Gwbert (), also known as Gwbert-on-Sea, is a cliff-top coastal village in Y Ferwig community, Ceredigion, Wales. It lies at the most southerly coastal point of Ceredigion, on the eastern shore of the Teifi estuary, from where there are views westwards over Cardigan Bay, and south-westwards to Poppit Sands and the headland of Cemaes Head, in neighbouring Pembrokeshire. It is reached by the B4548 road from the town of Cardigan (Welsh: Aberteifi), away.
History Gwbert as seen today essentially dates back only as far as the early 20th century, the most prominent buildings being the extensive Cliff Hotel and the smaller Gwbert Hotel. The settlement has an interesting history as a failed would-be resort, but despite its lack of facilities it is a popular holiday venue, being within easy reach of the Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire coastlines, both rich in scenery and wildlife.
The Ceredigion Coast Path, a long-distance footpath, and part of the Wales Coast Path, passes through Gwbert,Ceredigion Coast Path – Cardigan to Aberporth Retrieved 2 January 2012 making a marked detour inland north of the Cliff Hotel to avoid a dangerous cliff path.
Etymology Before the area was populated at the end of the 19th century, it was often called The Gwbert."Cardigan's New Brighton" – Cardigan & Tivy Side Advertiser, 1889 Retrieved 28 September 2011
The name Gwbert is thought to derive from a Celtic dedication (i.e. St Cubert),Cardiganshire County History: From the earliest times to the coming of the Normans, by Ieuan Gwynedd Jones, J. L. Davies, D. P. Kirby, Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society, Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales, 1994 suggesting that a chapel may have existed here at one time. Gwbert, a wandering saint, is said to have landed here and sheltered in a cave. In fact, Gwbert is among a group of five Saints (the others being Pedrog, Briog, Carannog and Meugana) honoured in church dedications near the mouth of the river Teifi, and also in churches lying in close proximity to each other in mid-Cornwall, and then again in neighbouring churches in Brittany.Ceredigion : Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society – Vol. 2, nos. 1-4 – 1952-1955
Although Gwbert is not recorded, by name, as a settlement in medieval documentation, Towyn Farm—on the northern edge of the adjoining dunes—was recorded as a late medieval gentry house/settlement, owned by Gwilym ap Einon, constable of Cardigan Castle, in 1326.Cambria.org website Retrieved 28 September 2011
The name "Pant-y-Gilbert" appears on maps of 1697, and both this and "Gwbert" had been used by 1748. The spelling "Goobert" appears on an 1838 map.The place-names of Cardiganshire, Volume 1 (2004) by Iwan Wmffre
Population In 1833 the population of the whole Ferwig parish was 439.A Topographical Dictionary of Wales, 1833, by Samuel Lewis
The 1851 census recorded 378 inhabitants.The Religious census of 1851 : A Calendar of the returns relating to Wales, Vol 1, by Jones & Williams, 1976
In 2001 the rural community of Y Ferwig (which extends south-east of the A487, and of which Gwbert comprises only some 15 per cent in area) had a population of 1,177.2001 Census (Parish headcount) – Y Ferwig Retrieved 28 September 2011 Of these: 63.1 per cent spoke, read and/or wrote Welsh.2001 Census (Welsh language skills) – Y Ferwig Retrieved 28 September 2011 31.4 per cent were aged 45–64, and 22.17 per cent aged 65 or over. The mean age of the whole population was 44.3, the median age being 47.0. 40 per cent were economically active.2001 Census (Parish Profile – work & qualifications) – Y Ferwig Retrieved 28 September 2011 22.4 per cent reported having a limiting long-term illness.2001 Census (Parish Profile – people) – Y Ferwig Retrieved 28 September 2011
Although Gwbert and Ferwig are only one mile apart (and share a common Community Council) their demographics and environments are very different. Ferwig is a long-established agricultural area, characterised by little change to the indigenous population, or to their lifestyles. Gwbert has only existed for little more than 120 years, and is considerably more diverse. Since inception it has been predominantly a community of well-funded incomers from many areas of Wales and beyond, permanent and temporary. The vibrant tourist and sporting facilities encourage out-of-town visitors; the residents of the caravan park and hotels more than double the population for much of the year, and additional diversity is created by international staff within the hospitality sector. The dominant language is English.
The main settlement of Gwbert today comprises some 60 residential properties, mostly located on Coronation Drive, Towyn Farm, and Evelyn Terrace, a number of which are not owner-occupied, but are leased out for holiday use. There are approximately 70 residential caravans on the Patch Caravan Park, usable from March to October. There are close to 100 bedrooms within the two main hotels.
Employment in Gwbert is provided by the Cliff Hotel, the Gwbert Hotel, Cardigan Golf Club, and Cardigan Island Farm Park. Many of these workers travel in from nearby areas, notably from Cardigan, which also provides an additional source of employment for Gwbert's small working population.
Facilities
Gwbert has no shop, church or school. The nearest churches are at Y Ferwig, some away, both being built before any development at Gwbert. The nearest shops and schools are in Cardigan.
Gwbert incorporates the adjacent Towyn Burrows (also called Towyn Warren), much of which is now home to Cardigan Golf Club.Cardigan Golf Club Retrieved 28 September 2011
There is a very limited bus service which runs primarily to/from Cardigan. The nearest railway station (Cardigan's station closed in 1963) is at Fishguard, some away.
Despite the presence of hotels, and the nearby caravan park and boatyard at Patch, the impact of the tourist industry on the landscape is not great.
Promotion of the "watering hole" In the 1880s the small inn at Gwbert was known as the "Gwbert Watering Hole"."Gwbert Watering Hole's early links with golf (part 1)" – newspaper article Retrieved 28 September 2011 The proposal that Gwbert should be a major seaside resort "to challenge Brighton and Scarborough"Cliff Hotel website Retrieved 28 September 2011 was first made in 1886, following the opening of the Whitland and Cardigan Railway to nearby Cardigan, a line which was taken over that same year by the Great Western Railway. In 1888 the local Corporation met regarding the leases of the new proposed Villa residences, and in 1889 The Cardigan & Tivyside Advertiser was reporting on "Cardigan's 'New Brighton'", with Mr C.E.D. Morgan-Richardson, a Cardigan solicitor and businessman, named to head a company to develop the old Gwbert Inn property through the purchase of 96 acres of land, and with capital of £20,000. In addition to the considerable development of the Gwbert Inn, a row of villa boarding houses were to be built along what became Evelyn's Terrace. (Morgan-Richardson was later to become mayor of Cardigan.)"Antiquarian Notes", from The Cardigan and Tivy-side Advertiser, 1894 Retrieved 28 September 2011
In July 1889 the local paper wrote of Gwbert: "Surrounded on two sides by the sea, its rocky boundaries are fringed by golden sands, conveniently approached, abounding with charming nooks for the privacy of bathing without machines, while the magnificent scenery of the opposite, or Pembrokeshire coast, including its bold rocky headlands, glistening sands, snug homesteads &c., form a picture not easily rivalled.""Sale of the Gwbert property" – Cardigan & Tivy Side Advertiser, July 12, 1889 Retrieved 28 September 2011. There was even talk of the construction of a landing jetty.
Journalist Ebenezer Rees, writing in 1894, referred to Gwbert as "Cardigan's famous and favourite watering place".
In 1897 a new road to Gwbert was built to open up the area;Ceredigion County Council – library resources Retrieved 28 September 2011 this road initially ran from the Cliff Hotel to Patch (where Cardigan Boating Club is located) but it was many years before it reached its original intended destination, namely Nant-y-Ferwig Bridge. In construction of the new road, parts of the old road ceased to be used, though it can still be traced. Some eleven of the Carn Meini (Preseli Hills) stones have now been utilised as gateposts on the eastern side of the old road, three south of the Gwbert road, and eight to the north. Seven others can be seen straddling a lane leading to Stepside Farm.Antiquity, Volumes 29-30, by Osbert Guy Stanhope Crawford, Antiquity Publications, 1955
Kelly's Directory of South Wales (1895) stated: "Gwbert, a small place on the coast in this parish, on the east side of the estuary of the Teifi, is now rising into favour as a watering place." The adjacent Cardigan & Tivyside Golf Club opened in this year.
In The Rivers of Great Britain (1897), Charles Edwardes wrote: "If you wish to see Teifi, or Tivy, quite to its end, it is worth while to go north another three miles, to Gwbert-on-the-Sea, a distinctly primitive and pleasing watering-place, facing Kemmaes Head, with the mile and a half of Teifi's mouth (at its widest) intervening."
In Walks and Wanderings in County Cardigan (1902), E.R.H. Turner described Gwbert as "a spot on the coast marked by a hotel and a few villas, but sufficiently near to Cardigan to be a favourite pleasure resort." The article continued: "It stands at the mouth of the Teivi estuary on the top of the most romantic cliffs and coves. There are many nooks for bathing, but the possibilities of the place are by no means developed. A new road has been formed across the dunes and along the Teivi shore back to Cardigan town, and possesses the advantage of charming views of the Pembrokeshire hills and cliffs."
The following year the local newspaper reported on the progress of Gwbert as a residential centre, reporting again in 1906 on the "bright look to the development of the resort". In 1910 it carried an article entitled "Gwbert on Sea, where is it and what is it?"
The Encyclopædia Britannica of 1911 also acknowledged the growth: "In modern times several small watering-places have sprung up on the coast, notably at Borth, New Quay, Tresaith, Aberporth and Gwbert."
Growth, whilst clearly recognised, was limited, and The English Illustrated Magazine (vol 39, 1908) wrote "Amongst these [places worthy of attention] may be mentioned Gwbert-on-Sea—where satisfactory bathing is to be obtained. Perched on the brown cliffs which domionate the dancing waves, the little village has, up till now, almost remained undiscovered."
Despite, however, the developers' ambitious plans for growth, along with much publicity and promotion in journals and books of the period, a lack of appropriate accommodation and a derth of facilities meant that relatively little came about, and Gwbert never grew to be anything larger than a very minor resort.
In 1911 Gwbert held grand pre-Coronation festivities for King George V.
The Cliff Hotel