Cold Inn
Encyclopedia
Cold Inn is a small village
in the Welsh
county of Pembrokeshire
and community of East Williamston
.
Tradition has it that the name Cold Inn came from a public house
which may have been situated near the modern day Lovespoon Cottage. Other variables on the name are Gould Inn or Gold End/Cold End, one source states it may have been known as "Call Inn"; however, an early map by Thomas Kitchin
in 1755 shows it was known as New Inn. This former coach road would have been busy with passing travellers, being the main route to Pembroke Dock
before the construction of Thomas Telford
's turnpike
road around 1839. Around 1700 land in the village was owned by the Picton Castle
and Lawrenny Park estates who leased it to the tenants, not only for agriculture but for the exploitation of the anthracite coal seams.
A local legend refers to the HANGING FIELD at the Cold Inn/Clayford road junction where some people who were searching for a location to sink a shaft for coal, came upon some buried bones, traditionally murderers were hung at a crossroads nearest to their home and presumably this is the root of the story.
In 1908 most of the Picton Estate land in this area was sold at an auction at Narberth
. This was followed in 1910 by a further sale at the same venue of the remnants of the East Wiliamston estate.
Cold Inn lies a mile outside the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
and is around 60 metres (196.9 ft) above sea level
. It is situated between the villages of Broadmoor and East Williamston near to Saundersfoot
. Although there are now ten or so houses, until the 1950s there were only Cold Inn Farm, and Cold Inn Cottage, There are more houses on Clayford Road and Ebenezer Baptist Chapel (1861)lies to the east on the Cold Inn Cross to Templebar road. A former small stone building which was also a butcher's/slaughter house was part of the original heart of the hamlet. it was situated next to Cold Inn Cottage on the East Williamston road. This old slaughterhouse was demolished around 2006 to construct a new dwelling. The two old cottages were home to several colliers families who worked at nearby anthracite mines, and locally they burnt on the domestic fire 'culm' - a mixture of anthracite coal dust and clay formed into balls.
The coal mining industry has long since gone from the area. Coal seams used to outcrop in this area and many old sites to extract this, used to pepper the area but were of small scale. It is now an area with its fair share of holiday caravan sites nearby.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
county of Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
and community of East Williamston
East Williamston
East Williamston is a village and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated in the south of the county, 4 km west of Saundersfoot. The parish includes the villages of Cold Inn and Broadmoor . The community had a population of 1,787 in 2001...
.
Tradition has it that the name Cold Inn came from a public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
which may have been situated near the modern day Lovespoon Cottage. Other variables on the name are Gould Inn or Gold End/Cold End, one source states it may have been known as "Call Inn"; however, an early map by Thomas Kitchin
Thomas Kitchin
Thomas Kitchin was an English engraver and map-maker, who became hydrographer to the king.-Life:He was born in Southwark, and was apprenticed to Emanuel Bowen in 1732. Originally based in Clerkenwell, by late 1755 Kitchin was established on Holborn Hill. From 1773 Kitchin was royal hydrographer...
in 1755 shows it was known as New Inn. This former coach road would have been busy with passing travellers, being the main route to Pembroke Dock
Pembroke Dock
Pembroke Dock is a town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, lying north of Pembroke on the River Cleddau. Originally a small fishing village known as Paterchurch, the town was greatly expanded from 1814 onwards following the construction of a Royal Naval Dockyard...
before the construction of Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
's turnpike
Turnpike trust
Turnpike trusts in the United Kingdom were bodies set up by individual Acts of Parliament, with powers to collect road tolls for maintaining the principal highways in Britain from the 17th but especially during the 18th and 19th centuries...
road around 1839. Around 1700 land in the village was owned by the Picton Castle
Picton Castle
Picton Castle is a medieval castle near Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Originally built at the end of the 13th century by Sir John Wogan and is still inhabited by his descendants, the Philipps family ....
and Lawrenny Park estates who leased it to the tenants, not only for agriculture but for the exploitation of the anthracite coal seams.
A local legend refers to the HANGING FIELD at the Cold Inn/Clayford road junction where some people who were searching for a location to sink a shaft for coal, came upon some buried bones, traditionally murderers were hung at a crossroads nearest to their home and presumably this is the root of the story.
In 1908 most of the Picton Estate land in this area was sold at an auction at Narberth
Narberth
Narberth may refer to:*Narberth, Pembrokeshire, a town in Wales*Narberth, Pennsylvania, a town in the United States*Narberth , a traditional hundred of Pembrokeshire in Wales...
. This was followed in 1910 by a further sale at the same venue of the remnants of the East Wiliamston estate.
Cold Inn lies a mile outside the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is a national park along the Pembrokeshire coast in West Wales.It was established as a National Park in 1952, and is the only one in the United Kingdom to have been designated primarily because of its spectacular coastline...
and is around 60 metres (196.9 ft) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. It is situated between the villages of Broadmoor and East Williamston near to Saundersfoot
Saundersfoot
Saundersfoot is a community in Pembrokeshire, west Wales. It is known as a seaside resort, and along with nearby Tenby is one of the most visited Welsh holiday destinations.-Harbour:...
. Although there are now ten or so houses, until the 1950s there were only Cold Inn Farm, and Cold Inn Cottage, There are more houses on Clayford Road and Ebenezer Baptist Chapel (1861)lies to the east on the Cold Inn Cross to Templebar road. A former small stone building which was also a butcher's/slaughter house was part of the original heart of the hamlet. it was situated next to Cold Inn Cottage on the East Williamston road. This old slaughterhouse was demolished around 2006 to construct a new dwelling. The two old cottages were home to several colliers families who worked at nearby anthracite mines, and locally they burnt on the domestic fire 'culm' - a mixture of anthracite coal dust and clay formed into balls.
The coal mining industry has long since gone from the area. Coal seams used to outcrop in this area and many old sites to extract this, used to pepper the area but were of small scale. It is now an area with its fair share of holiday caravan sites nearby.