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"Gower" redirects here. For other uses, see Gower (disambiguation).  The Gower Peninsula (Welsh: Penrhyn Gŵyr) is a peninsula on the south west coast of Wales, on the north side of the Bristol Channel in the southwest of the historic county of Glamorgan. Referred to colloquially as 'Gower', this was the first area in the United Kingdom to be designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1956. Gower was part of the ancient lordship of Gower, and today it is part of the City and County of Swansea. It elects an MP, and the constituency has elected only Labour MPs since 1906.
[edit] HistoryFollowing the Norman invasion of Wales, the commote of Gŵyr passed into English hands, the southern part eventually becoming heavily anglicised. Rhys Gryg of Deheubarth occupied the peninsula in 1215, but in 1220 he ceded the area to the English, apparently on the orders of his overlord, Llywelyn ap Iorwerth. Thereafter Gower remained largely beyond the reach of Llywelyn's successors as prince of Wales, though the peninsula suffered at the hands of Rhys ap Maredudd during his revolt of 1287-8. The Act of Union (1535) made the Lordship of Gower part of the historic county of Glamorgan, and the south-western section became the Hundred of Swansea. In modern times, the Gower Peninsula was administered as a Rural District of Glamorgan, which merged with the county borough of Swansea in 1974 to form the Swansea district.[1] Since 1996, Gower has been part of the City and County of Swansea. [edit] Geography.jpg) Situated in south west Wales, about 70 square miles (180 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.[2] The highest point on the Gower Peninsula is The Beacon at Rhossili Down at 193m/633 ft overlooking Rhossili Bay.[3] 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.[4] The southern coast of the peninsula consists of a series of small, rocky or sandy bays like Langland and Three Cliffs, and a few larger beaches like Port Eynon, Rhossili and Oxwich Bay. On the north side of the peninsula there are fewer beaches, this section of the coast includes the famous cockle-beds of Penclawdd. [edit] GovernanceGower elects a member of parliament, and the constituency has elected only Labour MPs 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. [edit] EconomyAgriculture 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[5] (see Economy of Swansea). [edit] LandmarksThere are six castles on the Gower Peninsula: Bovehill Castle (also known as Landimore Castle), Oystermouth Castle, Oxwich Castle, Pennard Castle, Penrice Castle and Weobley Castle. Gower is home to menhirs or standing stones from the Bronze Age. Of the nine stones, eight remain today. One of the most famous of the stones is Arthur's stone near Cefn Bryn. At Paviland Cave in South Gower, a human skeleton (named the Red Lady of Paviland, though he is actually a male) was discovered by Victorian archaeologists, dated as 25,000 years old. Parc Cwm long cairn, also commonly known as Parc le Breos burial chamber, is a partly restored Neolithic chambered tomb, identified in 1937 as one of the Severn-Cotswold type of chambered long barrow. The megalithic burial chamber, or "cromlech", was built between 6000 and 5800 years before present (BP), during the early Neolithic period, in what is now known as "Coed y Parc Cwm" at Parc le Breos.  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.[6][7] 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.[8] Other beaches include:
[edit] Llethryd Tooth CaveMain article: Llethryd Tooth Cave The Llethryd Tooth Cave, or Tooth Hole cave, is a Bronze Age 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.[9][10][11][12][13] At nearly a mile (1,525 m) long, the Tooth Cave is the longest known cave on the Gower Peninsular. It has tight and flooded sections and so, is kept locked for safety reasons.[14][15] [edit] Representation in the mediaThe village of Mumbles 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 [1]. 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. [edit] See also[edit] References
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Coordinates: 51°36′N 4°08′W / 51.6°N 4.133°W Categories: Peninsulas of Wales | Gower Peninsula | National Nature Reserves in Wales | Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Wales | Seaside resorts in Wales | Beaches of Wales | Sites of Special Scientific Interest in West Glamorgan | Visitor attractions in Wales | Bristol Channel | Coast of Wales | Surfing locations in Wales | Protected areas established in 1956 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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