Rhossili

Rhossili (Welsh: Rhosili; Welsh pronunciation) is a small village and community on the southwestern tip of the Gower Peninsula[1] in Swansea. It is within an area designated as the first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the United Kingdom. The village has a community council and is part of the Gower parliamentary constituency, and the Gower electoral ward. The population was 278 in 2011 census.

Rhossili
Rhossili
Location within Swansea
Population278 
Community
  • Rhossili
Principal area
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSwansea
Postcode districtSA3
PoliceSouth Wales
FireMid and West Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
  • Gower


Origin of name

Rhossili probably gets its name in part from the Welsh word for moorland, rhos. The second element in the name may be a reference to a Saint Sulien or St Sili, but details are not clear. Certainly the present Norman church is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin. Inside there is a memorial to Edgar Evans who was the first to perish on the Terra Nova Expedition on the return from the South Pole.

History

There was a local tradition that there had been an earlier, pre medieval village complete with church closer to the sea which had been abandoned after "besanding" in the 14th century. A storm and subsequent excavation of newly exposed remains in the Warren (an area of sand dunes to the north of the present village) in 1980 helped to confirm the truth of this.

Despite its relatively remote position, Rhossili is a popular tourist destination: the views from the headland and the Down are panoramic; several pleasant walks begin, end, or pass through the village; Iron Age remains are found on Rhossili Down; and the 4 mile (6.4 km) long beach attracts surfers, particularly at the Llangennith (northern) end.

The prominent wreck of the Helvetia, which ran aground in Rhossili Bay in November 1887, bears witness to the challenging sea conditions.

A sunset at Rhossili Bay.

Rhossili Bay

Rhossili Bay curves along an arc running northwards from the village. The sandy beach is three miles (5 km) long and is backed with sand dunes. Some locals refer to the beach as Llangennith Sands. Behind the beach just north of the village is Rhossili Down with the highest point on the Gower Peninsula, the Beacon (193 metres), and a number of prehistoric remains. It is between Rhossili Down and the beach proper that the Warren is found. In some of the fields on "The Vile" in Rhossili, the National Trust plant every year around 400,000 sunflowers. This is an extremely popular attraction for visitors to take selfies at during late July and early August, however there have been issues with some visitors picking the flowers.[2][3]

At the southern end of the Bay is the small tidal island called Worm's Head. At the north is Burry Holms. These islands are accessible at low tide only. Also at low tide, it is possible to see the remains of several shipwrecks, wood from the wreck of the Helvetia being the most prominent when looking north from Rhossili. Worm's Head consists of two islands, Inner and Outer Head. Outer Head reaches 56 metres in height (184 feet), Inner head 47 metres (154 feet).

Rhossili Bay featured in the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, a youth choir began a cappella performances of "Bread of Heaven" live on the beach which was broadcast at the Olympic Stadium.[4] The bay has been used as the setting of New Earth in the sci-fi show Doctor Who and the bay including the Old Rectory was used in Torchwood: Miracle Day. In 2014, it was voted the UK's number one beach, third best in Europe, and 9th best in the world, by TripAdvisor users.[5][6]

Fall Bay

Fall Bay is one of the most remote and hardest to reach beaches on Gower. The beach is never crowded due to its remoteness. There is no beach visible at high tide. The beach is very popular with surfers. At very low tide, it is possible to walk over from the beach to Mewslade Bay. The beach is reachable via a path which passes Rhossili village hall. It continues over fields and many stiles and has a steep final descent. The cliff path leads east to Mewslade Bay [7] or westwards towards the Worm's Head and Rhossili Bay.

Notable residents
  • Edgar Evans,[8] Antarctic explorer (a memorial tablet can be seen in the parish church)[9]

National Trust

The National Trust owns and protects much land on the Gower Peninsula. The Trust operates a visitor centre in Rhossili near the Warren, Rhossili Down, Worm's Head, Rhossili beach and coastal cliffs. Scenes from Torchwood: Miracle Day were filmed at the National Trust's Old Rectory cottage in Rhossili Bay.[10][11][12]

Skinny dipping

On 19 June 2011, almost four hundred people attempted to break the world record for the largest number of people skinny dipping at one time in the sea at Rhossili.[13]

Further reading
  • Musings of a Middleton Boy, An Autobiography of One Youngster's Life in Post-World War II Rural Wales, Growing Up on the Gower Coast by Cyril Jones, 2007 (ISBN 9780595466580)(ISBN 9780595705153)
  • A Gower Family, The Lucases of Stouthall and Rhossili Rectory, by Robert Lucas, 2005 (ISBN 1873295715)
  • Rhossili, A Village Background", by Robert Lucas, 2004 (ISBN 0905928938)
  • Rhossili: The Land, Landscape and People, by Leonard Beynon, 2008 (ISBN 9780955170324)
  • Edgar Evans of Gower (1876-1912), From Rhossili to the South Pole, by Gary Gregor, 2008 (ISBN 9780902767430)
  • Rhossili beach in Autumn, 2010
  • Church of St Mary the Virgin
  • The Devil's Bridge at Worm's Head
  • Worm's Head
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See also
  • Villages in Gower

References
  1. A Guide to Gower, published by the Gower Society, ISBN 0-902767-23-2
  2. Williams, Nino (29 July 2019). "The sunflowers are back at Rhossili and they are looking stunning". walesonline. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  3. "Call for people to stop picking beauty spot flowers". 4 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  4. "London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony live". National Post. 27 July 2012. Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  5. "Wales beats Hawaii and Caribbean in beach poll". Travelmole.com. 18 March 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  6. "BBC News - Rhossili Bay, Gower, third best in Europe says TripAdvisor survey". Bbc.co.uk. 18 March 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  7. "Rhossili to Mewslade Bay". Wales Coast Path. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  8. Evans Collection
  9. Rhossili Parish Church and the old Church in the Warren by Robert Lucas, published by Rhossili Parochial Church Council, 2000.
  10. Foster, Chuck. "Torchwood: News Roundup". The Doctor Who News Page. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
  11. Wright, Ben. "Swansea-born Torchwood writer 'can't wait' to show off hometown in new BBC series". This Is South Wales. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  12. Foster, Chuck. "Torchwood: Week Three Filming". The Doctor Who News Page. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
  13. "Rhossili midsummer skinny dip organisers claim record". BBC News. 19 June 2011.

Media related to Rhossili at Wikimedia Commons


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