Porthcawl

Porthcawl is a small seaside tourist town on the south coast of Wales. Situated on the south coast between Cardiff and Swansea, Porthcawl is a popular destination for daytrippers, offering a sandy beachfront, a funfair and various attractions. Modern Porthcawl came to prominence as a coal port, developed from two villages, the Norman hamlet of Newton and the older Nottage, a Viking settlement. The town became a port for coal exports from 1825, but its growth was hampered by rough seas and gales. A Nash lighthouse was constructed in 1832, with the dock owners, the Brogden family, building a harbour and inner dock in 1866.

The lighthouse had the honour of being the last coal and gas powered lighthouse in the country, finally switching to North Sea gas in 1974 and electricity in 1997. As the town grew and prospered, a promenade was built in 1887 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Jubilee, with Victorian and Edwardian villas populating the wide streets. Despite the lighthouse and improved dock, the port's exposed position continued to put shipping at risk from sudden squalls, with the danger compounded by nearby sandbanks and the notorious Tuskar Rock. The final blow to Porthcawl's docks came after the opening of Barry and Port Talbot docks, leaving the town to reinvent itself as a holiday resort.

4 °C


Clear, clear sky


Wind12.35 m/s
Cloudiness7 %
Temperature (min/max)4/7 °C
Pressure1008 hpa
Humidity76 %
Last update: 22 Nov 2024 @ 10:07

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