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| Porthcawl | |
|---|---|
 Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl | |
  Porthcawl Location withinBridgend | |
| Population | 16,005 (2011)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SS825775 |
| Principal area | |
| Preserved county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | PORTHCAWL |
| Postcode district | CF36 |
| Dialling code | 01656 |
| Police | South Wales |
| Fire | South Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
| Website | porthcawltowncouncil.gov.uk |
51°29′N3°41′W / 51.48°N 3.69°W /51.48; -3.69  Map of the community | |
Porthcawl ([pɔrθˈkaul]ⓘ) is atown andcommunity in theBridgend County Borough ofWales. It is located on the south coast, 25 miles (40 km) west ofCardiff and 19 miles (31 km) south-east ofSwansea.
Historically part ofGlamorgan and situated on a lowlimestone headland on theSouth Wales coast, overlooking theBristol Channel, Porthcawl developed as a coal port during the 19th century, but its trade was soon taken over by more rapidly developing ports such asBarry. North-west of the town, in thedunes known asKenfig Burrows, lies the remains ofKenfig Castle.
Porth is a common Welsh element meaning "harbour" and thecawl here refers to "sea kale", which may have grown in profusion or even been collected here.[2][3]
Porthcawl is aholiday resort in South Wales and is home to a largestatic caravan park known asTrecco Bay, which is owned and operated byParkdean Resorts. It has an extensivepromenade and several beaches: a tourist-oriented beach at Trecco Bay, at the east end of the town; a sandy beach atRest Bay, which lies to the north-west of the town; and the quiet and sandy Pink Bay leading out towards Sker Point where a tarmac-covered car park serves a sandy beach. Trecco Bay and Rest Bay areBlue Flag Beaches.[4][5]
Porthcawl, like many British resorts, has suffered a decline in its holiday trade, especially since most of theSouth Wales Valleys coal pits closed. A major feature of the summer was the miners' fortnight, when large numbers of miners took their annual break.
Tourist attractions in the area include sandy beaches, a grand pavilion, a funfair namedConey Beach (modelled onConey Island inNew York), a museum, three golf courses and the site of the former black obelisk.
Built in 1887 to commemorateQueen Victoria'sGolden Jubilee, Porthcawl'spromenade runs along the seafront from Lock's Common in the west to the harbour, before joining the Eastern Promenade and leading to Coney Beach and Griffin Park. It was restored in 1996. There are many cafes, bars, restaurants and hotels along the promenade, which offer views across theBristol Channel.
TheGrand Pavilion, built at a cost of £25,000 in 1932, is the venue for shows, including the annualpantomime. The singer, actor and civil rights activistPaul Robeson once performed 'live' at the Pavilion via atransatlantic telephone link.
Controversial luxury flats now dominate the seafront on the site previously occupied by the Esplanade Hotel, which dated back to the late 1880s. The Royal Society of Architects in Wales awarded 'Esplanade House' a Welsh Housing Design Award in 2006, but the architecture has proved unpopular with many local residents who have nicknamed it "the bottle bank".[6]
Porthcawl Lifeboat Station, built in 1995, is situated near the harbour.[7] The station operates anAtlantic 85-class lifeboat and aD-class IB1 inflatable lifeboat.[8]Cosy Corner is a park area, which over the years has housed a theatre, cinema, roller skating rink and ballroom. The Jennings Building, built in 1832, is a grade IIlisted building and Wales' oldest maritime warehouse. The building was identified as a potentially important facility as part of thePorthcawl Regeneration Strategy; it houses three hospitality businesses.[9]
At the end of Porthcawl jetty stands a whitelighthouse built in 1860, as a navigational aid. It was the last coal and gas-powered lighthouse in the United Kingdom. It switched to being powered byNorth Sea gas in 1974, before becoming powered by electricity in 1997. The jetty and surrounding area are popular spots for sea fishing.
The historic ships thePSWaverley, the last seagoingpaddle steamer in the world, and theMVBalmoral sail from this area during the summer months.
Prior to 1996, the town was divided into the Porthcawl East and Porthcawl West wards, electing a total of seven councillors toOgwr Borough Council.[10]
Subsequent to the creation ofBridgend County Borough Council and as a result ofThe County Borough of Bridgend (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1998, the town was divided into five county wards corresponding to the town council wards:Newton,Nottage, Porthcawl East Central, Porthcawl West Central andRest Bay.[11][12] These elect a total of five county councillors.[13]
Porthcawl is represented by the following parliamentary constituencies:
There are six English medium schools in Porthcawl: four primary schools, one comprehensive school and one private school.
Porthcawl Comprehensive School, on the western side of the town, has 1,500 pupils (aged 11–18) and 80 teaching staff.[14]BothRuth Jones andRob Brydon attended this school.
As at 2011, it was the only school to have received a new Band 1 assessment[15] in the Bridgend County from the Welsh Government.
St Clare's School is a co-educational independent school, located in the village of Newton (an eastern part of Porthcawl), in Bridgend County Borough. The school provides preparatory, secondary and tertiary education leading to GCSE and A-level qualifications. Originally aRoman Catholic girls' school, the school is now owned and operated by theCognita Group.
This is a state school which provides education for ages 3–11 and is participating in the Foundation Phase. It is a largeprimary school, with approximately 500 pupils, surrounded by extensive grounds. It has a conservation area and is in the process of building a pond. It has a large outdoor play area and asensory garden. There is an outdoor classroom which is used for a range of activities.[16]
This is a state school located in Nottage. The school was built and opened for teaching in 1971 and has since been extended to incorporate the growing needs of the surrounding area and community. The school has been awarded theEco-schools Green Flag and theBECTA ICT excellence award.[17]
This is a mixed state school for pupils between the ages of 3 and 11 years, which includes a Foundation Phase Area admitting pupils of nursery age.[18]
This is a mixed state school with approximately 235 pupils.[19]
St John's School was a co-educational independent school, located in the village of Newton. The school provided preparatory, secondary and tertiary education leading to GCSE qualifications. The school closed at the end of July 2014.[20]
The Porthcawl Male Voice Choir, orCôr Meibion Porthcawl, is amale voice choir formed in 1980 with 17 members. The choir[when?] has 45 members. Each year, the choir performs with a celebrity guest; in 2011, this wasLesley Garrett.[21]
Porthcawl has seven beaches:
Five rocky points line the Porthcawl shore; from east to west, these are: Newton Point, Rhych Point, Porthcawl Point, Hutchwns Point andSker Point.
There are threescheduled monuments in the Porthcawl Community area:
Newton dates from the 12th century.St. John's Church, founded by theKnights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem 800 years ago and originally built as a fortress, overlooks the village green.
TheJolly Sailorpub, the oldest in Porthcawl, and theAncient Briton pub also overlooks the green.
To the south of the church lies St John's Well, the water from which is reputed to have healing properties.
Newton village homed St John's School, an independent day school established in 1921, which closed in c2016. It is also home to St Clare's School, which is also an independent day school and was established in 1938 by thePoor Clares order of nuns.
The following festivals operate in the town:
Porthcawl is one of the top locations inWales forsurfing, with both national and regional competitions held at Rest Bay.
Other alternative sports, such asskateboarding androllerblading, are also popular with the former PADS skate park by the Harbour and the new bowl park offHeol Y Goedwig.
There are threegolf courses to the north of the town includingRoyal Porthcawl Golf Club, which attracts players from around the world.
Porthcawl is home also home to football sidePorthcawl Town Athletic F.C., which boasts 1st, reserve and 3rd teams, as well as numerous junior teams.[29]
Rugby Union also has a rich heritage in the area withPorthcawl RFC.
The town has lifeguard clubs that train the lifeguards that guard Coney Beach and Trecco Bay, as well as Rest Bay and Sker beaches.[30]
Porthcawl hosts a free weeklyParkrun at 9am each Saturday. It starts on the Lower Promenade in front of the Grand Pavilion, heads out to Rest Bay and finishes near to the pier.[31]
The famous world championshipboxing match betweenWBC world featherweight championHoward Winstone and his challenger,Jose Legra, which Legra won by fifth round technical knockout, was held in Porthcawl on 24 July 1968.[32]
Porthcawl waterfront is proposed for substantial regeneration as part of the7 Bays Project. The Planning Guidance outlines proposals that will result in the comprehensive regeneration of Porthcawl's waterfront, stretching from Cosy Corner and the harbour in the south, to Trecco Bay in the east. The plan includes the construction of new sea defences, enabling regeneration of the area to take place, and also protecting more than 440 existing properties from flood risk.[33]
The first phase of Porthcawl's regeneration,Porthcawl Harbourside, was launched on 28 March 2008. A 17-acre (69,000 m2) site has been marketed to developers for a substantial mixed use scheme. The scheme is envisaged to include a new foodstore, extra retail space, leisure and community facilities, up to 450 houses/flats, a new promenade, town square and car parking.
The nearest railway station to Porthcawl isPyle.Transport for Wales operates services toCardiff Central,Swansea,Carmarthen andManchester Piccadilly.[34]Porthcawl railway station once served the town, sited at the top of Station Hill, but was closed in 1963.[35]
First Cymru andStagecoach South Wales operate local bus routes, which include:[36]
The A4229 road links the town to junction 37 of theM4 motorway.
The nearest airport isCardiff Airport, 23 miles (37 km) away, which offers scheduled domestic and international flights.
On 11 February 2009, two RAFGrob Tutor training aircraft collided over the area, with one landing inKenfig and the other landing inMargam. Two instructors and two teenageair cadets died in the incident.[37]
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