Newton, Bridgend county borough
Encyclopedia
Newton is a village
located near the seaside resort
town
of Porthcawl
, in Bridgend County Borough, Wales
.
was founded by the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem 800 years ago and originally built as a fortress, still overlooks the village green
.
The Jolly Sailor pub
, the oldest in Porthcawl, and the Ancient Briton pub also overlook the green. 130 metres to the south of the church lies St. John's water well
, the water from which is reputed to have healing properties.
Newton Beach is a long sandy beach
, approximately 3 miles long, stretching from Newton Point in the east to the mouth of the River Ogmore
in the west.
The Newton Burrows and Merthyr Mawr
sand dunes back Newton beach, and are a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest
. The present warren is what is left of what was once the largest sand dune system in Europe, stretching along the coast to Mumbles
. The dunes form an important habitat for wildlife and plants, and also claim fame to the second highest sand dune in Europe, locally known as the ‘big dipper’. Some of the filming of Lawrence of Arabia
took place on the dunes.
The sand dunes were featured in the BBC series Coast and Weatherman Walking.
Newton is home to two independent schools: St Clare's and St John's.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
located near the seaside resort
Seaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort, or resort town, located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- Overview :...
town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
of Porthcawl
Porthcawl
Porthcawl is a town on the south coast of Wales in the county borough of Bridgend, 25 miles west of the capital city, Cardiff and 19 miles southeast of Swansea...
, in Bridgend County Borough, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
History and amenities
Newton village dates from the 12th century and St John the Baptist ChurchSt John the Baptist Church, Porthcawl
St John the Baptist Church, Porthcawl is a medieval church and Grade I listed building in Church Street, Newton, Porthcawl, Wales.St John the Baptist's Church was built probably in the 1180s and is mentioned in 1189. It was founded by the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem 800 years ago...
was founded by the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem 800 years ago and originally built as a fortress, still overlooks the village green
Village green
A village green is a common open area which is a part of a settlement. Traditionally, such an area was often common grass land at the centre of a small agricultural settlement, used for grazing and sometimes for community events...
.
The Jolly Sailor pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, the oldest in Porthcawl, and the Ancient Briton pub also overlook the green. 130 metres to the south of the church lies St. John's water well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
, the water from which is reputed to have healing properties.
Newton Beach is a long sandy beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
, approximately 3 miles long, stretching from Newton Point in the east to the mouth of the River Ogmore
River Ogmore
The River Ogmore is a river in South Wales popular with anglers. It runs generally from north to south from the Ogmore Vale and Pentre, past Bridgend and Ogmore...
in the west.
The Newton Burrows and Merthyr Mawr
Merthyr Mawr
Merthyr Mawr is a village about 2½ miles from the centre of Bridgend in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales.- Buildings and landmarks of note :...
sand dunes back Newton beach, and are a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
. The present warren is what is left of what was once the largest sand dune system in Europe, stretching along the coast to Mumbles
Mumbles
Mumbles or The Mumbles is an area and community in Swansea, Wales which takes its name from the adjacent headland stretching into Swansea Bay...
. The dunes form an important habitat for wildlife and plants, and also claim fame to the second highest sand dune in Europe, locally known as the ‘big dipper’. Some of the filming of Lawrence of Arabia
Lawrence of Arabia (film)
Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 British film based on the life of T. E. Lawrence. It was directed by David Lean and produced by Sam Spiegel through his British company, Horizon Pictures, with the screenplay by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson. The film stars Peter O'Toole in the title role. It is widely...
took place on the dunes.
The sand dunes were featured in the BBC series Coast and Weatherman Walking.
Newton is home to two independent schools: St Clare's and St John's.