Pembrokeshire

I

Introduction

Pembrokeshire (Welsh, Sir Benfro), unitary authority and county, south-western Wales, bounded on the north by Cardigan Bay, on the north-east by the county of Ceredigion, on the east by the county of Carmarthenshire, and on the south and west by the Irish Sea. Created on April 1, 1996, the county bears the same name and has the same boundaries as the historic county of Pembrokeshire, which existed from 1536 until 1974. Under the local government reorganization implemented in the latter year, Pembrokeshire was incorporated into the county of Dyfed as the districts of Preseli Pembrokeshire and South Pembrokeshire. The two districts were reconstituted as a county in 1996 as a result of the Local Government Act 1994, which provided for the restructuring of local administration in Wales by replacing the two-tier system of county and district councils with a single-tier system of unitary authorities. Pembrokeshire has an area of 1,590 sq km (614 sq mi).

II

Land and Resources

The Pembrokeshire coast is much indented and is over 225 km (140 mi) in length. Offshore there are numerous small islands, of which the most important are Ramsey, Grassholm, Skomer, Skokholm, and Caldey; others include the picturesquely named Bishops and Clerks, Hat, Barrels, and The Smalls islands. The mainland has a predominantly undulating landscape. Much of the county has been designated as the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, which has an area of 584 sq km (225 sq mi). In the north the park includes the Preseley or Preseli Hills; Foel Cwmcerwyn (538 m/1,760 ft) is the highest point. Archaeologists believe that the 33 blue stones that form two of the inner circles of Stonehenge were cut in the Preseli Hills. Five stretches of coastline—known as South Pembrokeshire, St Bride’s Bay, Marloes and Dale, St David’s Peninsula, and Dinas Head—spanning a total of 186 km (116 mi) have been designated as heritage coast by the Countryside Council for Wales. The Pembrokeshire Coast Path, opened in 1970, passes through more than 17 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). The South Wales coalfield stretches into Pembrokeshire and was once worked in the south of the county. The county's main rivers are the Teifi, which forms the border with Ceredigion in the north, and the Eastern and Western Cleddau, which join to form the Daugleddau. The Daugleddau flows into the large natural harbour of Milford Haven.

The climate of Pembrokeshire is generally mild, and subtropical plants flourish in sheltered spots. Winter temperatures do not fall much below 4° C (40° F); summer temperatures average 11° C (66° F). Annual rainfall is in the region of 1,000 to 1,520 mm (40 to 60 in).

III

Population and Administration

Pembrokeshire has a population of 112,901 (2001). Welsh is spoken more widely in the north of the county than in the south. According to the 2001 census, nearly 30 per cent of the population of the county can speak Welsh (see Celtic Languages). The strongly English community around Pembroke is a legacy of the 12th century, when the Normans established a county palatine, or semi-independent area, around their newly built castle at Pembroke and encouraged English settlers. However, Welsh traditions and culture generally remain strong. Laver bread, made from seaweed and oatmeal, and fried, remains a popular traditional dish, and a hut where the seaweed used to be dried is preserved at Freshwater West. The main towns are Haverfordwest (1991, 13,454), which is the administrative centre of the county's unitary authority; Tenby (1991, 5,619); and the ports of Fishguard (1991, 2,679), Milford Haven (1991, 13,194), and Pembroke (1991, 6,773). The police authority is the Dyfed-Powys Police, which has its headquarters in Carmarthen in Carmarthenshire. A Crown Court sits at Haverfordwest.

IV

Places of Interest

St David's, with its magnificent 12th-century cathedral, is the smallest city in Britain. At Carningli Common, a short distance west of Fishguard, the remains of an Iron Age fort are to be seen. Pembroke Castle, where Henry VII was born, is one of the biggest Norman castles in Britain, while the 13th-century ruins of Carew Castle, east of Pembroke, and of the castle at Llawhaden, east of Haverfordwest, are both striking. Many of Pembrokeshire's beaches are suitable for surfing. Seals abound around the coast and the islands of Skokholm, Skomer, and Grassholm are bird sanctuaries. Ramsey Island is a nature reserve managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and attracts many ornithologists; boat crossings to the island operate daily. Elegug Stacks is notable for the huge pillars of limestone where seabirds nest. The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park has a footpath 267 km (167 mi) long, with views of small coves, cliffs, and rocky headlands.