Maidenwells is a small village located 1.6 miles south of Pembroke, Pembrokeshire

Pembroke, Pembrokeshire

Pembroke is an historic settlement and former county town of Pembrokeshire in west Wales. The town and the county derive their name from that of the cantref of Penfro: Pen = "head" or "end", and bro = "region", "country", "land", and so it means essentially "Land's End".-History:The main point of...

, in southwest 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...

. The earliest reference to Maiden Wells is 'Mayden Welle' in 1336. The population is currently around 350.
It is a sought-after village with house-hunters, with its close proximity to the town centre, but far enough away from town to enjoy rolling fields, woodland and rural sea views in the southeast. The average price of a detached 3-bedroom house in the village is approximately £245,000 (2005 est.)

Maidenwells gets its name from the natural well in the centre of the village. It was thought to have been visited by Maidens in connection with a fertility rite. The well still exists, but is now located on private property and is inaccessible to the public.

Maidenwells in the past had a public house, post office and petrol station - but all of these disappeared in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Today, Maidenwells is a quiet village. However, the unclassified road that runs through the village is used as the main route to the Valero

Valero

Valero Energy Corporation is a Fortune 500 international manufacturer and marketer of transportation fuels, other petrochemical products, and power based in San Antonio, Texas, United States...

oil refinery and RWE N-Power power station a few miles away. Valero and the power station sends over 4000 additional vehicles through the village each day - much to the dismay of residents.