli ;
	List of places UK Wales Carmarthenshire 51°41′N4°17′W / 51.683°N 4.283°W

Last updated November 09, 2024

Pembrey (Welsh: Pen-bre) is a village in Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated between Burry Port and Kidwelly, overlooking Carmarthen Bay, with a population of about 2,154 in 2011.^[1] The electoral ward having a population of 4,301.^[2] It is in the community of Pembrey and Burry Port Town.

History

The name Pembrey is an Anglicisation of the Welsh, Pen-bre. "Pen" is a Welsh word meaning head or top, and "bre" is an old Celtic word for a promontory.^[3]

The coastline began its retreat from the foot of Pembrey Mountain some 6,000 years ago, revealing land which shows human occupation since the Iron Age, with hill forts dating from around 400 BC. The population of the region was known to the Romans as Demetae. Roman pottery remains have been unearthed in the oldest parts of the village. Later, the village was part of the Welsh principality of Deheubarth. Evidence of an early Norman motte-and-bailey castle has been suggested close to the village square and buildings remain in the village from later Norman times.

The village was home to Arnold le Boteler, a Norman squire of the 12th century. His manor, Court Farm, Pembrey, subsequently extended into a Jacobean manor house and then a farm, is now derelict. The le Boteler (Butler) crest can be seen in the village church of St. Illtud, established during le Boteler's lifetime with its saint's name connected to his other estate of Dunraven, Southerndown, near Llantwit Major, Bridgend. St Illtyd's is a grade II* listed building.^[4]

Most of the village was created during the 18th and 19th century coal mining boom, when Pembrey was a port. Pembrey Mountain (Welsh: Mynydd Penbre) was thoroughly mined by both Welsh and English companies for about 100 years and some reserves are said to remain underground. Pembrey's harbour was prone to silting and was abandoned in favour of Pembrey New Harbour - soon renamed Burry Port Harbour, just a mile further upstream on the Burry Estuary. The original harbour is now known as Pembrey Old Harbour.

Pembrey's mountain and beach Cefn Sidan are reputed to have provided some villagers with careers as wreckers, known locally as Gwyr-y-Bwelli Bach (translated as People with Little Hatchets) - attracting sailing ships with fires purporting to be beacons, then raiding them when they foundered. However, no firm evidence of wrongdoing such as booty has ever been discovered. Nevertheless, a number of vessels were certainly lost around Pembrey, including "La Jeune Emma" bound from the West Indies to France and blown badly off course in 1828. 13 of the 19 on board drowned, including Adeline Coquelin, the 12-year-old niece of Napoleon Bonaparte's divorced wife Josephine de Beauharnais. She is buried at St. Illtyds Church, Pembrey. The last large ship to be lost was the four-masted windjammer, the SS Paul, carrying a cargo of timber and grounding in a storm in 1925.

Manor families

From the days of le Boteler to the early 20th century, Pembrey was generally dominated by at least one leading family. Latest of these was the Ashburnham family (Earl of Ashburnham) who lived until the 1920s at Pembrey House, lost to fire some 50 years ago. The Ashburnham Golf Club championship course is the area's main sporting attraction, Ashburnham Road is one of the village's two main thoroughfares and the Ashburnham Hotel one of its hostelries.

Military and RAF Pembrey

Military connections include the past use of areas of the Ashburnham estate as a firing range. In the 20th century, a RAF station, RAF Pembrey was situated in Pembrey and played a role in Britain's defences as home to both fighter and bomber aircraft. Close by, a Royal Ordnance Factory, ROF Pembrey, provided high explosives for Britain's war effort. Both these facilities attracted a number of Luftwaffe raids over the village during World War II. One airman based and living in Pembrey, Wing Commander Guy Gibson, went on to lead the Dambusters. Flying ace Robert Stanford Tuck was at Pembrey with 92 Squadron in 1940.

An attempt to establish a munitions testing range in Pembrey was made during the 1960s but was resisted by villagers, who mounted a SOS (Save Our Sands) campaign. The opposition proved successful, leading to the establishment of Pembrey Country Park instead.

Royal Air Force training continues on a bombing range to the west of Pembrey Country Park near Kidwelly. The RAF Red Arrows aerobatics display team performed over Kidwelly's carnival, with many of their stunts taking place over the village of Pembrey itself.

Lifeboat station

Pembrey had a RNLI lifeboat station from 1863 to 1887, succeeding a station at Llanelli, when accumulation of sand at Pembrey forced a move to Burry Port.^[5]

Today

Today, the village has lost most of its former sources of employment and is largely a dormitory for the nearby urban areas of Llanelli and Carmarthen. Tourism has been successfully developed at the Country Park, along the Millennium Coastal Path and at nearby Burry Port although accommodation is limited to caravanning,a few bed & breakfasts and the Ashburnham Hotel.

In August/September 2006, Court Farm appeared in the first round of BBC2's Restoration Village programme. Experts agreed that the building mainly requires a new roof and could be restored to form a cultural centre. The manor did not progress through the competition and has subsequently been passed to the Cadw Sir Gaerfyrddin Cyf. (Carmarthenshire Building Preservation Trust) who, along with The Friends Of Court Farm, are actively seeking funds to restore the building; an in-principle Cadw grant of 40% has been awarded for consolidation works to start the restoration project.

Pembrey Burrows and Cefn Sidan are now part of extensive leisure areas run by local authorities. Attractions include the Millennium Coastal Path, Ski Pembrey, an artificial ski centre and toboggan ride, St. Illtyd's Church and village square, mountain walks and picnic areas, the traditional links golf course, Pembrey Old Harbour, Pembrey Country Park, the Pembrey Circuit - the National Motorsport Centre of Wales, horse-riding, a working airfield and flying club at Pembrey Airport, and St. Illtyds Church. The Carmarthenshire Land Sailing Club is allowed to use the beach for wind traction activities, including Land sailing, kite buggying and Kite landboarding.

On entering the country park, several abandoned bunkers are visible, these being the remains of the former Royal Ordnance Factory that closed in 1965. The woods and bunkers provided a focus point for an episode of Living TV's Most Haunted, which was aired in April 2008.

The village's name has also been applied to Pembrey, Delaware, in the United States, a short drive from Philadelphia.

Notable people

Edward Banks (1820–1910), an amateur cricketer who played first-class cricket for Kent County Cricket Club
Sir John Ivan George Cadogan CBE FIC FRS (1930–2020), a British organic chemist.
Hugh Davies (1932–2017), a Welsh cricketer and a summariser for BBC Radio Cymru
Josh Sheehan (born 1995), a professional footballer with over 200 club caps and 5 for Wales ^[6]

Transport

Actually located in Burry Port, Pembrey and Burry Port railway station is on the West Wales line with regular services to Milford Haven and Manchester via Cardiff as well as twice-daily to London. Between 1909 and 1953 Pembrey station on the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway served the village. The village is served by bus on routes from Carmarthen and Swansea. The nearest motorway is the M4. Pembrey Airport has no scheduled services but provides facilities for visiting private and corporate aircraft, including executive jets, Pembrey Airfield is one of the most military active civil airports in Britain so PPR is often needed, Pembrey Airfield does offer facilities for passenger aircraft but only as charter flights.

Related Research Articles

Carmarthenshire is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as the "Garden of Wales" and is also home to the National Botanic Garden of Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burry Port</span> Port town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales

Burry Port is a port town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, on the Loughor estuary, to the west of Llanelli and south-east of Kidwelly. Its population was recorded at 5,680 in the 2001 census and 6,156 in the 2011 census, and estimated at 5,998 in 2019. The town has a harbour. It is also where Amelia Earhart landed as the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Nearby are the Pembrey Burrows sand dune and wetland system, forming a country park, and the Cefn Sidan sands. Its musical heritage includes Burry Port Opera, Male Choir and Burry Port Town Band.

Kidwelly is a town and community in Carmarthenshire, southwest Wales, approximately 7 miles (11 km) northwest of the most populous town in the county, Llanelli. In the 2001 census the community of Kidwelly returned a population of 3,289, increasing to 3,523 at the 2011 Census.

Carmarthen Bay is an inlet of the South Wales coast, including notable beaches such as Pendine Sands and Cefn Sidan sands. Carmarthen Bay is partially within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee list Carmarthen Bay and Estuaries as a Special Area of Conservation.

Pembrey Burrows stretch from Burry Port's harbour area – a former coal port, now a marina – to Pembrey Country Park, a leisure and nature complex that is one of West Wales's leading visitor attractions.

Cefn Sidan is a long sandy beach with dunes, which form the outer edge of the Pembrey Burrows between Burry Port and Kidwelly, facing southwestwards over Carmarthen Bay in South Wales. Cefn Sidan beach is backed by dunes, salt marshes, Pembrey Forest and the Pembrey Country Park.

Pembrey Sands Air Weapons Range is a Ministry of Defence air weapons range located near the village of Pembrey, Carmarthenshire, 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Burry Port and 10.3 miles (16.6 km) south of Carmarthen, Wales. Adjacent to the weapons range site is a former Royal Air Force station known as Royal Air Force Pembrey, or more simply RAF Pembrey, which closed in 1957 and of which part is now in civilian use as Pembrey Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pembrey Airport</span> Airport in Carmarthenshire, Wales

Pembrey West Wales Airport is located 6 NM west northwest of Llanelli in Pembrey, Carmarthenshire, in Wales. Pembrey has one hard runway designated as 22LH/C and 04RH/C. The airport and its ICAO code EGPF were withdrawn from the Aeronautical Information Publication in July 2022.

The River Loughor is a river in Wales which marks the border between Carmarthenshire and Swansea. The river is sourced from an underground lake at the Black Mountain emerging at the surface from Llygad Llwchwr which translates from the Welsh as "eye of the Loughor". It flows past Ammanford and Hendy in Carmarthenshire and Pontarddulais in Swansea. The river divides Carmarthenshire from Swansea for much of its course and it separates Hendy from Pontarddulais at the point where the river becomes tidal. The Loughor meets the sea at its estuary near the town of Loughor where it separates the south coast of Carmarthenshire from the north coast of the Gower Peninsula. Among its tributaries is the River Amman and the River Morlais, with the former joining the Loughor near Pantyffynnon. The area of the catchment is some 262 square kilometres (101 sq mi).

Pembrey and Burry Port railway station is a railway station on the West Wales line serving Pembrey and Burry Port, in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is adjacent to Burry Port's main shopping area. Pembrey is situated 1.2 miles (2 km) to the west. The station is 229 miles 15 chains (368.8 km) from the zero point at London Paddington, measured via Stroud.

The River Gwendraeth is a river in Carmarthenshire in West Wales.

Trimsaran is a community and former mining village which lies on the B4308 between Llanelli and Kidwelly, in Carmarthenshire, Wales.

Arnold le Boteler or Arnold Butler, was a late 11th and early 12th century Norman squire with a penchant for property development. He was the first recorded 'lord' of the Welsh village of Pembrey.

The Kidwelly and Llanelly Canal was a canal and tramroad system in Carmarthenshire, Wales, built to carry anthracite coal to the coast for onward transportation by coastal ships. It began life as Kymer's Canal in 1766, which linked pits at Pwll y Llygod to a dock near Kidwelly. Access to the dock gradually became more difficult as the estuary silted up, and an extension to Llanelli was authorised in 1812. Progress was slow, and the new canal was linked to a harbour at Pembrey built by Thomas Gaunt in the 1820s, until the company's own harbour at Burry Port was completed in 1832. Tramways served a number of collieries to the east of Burry Port.

Pembrey and Burry Port Town is a community located in Carmarthenshire, Wales including the town of Burry Port and the village of Pembrey. The community population taken at the 2011 census was 8,547.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Court Farm, Pembrey</span> Ruined house in Carmarthenshire, Wales

Court Farm in Pembrey, Carmarthenshire, Wales, is an ancient and formerly imposing manor house which is now an overgrown ruin, but structurally sound, and capable of repair and restoration. It consists of three buildings: the farmhouse, a complex two-storey house of approximately 99 square metres; an adjacent barn; and a later cowshed.

Kidwelly Flats Halt railway station served the Royal Ordnance Factory (ROF) and RAF Pembrey at Pembrey, Carmarthenshire, Wales between 1941 and 1957. It was on the West Wales Line.

Pembrey railway station or Pembrey Halt railway station served the village of Pen-bre or Pembrey. It continued to serve the inhabitants of the area between 1909 and 1953 and was one of several basic halts opened on the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway in Carmarthenshire, Wales.

Burry Port railway station served the town of Burry Port. It continued to serve the inhabitants of the area near Llanelli between 1909 and 1953 and was one of several basic halts opened on the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway in Carmarthenshire, Wales.

References

1 2 UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Pembrey Built-up area sub division (W38000024)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 26 March 2021.
↑ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Pembrey Ward (W05000501)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 26 March 2021.
↑ "Etymology Of British Place-names". Pbenyoni.plus.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
↑ "Church of St Illtyd, Pembrey and Burry Port Town". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
↑ "RNLI: Burry Port" . Retrieved 30 March 2024.
↑ "Who is Josh Sheehan? The latest call-up to the Welsh national team". Clwbpeldroed.org. 4 November 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2024.

External links

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[cencus2011-1] 1 2 UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Pembrey Built-up area sub division (W38000024)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 26 March 2021.

[2] UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Pembrey Ward (W05000501)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 26 March 2021.

[3] "Etymology Of British Place-names". Pbenyoni.plus.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2014.

[4] "Church of St Illtyd, Pembrey and Burry Port Town". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 21 December 2013.

[Burry-5] "RNLI: Burry Port" . Retrieved 30 March 2024.

[6] "Who is Josh Sheehan? The latest call-up to the Welsh national team". Clwbpeldroed.org. 4 November 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2024.

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