Gower Peninsula
Encyclopedia
Gower or the Gower Peninsula is a peninsula
in south Wales
, jutting from the coast into the Bristol Channel
, and administratively part of the City and County of Swansea. Locally it is known as "Gower" (not "the Gower"). In 1956 Gower became the first area in Britain to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
.
.jpg)
About 70 square miles (181.3 km²) in area, Gower is known for its coastline, popular with walkers
and outdoor enthusiasts, especially surfers. Gower has many caves, including Paviland Cave and Minchin Hole Cave. The peninsula
is bounded by the Loughor Estuary to the north and Swansea Bay
to the east. Gower Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
covers 188 km², including most of the peninsula west of Crofty, Three Crosses, Upper Killay, Blackpill
and Bishopston
. The highest point of Gower is The Beacon at Rhossili Down at 193m/633 ft overlooking Rhossili Bay. Pwll Du and the Bishopton Valley form a statutory Local Nature Reserve
.
The interior of Gower consists mainly of farmland and common land. The population resides mainly in villages and small communities
, though suburban development has made a number of communities in eastern Gower part of the Swansea Urban Area
.
The southern coast consists of a series of small, rocky or sandy bay
s, such as Langland
and Three Cliffs
, and larger beaches such as Port Eynon
, Rhossili
and Oxwich Bay
. The north of the peninsula has fewer beaches, and is home to the cockle
-beds of Penclawdd
.
period, and the Gower Peninsula has been the scene of several important archaeological discoveries. In 1823 Victorian-era archaeologists discovered a fairly complete Upper Paleolithic-era human male skeleton in Paviland Cave. They named their find the Red Lady of Paviland
because the skeleton is dyed in red ochre, though later investigators determined it was actually a male. This was the first human fossil to have been found anywhere in the world, and is still the oldest ceremonial burial anywhere in Western Europe so far discovered. The most recent re-calibrated radiocarbon dating in 2009 indicates that the skeleton can be dated to around 33,000 Before Present (BP)
. In 1937 the Parc Cwm long cairn
was identified as a Severn-Cotswold
type of chambered long barrow
. Also known as Parc le Breos burial chamber, it is a partly restored Neolithic
chambered tomb
. The megalith
ic burial chamber, or "cromlech
", was built around 6,000 BP. In the 1950s, Cambridge University excavating in a cave on the peninsula found 300-400 pieces of flint related to toolmaking, and dated it to between 12,000-14,000 BC. In 2010 an instructor from Bristol University, exploring caves in the same area, discovered a rock drawing of a red deer from the same period- which may be the oldest cave art found in Great Britain.
Gower is also home to menhir
s or standing stones from the Bronze Age
. Of the nine stones, eight remain today. One of the most notable of the stones is Arthur's stone near Cefn Bryn
. Its twenty-five ton capstone was most likely a glacial erratic (a piece of rock/conglomerate carried by glacial ice some distance from the rock outcrop from which it came), which the builders dug beneath and supported with upright stones to create a burial chamber. The remains of Sweyne Howes on Rhossili Down, Penmaen Burrows Tomb (Pen-y-Crug) and Nicholaston Long Cairn are three other well-known Neolithic chambered tombs.
During the Bronze Age, people continued to use local caves as a source of shelter and for burying their dead. Bronze Age evidence, such as funeral urns, pottery and human remains have been found in Tooth Cave at Llethryd, Culver Hole (Llangennith) and Cat Hole Cave. With the transition into the Iron Age, hill forts (timber fortifications on hill tops and coastal promontories) and earthworks began to appear. The largest example of this type of Iron Age settlement on the Gower Peninsula is Cilifor Top near Llanrhidian.
Roman occupation brought new settlement. The Romans built Leucarum
, a rectangular or trapezoidal fort at the mouth of the River Loughor in the late 1st century to house a regiment of Roman auxiliary troops. Its remains are located beneath the town of Loughor
. Stone defences were added to the earthen ditch and rampart by 110 and the fort was occupied until the middle or end of that century. However, it was later abandoned for a time and in the early 3rd century the ditch naturally silted up. It appears to have been brought back into use during the rule of Carausius who was worried about Irish raids, but was abandoned again before the 4th century. A Norman castle was later built on the site.
Following the Norman invasion of Wales
the commote
of Gwyr passed into the hands of English-speaking Britons and its southern part soon became Anglicised
. In 1215 a local lord, Rhys Gryg
of Deheubarth claimed control of the peninsula, but in 1220 he ceded control to the Anglo-French lords, perhaps on the orders of his overlord, Llywelyn ap Iorwerth. Thereafter Gower remained beyond the reach of Llewelyn's successors as Prince of Wales
; but its population suffered at the hands of Rhys ap Maredudd during his revolt of 1287-8.
In 1535 the Act of Union
made the Gower Lordship
part of the historic county of Glamorgan
, and its south-western section became the hundred of Swansea
.
In modern times Gower was administered as a Rural District
of Glamorgan
. In 1974 it was merged with the county borough
of Swansea
, to form the Swansea district
. Since 1996 Gower has been part of the City and County of Swansea.
has elected only Labour members of Parliament since 1906, the longest run (with Normanton
and Makerfield
) of any UK constituency. The constituency encompasses the old Lordship of Gower
(less the city of Swansea) and covers the peninsula and outer Gower areas including Clydach, Gowerton, Gorseinon, Felindre and Garnswllt.
remains important to the area, but tourism
plays an increasing role in the local economy. The peninsula has a Championship status golf course
at Fairwood Park just off Fairwood Common, having twice held the Welsh PGA Championships in the 1990s. Meanwhile, the Gower Golf Club at Three Crosses hosts the West Wales Open, a two-day tournament on Wales' professional golf tour
, the Dragon Tour. Gower is part of the Swansea Travel to Work Area
(see Economy of Swansea
).
s on the Gower Peninsula: Bovehill Castle (also known as Landimore Castle), Oystermouth Castle
, Oxwich Castle
, Pennard Castle
, Penrice Castle
and Weobley Castle
.
Four of Gower's beaches have Blue Flag beach
and Seaside (2006) awards for their high standards: Bracelet Bay
, Caswell Bay
, Langland Bay
and Port Eynon Bay. Five other beaches have been given the Green Coast Award 2005 for "natural, unspoiled environment": Rhossili Bay, Mewslade Bay
, Tor Bay, Pwll Du Bay, and Limeslade Bay
.
Other beaches include:
ossuary
site in a limestone cave, about 1,500 yards (1.4 km) north, north west of the Parc Cwm long cairn
cromlech, on private land along the Parc Cwm valley, near the village of Llethryd. The cave was rediscovered by cavers
in 1961, who found human bones. An excavation was carried out by D.P. Webley & J. Harvey in 1962 revealing the disarticulated remains (i.e. not complete skeletons) of six adults and two children, dated to the Early Bronze Age or Beaker culture
. Other finds are now held at the Amgueddfa Cymru–National Museum Wales
, Cardiff
: Early Bronze Age, or Beaker, collared urn pottery; flaked knives; a scraper; flint flakes; a bone spatula; a needle & bead; and animal bones – the remains of domesticated animals, cat and dog. Archaeologists Alasdair Whittle
and Michael Wysocki note that this period of occupation may be "significant", with respect to Parc Cwm long cairn, as it is "broadly contemporary with the secondary use of the tomb". In their article published in The Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society (vol.64 (1998), pp. 139–82) Whittle and Wysocki suggest corpses may have been placed in caves near the cromlech until they decomposed, when the bones were moved to the tomb – a process known as excarnation
.
At nearly a mile (1,525 m) long, the Tooth Cave is the longest cave in Gower. It has tight and flooded sections, and so is kept locked for safety.
set the scene for a six part drama Ennals Point featuring Welsh actor Philip Madoc
. The series focused on the local lifeboat crew and first aired in January 1982. To those living locally, the continuity leaps were often amusing — departing a house in the village the actors would find themselves immediately in an area 6 miles (9.7 km) distant.
A film, Gower Boy, made by artist Gee Vaucher
and musician Huw Warren
, described as a "gentle, contemplative exploration of the Gower Peninsula in Wales", debuted at the 14th Raindance Film Festival
in October 2006 http://www.raindancefilmfestival.org/festival/programme/features/gowerboy.htm.
The village of Rhossili
appeared as a location in the 2006 Doctor Who
episode "New Earth
". In the episode, Worm's Head could be seen.
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
in south Wales
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...
, jutting from the coast into the Bristol Channel
Bristol Channel
The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Severn to the North Atlantic Ocean...
, and administratively part of the City and County of Swansea. Locally it is known as "Gower" (not "the Gower"). In 1956 Gower became the first area in Britain to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
.
Geography
Walking
Walking is one of the main gaits of locomotion among legged animals, and is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults over the stiff limb or limbs with each step...
and outdoor enthusiasts, especially surfers. Gower has many caves, including Paviland Cave and Minchin Hole Cave. The peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
is bounded by the Loughor Estuary to the north and Swansea Bay
Swansea Bay
Swansea Bay is a bay on the Bristol Channel on the South Wales coast. Places on the bay include Mumbles, Swansea and Port Talbot. The River Neath, River Tawe, River Afan and Blackpill stream flow into the bay....
to the east. Gower Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
covers 188 km², including most of the peninsula west of Crofty, Three Crosses, Upper Killay, Blackpill
Blackpill
Blackpill is a suburban area of Swansea, Wales. It is located beside Swansea Bay, about south west of the city centre.Blackpill falls into the Mayals ward....
and Bishopston
Bishopston, Swansea
Bishopston is a village and community situated on the Gower Peninsula, some west south west of the centre of Swansea in South Wales. Forming part of the Bishopston ward of the City and County of Swansea, it is one of the largest villages on Gower. Bishopston has its own rugby club, South Gower...
. The highest point of Gower is The Beacon at Rhossili Down at 193m/633 ft overlooking Rhossili Bay. Pwll Du and the Bishopton Valley form a statutory Local Nature Reserve
Local Nature Reserve
Local nature reserve or LNR is a designation for nature reserves in the United Kingdom. The designation has its origin in the recommendations of the Wild Life Conservation Special Committee which established the framework for nature conservation in the United Kingdom and suggested a national suite...
.
The interior of Gower consists mainly of farmland and common land. The population resides mainly in villages and small communities
Villages in Gower
The Gower Peninsula in the City and County of Swansea in south Wales in Britain is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It contains over twenty villages and communities.-Bishopston:...
, though suburban development has made a number of communities in eastern Gower part of the Swansea Urban Area
Swansea Urban Area
The Swansea Urban Area is an area of land in Wales, UK defined by the Office for National Statistics for population monitoring purposes. It is an urban conurbation and is not coterminous with the City and County of Swansea...
.
The southern coast consists of a series of small, rocky or sandy bay
Headlands and bays
Headlands and bays are two related features of the coastal environment.- Geology and geography :Headlands and bays are often found on the same coastline. A bay is surrounded by land on three sides, whereas a headland is surrounded by water on three sides. Headlands are characterized by high,...
s, such as Langland
Langland Bay
Langland Bay is a popular coastal holiday resort in Gower, near Swansea in south Wales. In the right conditions, it is one of the best surf beaches in Britain...
and Three Cliffs
Three Cliffs Bay
Three Cliffs Bay , otherwise Three Cliff Bay, is a bay on the south coast of the Gower Peninsula in the City and County of Swansea, Wales. The bay takes its name from the three sea cliffs that jut out into the bay...
, and larger beaches such as Port Eynon
Port Eynon
Port Eynon is a village and community in the city and county of Swansea, Wales. The community has its own elected community council...
, Rhossili
Rhossili
Rhossili is a small village and community on the southwestern tip of the Gower Peninsula near Swansea in Wales. Since the 1970s it has fallen within the boundaries of Swansea. It is within an area designated as the first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the United Kingdom...
and Oxwich Bay
Oxwich Bay
thumb|Oxwich Bay on the Gower Peninsula of South WalesOxwich Bay is a bay on the south of the Gower Peninsula, Wales.Its landscape features sand dunes, salt marshes and woodland. Oxwich Bay includes a 2.5-mile long sandy beach, accessible from the village of Oxwich. It is a popular spot for...
. The north of the peninsula has fewer beaches, and is home to the cockle
Cockle
Cockle may refer to:* Cockle , a group of edible saltwater clams * Lolium temulentum, a tufted grass plant* Berwick cockles, a confectionery from ScotlandCockleshell* The Mark II canoes used in Operation Frankton in 1942...
-beds of Penclawdd
Penclawdd
Penclawdd is a village which is situated in the north of the Gower Peninsula in Swansea, Wales. Penclawdd is most famous for its local cockle industry which goes back for many years to Roman times. It falls within the Penclawdd electoral ward. It is one of the larger villages on the Gower Peninsula...
.
History
Wales is known to have been inhabited since at least the Upper PaleolithicUpper Paleolithic
The Upper Paleolithic is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. Very broadly it dates to between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago, roughly coinciding with the appearance of behavioral modernity and before the advent of...
period, and the Gower Peninsula has been the scene of several important archaeological discoveries. In 1823 Victorian-era archaeologists discovered a fairly complete Upper Paleolithic-era human male skeleton in Paviland Cave. They named their find the Red Lady of Paviland
Red Lady of Paviland
The Red Lady of Paviland is a fairly complete Upper Paleolithic-era human male skeleton dyed in red ochre. It was the first human fossil to have been found anywhere in the world and is also the oldest ceremonial burial anywhere in Western Europe so far discovered. The bones were discovered between...
because the skeleton is dyed in red ochre, though later investigators determined it was actually a male. This was the first human fossil to have been found anywhere in the world, and is still the oldest ceremonial burial anywhere in Western Europe so far discovered. The most recent re-calibrated radiocarbon dating in 2009 indicates that the skeleton can be dated to around 33,000 Before Present (BP)
Before Present
Before Present years is a time scale used in archaeology, geology, and other scientific disciplines to specify when events in the past occurred. Because the "present" time changes, standard practice is to use AD 1950 as the origin of the age scale, reflecting the fact that radiocarbon...
. In 1937 the Parc Cwm long cairn
Parc Cwm long cairn
Parc Cwm long cairn , also known as Parc le Breos burial chamber , is a partly restored Neolithic chambered tomb, identified in 1937 as a Severn-Cotswold type of chambered long barrow. The cromlech, a megalithic burial chamber, was built around 5850 years before present , during the early...
was identified as a Severn-Cotswold
Severn-Cotswold tomb
Severn-Cotswold is a name given to a type of Megalithic chamber tomb built by Neolithic peoples in Wales and South West England around 3500 BC.-Description:...
type of chambered long barrow
Chambered long barrow
Chambered long barrows are a type of megalithic burial monument found in the British Isles in the Neolithic.Long barrows either contained wooden or stone burial structures beneath the barrow and the surviving megalithic stone in the latter means that they are the ones referred to by archaeologists...
. Also known as Parc le Breos burial chamber, it is a partly restored Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
chambered tomb
Chamber tomb
A chamber tomb is a tomb for burial used in many different cultures. In the case of individual burials, the chamber is thought to signify a higher status for the interree than a simple grave. Built from rock or sometimes wood, the chambers could also serve as places for storage of the dead from one...
. The megalith
Megalith
A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. Megalithic describes structures made of such large stones, utilizing an interlocking system without the use of mortar or cement.The word 'megalith' comes from the Ancient...
ic burial chamber, or "cromlech
Cromlech
Cromlech is a Brythonic word used to describe prehistoric megalithic structures, where crom means "bent" and llech means "flagstone". The term is now virtually obsolete in archaeology, but remains in use as a colloquial term for two different types of megalithic monument.In English it usually...
", was built around 6,000 BP. In the 1950s, Cambridge University excavating in a cave on the peninsula found 300-400 pieces of flint related to toolmaking, and dated it to between 12,000-14,000 BC. In 2010 an instructor from Bristol University, exploring caves in the same area, discovered a rock drawing of a red deer from the same period- which may be the oldest cave art found in Great Britain.
Gower is also home to menhir
Menhir
A menhir is a large upright standing stone. Menhirs may be found singly as monoliths, or as part of a group of similar stones. Their size can vary considerably; but their shape is generally uneven and squared, often tapering towards the top...
s or standing stones from the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
. Of the nine stones, eight remain today. One of the most notable of the stones is Arthur's stone near Cefn Bryn
Cefn Bryn
Cefn Bryn is an ancient ridge in Britain. It is a 5 mile long Old Red Sandstone ridge in south Wales, in the heart of the Gower Peninsula, in the City and County of Swansea. Local people colloquially refer to it as the "backbone of Gower", as it protrudes from surrounding limestone...
. Its twenty-five ton capstone was most likely a glacial erratic (a piece of rock/conglomerate carried by glacial ice some distance from the rock outcrop from which it came), which the builders dug beneath and supported with upright stones to create a burial chamber. The remains of Sweyne Howes on Rhossili Down, Penmaen Burrows Tomb (Pen-y-Crug) and Nicholaston Long Cairn are three other well-known Neolithic chambered tombs.
During the Bronze Age, people continued to use local caves as a source of shelter and for burying their dead. Bronze Age evidence, such as funeral urns, pottery and human remains have been found in Tooth Cave at Llethryd, Culver Hole (Llangennith) and Cat Hole Cave. With the transition into the Iron Age, hill forts (timber fortifications on hill tops and coastal promontories) and earthworks began to appear. The largest example of this type of Iron Age settlement on the Gower Peninsula is Cilifor Top near Llanrhidian.
Roman occupation brought new settlement. The Romans built Leucarum
Leucarum
Leucarum was a coastal auxiliary fort in the Roman province of Britannia. Its remains are located beneath the town of Loughor in the Welsh county of West Glamorgan....
, a rectangular or trapezoidal fort at the mouth of the River Loughor in the late 1st century to house a regiment of Roman auxiliary troops. Its remains are located beneath the town of Loughor
Loughor
Loughor is a town in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales. It lies on the estuary of the River Loughor. The town has a community council called Llwchwr....
. Stone defences were added to the earthen ditch and rampart by 110 and the fort was occupied until the middle or end of that century. However, it was later abandoned for a time and in the early 3rd century the ditch naturally silted up. It appears to have been brought back into use during the rule of Carausius who was worried about Irish raids, but was abandoned again before the 4th century. A Norman castle was later built on the site.
Following the Norman invasion of Wales
Norman invasion of Wales
The Norman invasion of Wales began shortly after the Norman conquest of England under William the Conqueror, who believed England to be his birthright...
the commote
Commote
A commote , sometimes spelt in older documents as cymwd, was a secular division of land in Medieval Wales. The word derives from the prefix cym- and the noun bod...
of Gwyr passed into the hands of English-speaking Britons and its southern part soon became Anglicised
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
. In 1215 a local lord, Rhys Gryg
Rhys Gryg
Rhys Gryg , real name Rhys ap Rhys, also known as Rhys Fychan was a Welsh Prince who ruled part of the Kingdom of Deheubarth.- Lineage :...
of Deheubarth claimed control of the peninsula, but in 1220 he ceded control to the Anglo-French lords, perhaps on the orders of his overlord, Llywelyn ap Iorwerth. Thereafter Gower remained beyond the reach of Llewelyn's successors as Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
; but its population suffered at the hands of Rhys ap Maredudd during his revolt of 1287-8.
In 1535 the Act of Union
Laws in Wales Acts 1535-1542
The Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 were parliamentary measures by which the legal system of Wales was annexed to England and the norms of English administration introduced. The intention was to create a single state and a single legal jurisdiction; frequently referred to as England and Wales...
made the Gower Lordship
Gower (Lordship)
thumb|350px|right|Map of the Lordship, showing the area detached , the area added and the Town and Franchise of Swansea. The language boundary is shown as a dotted line....
part of the historic county of Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
, and its south-western section became the hundred of Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
.
In modern times Gower was administered as a Rural District
Rural district
Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of the administrative counties.-England and Wales:In England...
of Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
. In 1974 it was merged with the county borough
County borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...
of Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, to form the Swansea district
Swansea (district)
The Swansea district was one of the four local government districts of West Glamorgan, Wales from 1974 to 1996. It was formed from the areas of the county borough of Swansea and Gower Rural District, from the administrative county of Glamorgan....
. Since 1996 Gower has been part of the City and County of Swansea.
Governance
The Gower constituencyGower (UK Parliament constituency)
Gower is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament , using the first-past-the-post voting system....
has elected only Labour members of Parliament since 1906, the longest run (with Normanton
Normanton (UK Parliament constituency)
Normanton was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
and Makerfield
Makerfield (UK Parliament constituency)
Makerfield is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
) of any UK constituency. The constituency encompasses the old Lordship of Gower
Gower (Lordship)
thumb|350px|right|Map of the Lordship, showing the area detached , the area added and the Town and Franchise of Swansea. The language boundary is shown as a dotted line....
(less the city of Swansea) and covers the peninsula and outer Gower areas including Clydach, Gowerton, Gorseinon, Felindre and Garnswllt.
Economy
AgricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
remains important to the area, but tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
plays an increasing role in the local economy. The peninsula has a Championship status golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
at Fairwood Park just off Fairwood Common, having twice held the Welsh PGA Championships in the 1990s. Meanwhile, the Gower Golf Club at Three Crosses hosts the West Wales Open, a two-day tournament on Wales' professional golf tour
Professional golf tours
Professional golf tours are the means by which otherwise unconnected professional golf tournaments are organised into a regular schedule. There are separate tours for men and women, with each tour being based in a specific geographical region, although some of their tournaments may be held in other...
, the Dragon Tour. Gower is part of the Swansea Travel to Work Area
Travel to Work Area
A Travel to Work Area or TTWA is a statistical tool used by UK Government agencies and local authorities, especially by the Department for Work and Pensions and Job Centres, to indicate an area where the population would generally commute to a larger town, city or conurbation for the purposes of...
(see Economy of Swansea
Economy of Swansea
The City and County of Swansea is an urban centre with a largely rural hinterland in Gower; the city has been described as the regional centre for South West Wales...
).
Landmarks
There are six castleCastle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
s on the Gower Peninsula: Bovehill Castle (also known as Landimore Castle), Oystermouth Castle
Oystermouth Castle
Oystermouth Castle is a Norman stone castle in Wales, overlooking Swansea Bay on the east side of the Gower Peninsula near the village of the Mumbles.- The early castle :...
, Oxwich Castle
Oxwich Castle
Oxwich Castle occupies a position on a wooded headland overlooking Oxwich Bay on the Gower Peninsula, Wales, UK.Although it may occupy the site of an earlier fortification, this is a castle in name only as it is a grand Tudor manor house built in courtyard style. A product of the peaceful 16th...
, Pennard Castle
Pennard
Pennard is the name of an electoral ward, a community in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. Pennard has its own community council....
, Penrice Castle
Penrice Castle
Penrice Castle is a castle near Penrice on the Gower Peninsula in south Wales.- History :Penrice Castle is the 13th-century successor to a strong ringwork to the southeast, known as the Mountybank. It was built by the de Penrice family who were originally given land at Penrice for their part in the...
and Weobley Castle
Weobley Castle
Weobley Castle is a fortified manor house on the Gower Peninsula, Wales in the care of Cadw.It is near the village of Leason overlooking Llanrhidian Marsh and the Loughor estuary. The castle dates from the 13th Century. It was attacked and damaged by the forces of Owain Glyndŵr in 1403.- External...
.
Blue Flag beach
The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education that a beach or marina meets its stringent standards.The Blue Flag is a trademark owned by FEE which is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation consisting of 65 organisations in 60 member countries in Europe,...
and Seaside (2006) awards for their high standards: Bracelet Bay
Bracelet Bay
Bracelet Bay is a small bay on the south of the Gower Peninsula. It is the first bay one comes to after leaving Swansea Bay and rounding Mumbles Head....
, Caswell Bay
Caswell Bay
Caswell Bay is a popular UK holiday resort in the south east of the Gower Peninsula, Swansea, Wales.Access to the beach is relatively easy and inland from the sandy beach is a recreational park. Caswell is ideal for surfing, holidays in the nearby Hotels and Chalet Park. The beach regularly...
, Langland Bay
Langland Bay
Langland Bay is a popular coastal holiday resort in Gower, near Swansea in south Wales. In the right conditions, it is one of the best surf beaches in Britain...
and Port Eynon Bay. Five other beaches have been given the Green Coast Award 2005 for "natural, unspoiled environment": Rhossili Bay, Mewslade Bay
Mewslade Bay
Mewslade Bay is a sandy beach in the south of the Gower Peninsula, Wales.To the east lies Butterslade, to the west lies Fall Bay.It is accessible via a rocky wooded path which is muddy in places. The beach is popular with surfers. At high tide, the sandy beach is submerged by the sea.-External...
, Tor Bay, Pwll Du Bay, and Limeslade Bay
Limeslade Bay
Limeslade Bay is a small cove just to the west of Bracelet Bay in the south east corner of the Gower Peninsula, near Swansea in south Wales. It is a sheltered, mainly rocky beach with little sand. Bathing is possible. There is a car park in the adjacent Bracelet Bay...
.
Other beaches include:
- Swansea BaySwansea BaySwansea Bay is a bay on the Bristol Channel on the South Wales coast. Places on the bay include Mumbles, Swansea and Port Talbot. The River Neath, River Tawe, River Afan and Blackpill stream flow into the bay....
- Mumbles BeachMumbles BeachMumbles Beach is a very small sheltered area of sand and rock pools sandwiched between Swansea Bay beach and Bracelet Bay in the south eastern corner of the Gower Peninsula, Swansea, Wales....
- RothersladeRothersladeRotherslade is a small stretch of sandy beach at the eastern end of Langland Bay in the south Gower Peninsula, Wales. Previously known as 'Little Langland', it only exists as a separate beach at high tide. At low tide it is continuous with Langland Bay....
- Brandy CoveBrandy CoveBrandy Cove is a very small beach in the Gower Peninsula, south Wales, that is much less accessible than Caswell Bay immediately to the east. It is set at the end of a valley from Bishopston village. It is reachable by footpath from Bishopston or from Caswell Bay over some steep cliffs...
- Three Cliffs BayThree Cliffs BayThree Cliffs Bay , otherwise Three Cliff Bay, is a bay on the south coast of the Gower Peninsula in the City and County of Swansea, Wales. The bay takes its name from the three sea cliffs that jut out into the bay...
- Oxwich BayOxwich Baythumb|Oxwich Bay on the Gower Peninsula of South WalesOxwich Bay is a bay on the south of the Gower Peninsula, Wales.Its landscape features sand dunes, salt marshes and woodland. Oxwich Bay includes a 2.5-mile long sandy beach, accessible from the village of Oxwich. It is a popular spot for...
- Slade BaySlade BaySlade Bay - marked on Ordnance Survey maps as "The Sands" - is a sandy beach near the village of Slade, south Wales. It is set in a relatively inaccessible location - being reachable only on foot and climbing over some large rocks. At the back of the beach, worked fields and steep gorse-clad...
- Horton BayHorton BayHorton Beach is located in Port Eynon Bay on the south coast of the Gower Peninsula in Wales.It is reached from the nearby village of Horton via a steep hill, and has a car park sited a few minutes' walk away. Despite its accessibility and its popularity with surfers, the beach is usually very...
- Burry HolmsBurry HolmsBurry Holms is a small tidal island located at the northern end of the Gower Peninsula, Wales. 9,000 years ago it was up to 12 miles away from the sea and inhabited by nomadic Mesolithic hunters...
- Blue Pool BayBlue Pool BayBlue Pool Bay beach is situated near Burry Holms on the Gower Peninsula, Wales. The beach is popular with surfers & youngsters who go to jump from the rocks into blue pool itself.-External links:*...
- Broughton BayBroughton BayBroughton Bay is a beach of the Gower Peninsula, south Wales, located at the north western tip. The bay is backed by sand dunes further inland. Access to the adjacent Whiteford Sands beach to the west is only available at low tide....
- Whiteford SandsWhiteford SandsWhiteford Sands is a two mile expanse of beach on the northern side of the Gower Peninsula, south Wales. It is the most northerly beach on Gower and sits on the edge of the Loughor estuary....
Llethryd Tooth Cave
The Llethryd Tooth Cave, or Tooth Hole cave, is a Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
ossuary
Ossuary
An ossuary is a chest, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years the skeletal remains are removed and placed in an ossuary...
site in a limestone cave, about 1,500 yards (1.4 km) north, north west of the Parc Cwm long cairn
Parc Cwm long cairn
Parc Cwm long cairn , also known as Parc le Breos burial chamber , is a partly restored Neolithic chambered tomb, identified in 1937 as a Severn-Cotswold type of chambered long barrow. The cromlech, a megalithic burial chamber, was built around 5850 years before present , during the early...
cromlech, on private land along the Parc Cwm valley, near the village of Llethryd. The cave was rediscovered by cavers
Caving
Caving—also occasionally known as spelunking in the United States and potholing in the United Kingdom—is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems...
in 1961, who found human bones. An excavation was carried out by D.P. Webley & J. Harvey in 1962 revealing the disarticulated remains (i.e. not complete skeletons) of six adults and two children, dated to the Early Bronze Age or Beaker culture
Beaker culture
The Bell-Beaker culture , ca. 2400 – 1800 BC, is the term for a widely scattered cultural phenomenon of prehistoric western Europe starting in the late Neolithic or Chalcolithic running into the early Bronze Age...
. Other finds are now held at the Amgueddfa Cymru–National Museum Wales
National Museum Cardiff
National Museum Cardiff is a museum and art gallery in Cardiff, Wales. The museum is part of the wider network of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales...
, Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
: Early Bronze Age, or Beaker, collared urn pottery; flaked knives; a scraper; flint flakes; a bone spatula; a needle & bead; and animal bones – the remains of domesticated animals, cat and dog. Archaeologists Alasdair Whittle
Alasdair Whittle
Alasdair W. R. Whittle FLSW FBA is Distinguished Research Professor in Archaeology at Cardiff University, specialising in the Neolithic period.He is also a Founding Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.- Publications :...
and Michael Wysocki note that this period of occupation may be "significant", with respect to Parc Cwm long cairn, as it is "broadly contemporary with the secondary use of the tomb". In their article published in The Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society (vol.64 (1998), pp. 139–82) Whittle and Wysocki suggest corpses may have been placed in caves near the cromlech until they decomposed, when the bones were moved to the tomb – a process known as excarnation
Excarnation
In archaeology and anthropology, the term, excarnation , refers to the burial practice of removing the flesh and organs of the dead, leaving only the bones....
.
At nearly a mile (1,525 m) long, the Tooth Cave is the longest cave in Gower. It has tight and flooded sections, and so is kept locked for safety.
Representation in the media
The village of MumblesMumbles
Mumbles or The Mumbles is an area and community in Swansea, Wales which takes its name from the adjacent headland stretching into Swansea Bay...
set the scene for a six part drama Ennals Point featuring Welsh actor Philip Madoc
Philip Madoc
Philip Madoc is a Welsh actor who has had many television and film roles.One prominent role was the title character in the BBC Wales drama The Life and Times of David Lloyd George...
. The series focused on the local lifeboat crew and first aired in January 1982. To those living locally, the continuity leaps were often amusing — departing a house in the village the actors would find themselves immediately in an area 6 miles (9.7 km) distant.
A film, Gower Boy, made by artist Gee Vaucher
Gee Vaucher
Gee Vaucher is a visual artist who was born in 1945 in Dagenham, East London.Her work with Anarcho-punk band Crass was seminal to the 'protest art' of the 1980s. Vaucher has always seen her work as a tool for social change. In her collection of early works Crass Art and Other Pre Post-Modernist...
and musician Huw Warren
Huw Warren
Huw Warren is a jazz pianist and composer. A graduate of Goldsmiths College and Guildhall School of Music, he is known for his work with June Tabor, Perfect Houseplants, and various groups. Warren has recorded several albums under his own name on Babel Label, including projects with violinist Mark...
, described as a "gentle, contemplative exploration of the Gower Peninsula in Wales", debuted at the 14th Raindance Film Festival
Raindance Film Festival
Raindance is an independent film festival and film school that operates from various cities including: London, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Budapest, Berlin and Brussels...
in October 2006 http://www.raindancefilmfestival.org/festival/programme/features/gowerboy.htm.
The village of Rhossili
Rhossili
Rhossili is a small village and community on the southwestern tip of the Gower Peninsula near Swansea in Wales. Since the 1970s it has fallen within the boundaries of Swansea. It is within an area designated as the first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the United Kingdom...
appeared as a location in the 2006 Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
episode "New Earth
New Earth
"New Earth" is the first episode of the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on 15 April 2006. It is a sequel to the first series episode "The End of the World", and brings back its villain who was thought to be destroyed, Lady Cassandra, as...
". In the episode, Worm's Head could be seen.
Further reading
- Gower by Jonathan Mullard, published in 2006 as part of the Collins New Naturalist series.