Parkmill
Encyclopedia
The village of Parkmill is a small rural settlement in the Gower Peninsula
, South Wales
, midway between the villages of Penmaen
and Ilston , about eight miles (13 km) west of Swansea
, and about one mile (1.5 km) from the north coast of the Bristol Channel
. The village lies to the north of the A4118
, the main South Gower road between Swansea and Port Eynon
, in a wooded area, at the bottom of a valley.
The building at the centre of the village is a former school that is now home to the West Glamorgan Girl Guides Activity Centre
. Pennard
golf course lies immediately to the south of the village. Parkmill is in the Gower
ward of the City and County of Swansea .
Parkmill's only religious building is the Mount Pisgah United Reformed Church
, a Congregational chapel
, erected in 1822 and rebuilt in 1890.
The area is little changed from the mid 19th century, when Samuel Lewis said in his 'A Topographical Dictionary of Wales' (1849):
and saw mill, at Parkmill has since been renovated and a rural crafts centre based around it, called the Gower Heritage Centre.
deer park
, Parc le Breos, which was established in the 1221–32 CE
by John de Braose
, Marcher Lord of Gower
as an enclosed area of about 2,000 acres (800 hectares). As well as the deer, during the 14th century the park received an income from agistment
, pannage
, sales of wild honey, ferns and dead wood and from rabbits, though whether these were domestic warrens
or free warrens
is not known.
The park is now mainly farmland and has a 19th century Hunting Lodge, which is now an hotel and pony trekking (horse riding) centre called Parc le Breos, built about one mile (1.6 km) east north east of Parkmill
, or Parc le Breos burial chamber , is a partly restored, prehistoric
, megalith
ic chambered long barrow
, built between 5,800 BP
and 6,000 BP
(before present
), during the early Neolithic
period, about three quarters of a mile (1.1 km) north west of Parkmill.
The cromlech is located in Coed-y-Parc, on the floor of a dry narrow valley in about 500 acres (2 km²) of woodland, owned and managed by Forest Enterprise (Wales)
, in a limestone gorge
, at an elevation
of about 50 feet (15 m) above sea level
. Pedestrian access is allowed and is free, with free parking available for 12–15 cars about 650 feet (200 m) from the site. On the opposite side of the lane to the car park a kissing gate
, wide enough for a wheelchair to pass through, leads to an asphalt track that runs past the cromlech and the length of the gorge, allowing flat, disabled access to within about ten feet (3 m) of the site. Parc le Breos burial chamber is maintained by Cadw
(to keep), the Welsh Historic Environment Agency.
There are caves further along Parc Cwm valley, Cathole Cave and Llethryd tooth cave, which have been used from Mesolithic
to Medieval times. In the Neolithic period, corpses may have been placed in the caves until they had decomposed, before the bones were moved to the cromlech.
La Charrette
is recognised by the British Film Institute
as the smallest cinema in Wales. The 23-seat venue, built from a disused railway carriage, was sited in a back garden in Gorseinon
, near Swansea, and began showing films in 1953.
The cinema was originally constructed and run by the late Gwyn Phillips (who died in 1996), who fell in love with the movies while working as a projectionist
as a teenager. Safety concerns, following wear and tear to its wood-and-steel structure, caused La Charrette to close. A visit by film critic Mark Kermode
for BBC2's
The Culture Show
, in October 2007, resulted in the tiny venue being given a special send-off in February 2008. The black tie event
consisted of the world premiere
of the Danny Boyle
film Alien Love Triangle
(2002), starring Kenneth Branagh
, Alice Connor
, Courteney Cox
and Heather Graham. Branagh made a personal appearance at the screening, walking up the red carpet
laid between two end of terrace houses
in Gorseinon, before watching the film—and special messages recorded by Cox and Graham—with Kermode and Rita Phillips, Gwyn Phillips' widow.
After the screening, the cinema was dismantled. It was rebuilt at the Gower Heritage Centre, Parkmill, where it has reopened.
Gower Peninsula
Gower or the Gower Peninsula is a peninsula in south Wales, jutting from the coast into the Bristol Channel, and administratively part of the City and County of Swansea. Locally it is known as "Gower"...
, South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
, midway between the villages of Penmaen
Penmaen
Penmaen may refer to one of several places in Wales:*Penmaen, Caerphilly*Penmaen, SwanseaSee also:*Penmaenmawr, Conwy County Borough...
and Ilston , about eight miles (13 km) west of Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, and about one mile (1.5 km) from the north coast of the Bristol Channel
Bristol Channel
The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Severn to the North Atlantic Ocean...
. The village lies to the north of the A4118
A roads in Zone 4 of the Great Britain numbering scheme
List of A roads in zone 4 in Great Britain starting north of the A4 and south/west of the A5 .-Single- and double-digit roads:-Triple-digit roads:-Four-digit roads :-Four-digit roads :...
, the main South Gower road between Swansea and Port Eynon
Port Eynon
Port Eynon is a village and community in the city and county of Swansea, Wales. The community has its own elected community council...
, in a wooded area, at the bottom of a valley.
The building at the centre of the village is a former school that is now home to the West Glamorgan Girl Guides Activity Centre
Girlguiding Cymru
Girlguiding Cymru is one of the nine regions of Girlguiding UK. It serves the approximate area of Wales, although the boundaries are not exact. In 2004, there were 6,964 youth participant groups....
. Pennard
Pennard
Pennard is the name of an electoral ward, a community in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. Pennard has its own community council....
golf course lies immediately to the south of the village. Parkmill is in the Gower
Gower (UK Parliament constituency)
Gower is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament , using the first-past-the-post voting system....
ward of the City and County of Swansea .
Parkmill's only religious building is the Mount Pisgah United Reformed Church
United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church is a Christian church in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 68,000 members in 1,500 congregations with some 700 ministers.-Origins and history:...
, a Congregational chapel
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
, erected in 1822 and rebuilt in 1890.
The area is little changed from the mid 19th century, when Samuel Lewis said in his 'A Topographical Dictionary of Wales' (1849):
The hamlet of Park-Mill, forming the most populous part of the parish, [Ilston] is yet extremely rural; and the surrounding scenery, which is characterized by features of tranquillity and seclusion, is enlivened by the small rivulet called Pennarth Pill, winding along a beautiful dell, in which are the ruins of an ancient chapel. On this stream a cloth manufactory was established early in the present century, but it has been discontinued.The 'cloth manufactory', a 12th century water powered corn
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
and saw mill, at Parkmill has since been renovated and a rural crafts centre based around it, called the Gower Heritage Centre.
Parc le Breos
Parkmill once lay within a MedievalMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
deer park
Medieval deer park
A medieval deer park was an enclosed area containing deer. It was bounded by a ditch and bank with a wooden park pale on top of the bank. The ditch was typically on the inside, thus allowing deer to enter the park but preventing them from leaving.-History:...
, Parc le Breos, which was established in the 1221–32 CE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
by John de Braose
John de Braose
John de Braose , known as Tadody to the Welsh, was the Lord of Bramber and Gower.-Re-establishment of the de Braose dynasty :John re-established the senior branch of the de Braose dynasty....
, Marcher Lord of Gower
Gower (Lordship)
thumb|350px|right|Map of the Lordship, showing the area detached , the area added and the Town and Franchise of Swansea. The language boundary is shown as a dotted line....
as an enclosed area of about 2,000 acres (800 hectares). As well as the deer, during the 14th century the park received an income from agistment
Agistment
Agistment originally referred specifically to the proceeds of pasturage in the king's forests. To agist is, in English law, to take cattle to graze, in exchange for payment.-Agistment:...
, pannage
Pannage
Pannage is the practice of turning out domestic pigs in a wood or forest, in order that they may feed on fallen acorns, beechmast, chestnuts or other nuts. Historically, it was a right or privilege granted to local people on common land or in royal forests...
, sales of wild honey, ferns and dead wood and from rabbits, though whether these were domestic warrens
Warren (domestic)
A domestic warren is an artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. It evolved from the Anglo-Norman concept of free warren, which had been, essentially, the equivalent of a hunting license for a given woodland.-Architecture of the...
or free warrens
Warren (free)
Free warren—often simply warren—refers to a type of franchise or privilege conveyed by a sovereign in mediaeval England to a subject, promising to hold them harmless for killing game of certain species within a stipulated area, usually a wood or small forest...
is not known.
The park is now mainly farmland and has a 19th century Hunting Lodge, which is now an hotel and pony trekking (horse riding) centre called Parc le Breos, built about one mile (1.6 km) east north east of Parkmill
Parc Cwm long cairn
The Parc Cwm long cairnParc Cwm long cairn
Parc Cwm long cairn , also known as Parc le Breos burial chamber , is a partly restored Neolithic chambered tomb, identified in 1937 as a Severn-Cotswold type of chambered long barrow. The cromlech, a megalithic burial chamber, was built around 5850 years before present , during the early...
, or Parc le Breos burial chamber , is a partly restored, prehistoric
Prehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
, megalith
Megalith
A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. Megalithic describes structures made of such large stones, utilizing an interlocking system without the use of mortar or cement.The word 'megalith' comes from the Ancient...
ic chambered long barrow
Chambered long barrow
Chambered long barrows are a type of megalithic burial monument found in the British Isles in the Neolithic.Long barrows either contained wooden or stone burial structures beneath the barrow and the surviving megalithic stone in the latter means that they are the ones referred to by archaeologists...
, built between 5,800 BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
and 6,000 BP
4th millennium BC
The 4th millennium BC saw major changes in human culture. It marked the beginning of the Bronze Age and of writing.The city states of Sumer and the kingdom of Egypt were established and grew to prominence. Agriculture spread widely across Eurasia...
(before present
Before Present
Before Present years is a time scale used in archaeology, geology, and other scientific disciplines to specify when events in the past occurred. Because the "present" time changes, standard practice is to use AD 1950 as the origin of the age scale, reflecting the fact that radiocarbon...
), during the early Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
period, about three quarters of a mile (1.1 km) north west of Parkmill.
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
, in a limestone gorge
Canyon
A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...
, at an elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of about 50 feet (15 m) above sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
. Pedestrian access is allowed and is free, with free parking available for 12–15 cars about 650 feet (200 m) from the site. On the opposite side of the lane to the car park a kissing gate
Kissing gate
A kissing gate is a type of gate which allows people to pass through, but not livestock.The normal construction is a half-round, rectangular, trapezial or V-shaped enclosure with a hinged gate trapped between its arms. When the gate is parked at either side of the enclosure, there is no gap to pass...
, wide enough for a wheelchair to pass through, leads to an asphalt track that runs past the cromlech and the length of the gorge, allowing flat, disabled access to within about ten feet (3 m) of the site. Parc le Breos burial chamber is maintained by Cadw
Cadw
-Conservation and Protection:Many of Wales's great castles and other monuments, such as bishop's palaces, historic houses, and ruined abbeys, are now in Cadw's care. Cadw does not own them but is responsible for their upkeep and for making them accessible to the public...
(to keep), the Welsh Historic Environment Agency.
There are caves further along Parc Cwm valley, Cathole Cave and Llethryd tooth cave, which have been used from Mesolithic
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
to Medieval times. In the Neolithic period, corpses may have been placed in the caves until they had decomposed, before the bones were moved to the cromlech.
La Charrette
La Charrette
La Charrette was for several decades the smallest cinema in the UK. It closed in February 2008.A tiny, 23-seat venue, sited in a back garden in the town of Gorseinon, near Swansea, 'La Charrette' was built from a disused railway carriage...
is recognised by the British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
as the smallest cinema in Wales. The 23-seat venue, built from a disused railway carriage, was sited in a back garden in Gorseinon
Gorseinon
Gorseinon is a town in southwest Wales, near the Loughor estuary. It was a small village until the late 19th century when it grew around the coal mining and tinplate industries. It is situated in the north west of Swansea, around north west of the city centre...
, near Swansea, and began showing films in 1953.
The cinema was originally constructed and run by the late Gwyn Phillips (who died in 1996), who fell in love with the movies while working as a projectionist
Projectionist
A Projectionist is a person who operates a movie projector. In the strict sense of the term this means any movie projector and therefore could include someone who operates the projector in a home video show or school. In common usage the term is generally understood to describe a paid employee of...
as a teenager. Safety concerns, following wear and tear to its wood-and-steel structure, caused La Charrette to close. A visit by film critic Mark Kermode
Mark Kermode
Mark Kermode is an English film critic, musician and a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. He contributes to Sight and Sound magazine, The Observer newspaper and BBC Radio 5 Live, where he presents Kermode and Mayo's Film Reviews with Simon Mayo on Friday afternoons...
for BBC2's
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
The Culture Show
The Culture Show
The Culture Show is a weekly BBC Two Arts magazine programme. It is broadcast in the UK on Thursday nights at 7pm, focusing on the best of the week's arts and culture news, covering books, art, film, architecture, music, visual fashion and the performing arts...
, in October 2007, resulted in the tiny venue being given a special send-off in February 2008. The black tie event
Black tie
Black tie is a dress code for evening events and social functions. For a man, the main component is a usually black jacket, known as a dinner jacket or tuxedo...
consisted of the world premiere
Premiere
A premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...
of the Danny Boyle
Danny Boyle
Daniel "Danny" Boyle is an English filmmaker and producer. He is best known for his work on films such as Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, 28 Days Later, Sunshine and Trainspotting. For Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle won numerous awards in 2008, including the Academy Award for Best Director...
film Alien Love Triangle
Alien Love Triangle
Alien Love Triangle is a 2008 comedy-science fiction short film directed by Danny Boyle. It was produced in 2002.The film was originally intended to be one of a trilogy of 30-minute short films shown together...
(2002), starring Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from Northern Ireland. He is best known for directing and starring in several film adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays including Henry V , Much Ado About Nothing , Hamlet Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from...
, Alice Connor
Alice Connor
Alice Rose Connor is a British actress, born in Buckinghamshire, England. She is best known for her roles in the television adaptation of Jacqueline Wilson's novel The Illustrated Mum, in the children's television series The New Worst Witch , and in the film The Thief Lord as Hornet...
, Courteney Cox
Courteney Cox
Courteney Bass Cox is an American actress, she is best known for her roles as Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom Friends, Gale Weathers in the horror series Scream and as Jules Cobb in the ABC sitcom Cougar Town, for which she earned her first Golden Globe nomination....
and Heather Graham. Branagh made a personal appearance at the screening, walking up the red carpet
Red carpet
A red carpet is traditionally used to mark the route taken by heads of state on ceremonial and formal occasions, and has in recent decades been extended to use by VIPs and celebrities at formal events.- History :...
laid between two end of terrace houses
Terraced house
In architecture and city planning, a terrace house, terrace, row house, linked house or townhouse is a style of medium-density housing that originated in Great Britain in the late 17th century, where a row of identical or mirror-image houses share side walls...
in Gorseinon, before watching the film—and special messages recorded by Cox and Graham—with Kermode and Rita Phillips, Gwyn Phillips' widow.
After the screening, the cinema was dismantled. It was rebuilt at the Gower Heritage Centre, Parkmill, where it has reopened.