ARCHIVE PICTURES.
Friday 14th March 2003.
A stroll around Reynoldston Village.
Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind
permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland
Situated near the centre of the Gower Peninsular the sprawling village of Reynoldston lies on the western slopes of Cefn Bryn. I've visited the village on very many occasions but never, until today, had the time to have a really good look around.
. The village name derives from Reginald or Reynald de Breos, an early Norman Lord of Gower who settled here circa 1100..
Reynoldston is one of Gower's important settlement and there has been a community here since the 6th century. This site was chosen because of the reliable springs and wells that provided good drinking water.
The pub was originally called The Rising Sun in 1830. The name was changed to the King Arthur in 1870.
The village has two greens, this is Higher Green.
Sheep wander freely over the greens.......
.....and along the village lanes..
A short walk down the lane and you arrive at Lower Green.
A fair, known as the Harvest Fair used to be held on the Green. People came from all over Gower to see the side shows, ponies, a Wild West show, a beer tent (beer was cheap in those days, it cost 2 - 2½p a pint), swings and prize fighting. The fair stopped because of the First World War and was never held again. .
This imposing sign bears the inscription "The best kept village in Gower"
The Patronal dedication name of Reynoldston's Church, St. George, reminds us of the Norman and English influence which predominated in this part of Wales for much of the last Millennium. For many centuries a church has stood on the site now occupied by the current building which dates from the mid-1860's and is a fine example of Victorian Gothic architecture and includes many examples of 20th century stained glass, including a three-light east window designed by Nathaniel Westlake. One of the early Christian monuments in Gower is a pillar cross standing near the chancel arch and another feature of the church is the Norman font that is carved from a single block of stalagmite.
If you walk on down past the Green you come to the end of the village and after the last of the houses..... .
.....there are fields on either side. I walked a little way down the lane then returned to the village.....
..... to explore another lane that led from the Green to the higher part of the village. On the Green, near the church, a large stone has been erected to commemorate the Millenium .
In the lane I noticed what appeared to be a typical stonework surround of an old water supply......
....... as well as some lovely old cottages.
At the top of the lane is the Post Office and opposite is the Methodist Chapel.
At the junction I turned right to take me back to Higher Green. The road in the other direction goes to Burry Green.
I followed the road along the top of the Green to the far corner where it met the road over Cefn Bryn. There through the open grill of a metal gate I saw, in the sunlit garden of a whitewashed cottage, a mass of mauve crocuses and yellow daffodils. It looked so wonderful because it was so completely natural and untouched. As I stood admiring this marvellous display, the lady who lived there arrived in her car and seeing my obvious interest kindly allowed me in to take a couple of photos.
Telling me about the the cottage, she said it was built sometime in the 16th century and is one of the oldest cottages in Gower. At one time the cottage was home to nuns who looked after the monks at Oxwich..
After leaving the cottage I walked on down the road for a couple of hundred yards. The houses are on one side only, the other side slopes up to the summit of Cefn Bryn. This is as far as I go for today....'bye.
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