Rhossili (; ) is a small village and community on the southwestern tip of the Gower Peninsula[ A Guide to Gower, published by the Gower Society, ] in Wales. It is within 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. At the 2011 census, the population was 278. The community includes the hamlet of Middleton.
The name derives from the Welsh language rhos meaning a moor and the personal name Sulein, hence "Sulein's moorland promontory".
Church
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 with Captain Scott on the return from the
South Pole.
Rhossili Bay
Rhossili Bay curves along an arc running northwards from the village. The wide sandy beach is backed with
. 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 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.
At the southern end of the Bay is Worm's Head, consisting of two tidal islands: Outer Head and Inner Head . At the north is Burry Holms. These islands are accessible only at low tide.
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.
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 or westwards towards the Worm's Head and Rhossili Bay.
Gallery
File:Rhossili in Autumn, 2010.jpg|Rhossili beach in Autumn, 2010
File:St Mary's Church, Rhossili (5350).jpg|Church of St Mary the Virgin
Image:Worm's head looking through gap.jpg|The Devil's Bridge at Worm's Head
Image:Worm's head.jpg|Worm's Head
File:Road to Worm's Head Cottage, Gower (gcf02225).jpg| Road to Worms Head Cottage, by John Crawford (fl. 1885), picture in the art collection of the National Library of Wales
Notable residents
-
Edgar Evans,
[ Evans Collection] Antarctic explorer (a memorial tablet can be seen in the parish church)[ Rhossili Parish Church and the old Church in the Warren by Robert Lucas, published by Rhossili Parochial Church Council, 2000.]
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
were filmed at the National Trust's Old Rectory cottage in
Rhossili Bay.
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.
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 ()()
-
A Gower Family, The Lucases of Stouthall and Rhossili Rectory, by Robert Lucas, 2005 ()
-
''Rhossili, A Village Background", by Robert Lucas, 2004 ()
-
Rhossili: The Land, Landscape and People, by Leonard Beynon, 2008 ()
-
Edgar Evans of Gower (1876-1912), From Rhossili to the South Pole, by Gary Gregor, 2008 ()
See also
External links
