Dinas Cross
| |
|---|---|
 Dinas parish church atCwm-yr-Eglwys prior to its destructionc. 1830 | |
  Dinas Cross Location withinPembrokeshire | |
| Population | 815 (2011)[1] |
| Community |
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| Principal area | |
| Preserved county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Newport |
| Postcode district | SA42 |
| Dialling code | 01348 |
| Police | Dyfed-Powys |
| Fire | Mid and West Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
52°00′39″N4°54′35″W / 52.010878°N 4.909777°W /52.010878; -4.909777  Map of the community | |
Dinas Cross (Welsh:Dinas) is a village, acommunity and a former parish inPembrokeshire,Wales. Located betweenFishguard andNewport in thePembrokeshire Coast National Park, it is a popular holiday destination on theA487 road. The two hamlets,Cwm-yr-Eglwys andPwllgwaelod, are in the community. The community has an electedcommunity council and until 2022 gave its name to anelectoral ward ofPembrokeshire County Council which covered the communities of Dinas Cross,Cwm Gwaun andPuncheston.
The parish was in theHundred ofCemais; asDynas, it appeared on a 1578 parish map of Pembrokeshire.[2]
In the early 19th century the parish had 741 inhabitants. At this time the walls of the parish church of St Brynach were washed by the sea at spring high tides.[3] The parish extended fromDinas Head onDinas Island into thePreseli Mountains and included several small settlements to the north and south of the turnpike from Fishguard to Newport,[4] which is now the A487 road.
Dinas Cross has an elected community council.[5] Anelectoral ward of the same name exists which includes the communities of Dinas Cross,Cwm Gwaun andPuncheston and had a population of 1,696 in 2011.[6]
Following the recommendations of a boundary review by theLocal Government Boundary Commission for Wales, effective from the2022 local elections, the Dinas Cross county ward was merged with the neighbouring community ofNewport to create a new ward of 'Newport and Dinas', electing one county councillor.[7] The communities ofCwm Gwaun andPuncheston formed, together withScleddau, a new ward of Bro Gwaun.
Dinas has fourpubs:The Country Club,The Ship Aground,The Freemasons Arms andThe Old Sailors. At one time there was also a café, a school, Rhoshelyg garden centre, a garage, a petrol station, a full-time post office, one shop and a local blacksmith. Now the old school is a Community hall (Yr Hen Ysgol), the post office is part-time, and one shop, garage, petrol station and a chip shop remain, as well as the local blacksmith, now 5th generation. There are also a few artists based in Dinas Cross: two of them have studio / gallery spaces that are open to the public – namelyCoast and Wild on Feidr Fawr, andThe David Light Gallery at Myrtle Hill; both are situated on the road to Pwllgwaelod.
The church in Dinas was founded bySt Brynach, in the 5th or early 6th century.[8]
Dinas has two chapels: Tabor (a Baptist Chapel) and Gideon (an Independent Chapel). Ramah, a disused Methodist Chapel is on the way toPwllgwaelod beach.
