Saundersfoot
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 Saundersfoot harbour and village | |
  Saundersfoot Location withinPembrokeshire | |
| Population | 2,500 (2021 census) |
| OS grid reference | SN136048 |
| Community |
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| Principal area | |
| Preserved county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Saundersfoot |
| Postcode district | SA69 |
| Dialling code | 01834 |
| Police | Dyfed-Powys |
| Fire | Mid and West Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
51°42′40″N4°42′00″W / 51.711°N 4.700°W /51.711; -4.700  Map of the community | |
Saundersfoot (Welsh:Llanusyllt;[1]Old Welsh:Llanussyllt[2]) is a large village andcommunity (and formerelectoral ward) inPembrokeshire,Wales. It is nearTenby, both being holiday destinations. Saundersfoot lies in thePembrokeshire Coast National Park and on thePembrokeshire Coast Path. The village population was recorded as 2,500 (rounded to the nearest 100) in the2021 census.[3]
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Saundersfoot was known inmedieval Wales asLlanussyllt, and after theNorman conquest asSt. Issels (sometimesIssells), both after the parish church dedicated to the Welsh saintUsyllt. It appeared asSt. Tissels on a 1578 parish map of Pembrokeshire.[4] Its bishop or abbot was considered one of the seven principal clerics ofDyfed under medievalWelsh law.[5] It was a substantial parish in 1833 with 1,226 inhabitants.[6]John Marius Wilson described the village and parish as St Issells in his 1870–72Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales.[7] The church lies in adell to the north of Saundersfoot and is a grade II* listed building.[8]
Permission to build the harbour was granted by Parliament in 1829 to theSaundersfoot Railway and Harbour Company[9] for theexport ofanthracite coal from the many mines in the area, although coal was exported from the beach for centuries before this.[10] The village grew up to serve the port which by 1837 had fivejetties handling coal andiron ore and subsequentlypig iron andfirebricks from local sources. The course of thetramway from Bonville's Court mine bisects the village and ends at the jetty. The tramway fromStepaside forms the sea front. The industry finally faded away in the early years of the twentieth century, so that today, the harbour accommodates private moorings,[11] pleasure boats for seasonal tourism,[12] and small fishing charters.[13]
In 2021, the recorded population of Saundersfoot was 2,500. Of this, 39.3% were aged 65+, above the county average of 26.3%. The largest ethnic group is White who make up 97.1% of the population, above the county average of 97.6%, with the second largest being Asian/Asian British with 1.4% of the population, below the county average of 0.9%. The largest religious group was recorded as Christian who make up 56.4% of the population, above the county average of 48.8%, with the second largest being No religion, who make up 35.5% of the population, below the county average of 43.0%.[3]
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.[14]
Until 2022 the boundaries of the Saundersfoot community were coterminous with a Saundersfoot electoral ward, electing one county councillor toPembrokeshire County Council. Councillor Rosemary HayesMBE 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.[15]
Following the recommendations of a boundary review by theLocal Government Boundary Commission for Wales, effective from the2022 local elections, the Saundersfoot ward was split into North and South. The north part was merged with the neighbouring community ofAmroth to create a new ward of 'Amroth and Saundersfoot North'.[16] The south part became a new county ward of 'Saundersfoot South'. Both wards elect a councillor to the county council.
Saundersfoot railway station is a mile from the village centre off the B4316 road. Trains call every two hours, westwards toPembroke Dock and eastwards toWhitland,Carmarthen andSwansea.
Saundersfoot holds itsNew Year's Day swim every year which is sponsored by local businesses. More than 1,500 people took part in 2016.[17] Due toCOVID-19, the 2021 event was cancelled[18] but was allowed to go ahead again in 2023.[19]
Saundersfoot travel guide from Wikivoyage
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