Saundersfoot

Saundersfoot (Welsh: Llanusyllt;[2] Old Welsh: Llanussyllt[3]) is a large village, community and electoral ward in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is near Tenby, both being holiday destinations. Saundersfoot lies in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. The village population was 3,361 in 2011.[4] [5]

Saundersfoot

Saundersfoot harbour and village
Saundersfoot
Location within Pembrokeshire
Population3,361 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceSN136048
Community
  • Saundersfoot
Principal area
Ceremonial county
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSaundersfoot
Postcode districtSA69
Dialling code01834
PoliceDyfed-Powys
FireMid and West Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
UK Parliament

History
St Issell's church

Saundersfoot was known in medieval Wales as Llanussyllt, and after the Norman conquest as St Issels (sometimes Issells), both after the parish church dedicated to the Welsh saint Issel. It appeared as Sct. Tissels on a 1578 parish map of Pembrokeshire.[6] Its bishop or abbot was considered one of the seven principal clerics of Dyfed under medieval Welsh law.[7] It was a substantial parish in 1833 with 1,226 inhabitants.[8] John Marius Wilson described the village and parish as St Issells in his 1870–72 Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales.[9] The church lies in a dell to the north of Saundersfoot and is a grade II* listed building.[10]

Harbour

Permission to build the harbour was granted by Parliament in 1829 to the Saundersfoot Railway and Harbour Company[11] for the export of anthracite coal from the many mines in the area, although coal was exported from the beach for centuries before this. The village grew up to serve the port which by 1837 had five jetties handling coal and iron ore and subsequently pig iron and firebricks from local sources. The course of the tramway from Bonville's Court mine bisects the village and ends at the jetty. The tramway from Stepaside forms the sea front. The industry finally faded away in the early years of the twentieth century.

Governance

At the local level, councillors are elected to Saundersfoot Community Council to oversee local issues, such as planning applications and maintenance of the local public buildings and cemetery.[12]

The boundaries of the Saundersfoot Community and the Saundersfoot electoral ward are coterminous. One county councillor is elected to Pembrokeshire County Council. Councillor Rosemary Hayes MBE was the ward's representative on South Pembrokeshire District Council and Pembrokeshire County Council for 25 years, before losing to Phil Baker at the May 2008 elections.[13]

Railway

Saundersfoot railway station is a mile from the village centre off the B4316 road. Trains call every two hours, westwards to Pembroke Dock and eastwards to Whitland, Carmarthen and Swansea.

Saundersfoot swim

Saundersfoot holds its New Year's Day swim every year which is sponsored by local businesses. More than 1,500 people took part in 2016.[14]

References
  1. "Ward and community population 2011". Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  2. Bartrum, Peter (1993). A Welsh Classical Dictionary: People in History and Legend up to about A.D. 1000. National Library of Wales. p. 729. ISBN 0907158730.
  3. Charles-Edwards, T. M. (November 1971). "The Seven Bishop-Houses of Dyfed" (PDF). Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies. XXIV(III): 247.
  4. https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/localarea?compare=W37000403
  5. https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/localarea?compare=W04000471
  6. "Penbrok comitat". British Library.
  7. Wade-Evans, Arthur. Medieval Welsh Law, p. 263.
  8. "GENUKI: St Issells". Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  9. "History of St Issells in Pembrokeshire: Map and description". Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  10. "St.Issell's Church, Saundersfoot". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  11. Ports.org.uk - Accessed 18 Jan 2011
  12. "Saundersfoot Community Council". Tenby Observer. 12 June 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  13. "Election Shocks". Narberth & Whitland Observer. 9 May 2008. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  14. "1,500 take part in New Year's Day Saundersfoot swim". BBC. 1 January 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2016.

Saundersfoot travel guide from Wikivoyage

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.