Solva
Encyclopedia
Solva is a village
and community
in Pembrokeshire
, Wales
, UK.
, in North Pembrokeshire in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
and on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path
. It lies on a deep ravine
at the mouth of the River Solva. In the ravine is Lower Solva, consisting of a long street ending at the small harbour. Most of the modern development has been in Upper Solva, on the cliff
top to the west of the harbour.
The rocks at the entrance to Solva Harbour made it one of the most sheltered anchorages between Fishguard
and Milford Haven
. Solva became the main trading centre of St Bride's Bay in the medieval period, and was important for lime
burning. Several lime kilns are preserved in the harbour area. In the 19th century, Solva had around 30 registered trading ships. The fading coastal trade has been replaced by tourism
, and the harbour is now a popular boating centre.
Solva Woollen Mill is the oldest continuously working woollen mill in Pembrokeshire. Tom Griffiths erected it in 1907, powered by a 10 foot, overshot water-wheel which was restored in 2007. Over the years, machinery was installed to undertake the complete process of converting fleeces into fabric. Today the mill mostly manufactures carpets and rugs. There is a tearoom and a shop, and visitors are able to see the looms at work.
The village was the location for Wales' first butterfly farm, Solva Nectarium, which opened in 1979. The spectacular local cliff coast is popular with walkers, and the classic cliff exposures of Cambrian
rocks attract amateur and professional geologist
s.
Solva hosts a Duck Race for charity. The ducks are released into the River Solva near Middle Mill and float down stream to Solva harbour. The winner is the first to cross under the footbridge in lower Solva car park.
Each summer, Solva hosts a Regatta which features rowing for adults and children.
and rocks contain fossils from the Cambrian age.
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...
and community
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
in Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
, 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...
, UK.
Location
Solva lies on the north side of St Bride's BaySt Bride's Bay
St Brides Bay is a rocky bay inlet in western Pembrokeshire, West Wales.Either Skomer Island or the mainland extremity of Wooltack Point at the western end of the Marloes Peninsula marks the southern limit of the bay whilst its northern limit is marked by Ramsey Island off St Davids Head...
, in North Pembrokeshire in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is a national park along the Pembrokeshire coast in West Wales.It was established as a National Park in 1952, and is the only one in the United Kingdom to have been designated primarily because of its spectacular coastline...
and on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path
Pembrokeshire Coast Path
The Pembrokeshire Coast Path is a National Trail in southwest Wales. It was established in 1970, and is 186 miles long, mostly at cliff-top level, with 35,000 feet of ascent and descent. The northern end is at Poppit Sands, near St...
. It lies on a deep ravine
Ravine
A ravine is a landform narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streamcutting erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys. A ravine is generally a fluvial slope landform of relatively steep sides, on the order of twenty to...
at the mouth of the River Solva. In the ravine is Lower Solva, consisting of a long street ending at the small harbour. Most of the modern development has been in Upper Solva, on the cliff
Cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
top to the west of the harbour.
History and amenities
Fishguard
Fishguard is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, with a population of 3,300 . The community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5043 at the 2001 census....
and Milford Haven
Milford Haven
Milford Haven is a town and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, a natural harbour used as a port since the Middle Ages. The town was founded in 1790 on the north side of the Waterway, from which it takes its name...
. Solva became the main trading centre of St Bride's Bay in the medieval period, and was important for lime
Lime (mineral)
Lime is a general term for calcium-containing inorganic materials, in which carbonates, oxides and hydroxides predominate. Strictly speaking, lime is calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide. It is also the name for a single mineral of the CaO composition, occurring very rarely...
burning. Several lime kilns are preserved in the harbour area. In the 19th century, Solva had around 30 registered trading ships. The fading coastal trade has been replaced by tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, and the harbour is now a popular boating centre.
Solva Woollen Mill is the oldest continuously working woollen mill in Pembrokeshire. Tom Griffiths erected it in 1907, powered by a 10 foot, overshot water-wheel which was restored in 2007. Over the years, machinery was installed to undertake the complete process of converting fleeces into fabric. Today the mill mostly manufactures carpets and rugs. There is a tearoom and a shop, and visitors are able to see the looms at work.
The village was the location for Wales' first butterfly farm, Solva Nectarium, which opened in 1979. The spectacular local cliff coast is popular with walkers, and the classic cliff exposures of Cambrian
Cambrian
The Cambrian is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, lasting from Mya ; it is succeeded by the Ordovician. Its subdivisions, and indeed its base, are somewhat in flux. The period was established by Adam Sedgwick, who named it after Cambria, the Latin name for Wales, where Britain's...
rocks attract amateur and professional geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
s.
Traditional events
Every year on Easter MondayEaster Monday
Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is celebrated as a holiday in some largely Christian cultures, especially Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox cultures...
Solva hosts a Duck Race for charity. The ducks are released into the River Solva near Middle Mill and float down stream to Solva harbour. The winner is the first to cross under the footbridge in lower Solva car park.
Each summer, Solva hosts a Regatta which features rowing for adults and children.
Geology
Solva Harbour is a good example of a glaciated meltwater channel known as a RiaRia
A ria is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Typically, rias have a dendritic, treelike outline although they can be straight and without significant branches. This pattern is inherited from the...
and rocks contain fossils from the Cambrian age.
Notable people
- The musician David GrayDavid Gray (musician)David Gray is an English singer-songwriter. He released his first studio album in 1993 and received worldwide attention after the release of White Ladder six years later...
moved with his parents to Solva at the age of 8, and attended Solva Community School. His parents ran the "Window on Wales" craft shop in the village.
- Professional footballer Simon Davies, who plays for Fulham FC and has represented WalesWalesWales 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...
, was brought up in Solva. His career started as a teenager at Solva AFC, and it was here that he was talent-spotted.
- Meic StevensMeic StevensMeic Mortimer Stevens is a Welsh singer-songwriter often referred to as "the Welsh Dylan" and has been compared favourably with musicians like Syd Barrett. Stevens's songs have a mystical, faintly psychedelic flavour, and are mostly sung in his native Welsh language...
, the notable Welsh singer/songwriter, was born in Solva, and spent much of his early life here. In 2002 he released a song and album called Ysbryd Solva ("The Spirit of Solfa") which contained songs about his childhood in Solva during the 1940's and early 1950's.