Photos of Tenby, west Wales - part one

Scenes from the Welsh seaside resort
Tenby (Dinbych-y-Pysgod), Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, UK [map], Sept 2012

Here's some photos taken around the town, beaches and harbour of Tenby.



Tenby harbour.



Strategically located on the far west coast of the British Isles with a natural sheltered harbour from both the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea, the first record of a settlement at Tenby dates to around the 9th century date.

Originally a hill fort, the first stone walled castle appeared after the Norman Conquest, with the town walls being added in the late 13th century.

The town flourished in the 14th and 15th centuries, wirth the harbour trading goods with Bristol, Ireland, France, Spain and Portugal. In 1566 Portuguese seamen landed the first oranges to be brought to Wales.

With a plague epidemic killing off half of Tenby's population in 1650, the town fell into decay and ruin, with John Wesley noting how: 'Two-thirds of the old town is in ruins or has entirely vanished. Pigs roam among the abandoned houses and Tenby presents a dismal spectacle,' when he visited in the early 1800s.



Boosted by investment from local resident merchant banker and politician Sir William Paxton, the town enjoyed a renaissance, with fashionable baths being opened in 1806.

Throughout the Georgian and Victorian eras, Tenby was renowned as a health resort and centre for botanical and geological study, with visitor traffic boosted by the opening of the Tenby railway station in 1863.



St Mary's Church, Tenby, much of which dates from the 15th century, with a 13th century chancel featuring a 'wagon' roof and a panelled ceiling with 75 bosses carved with a variety of foliage designs, grotesques, fishes and a mermaid.










A wall tablet commemorates Robert Recorde, an Elizabethan scholar who introduced the equals sign ( = ) to mathematical calculation.





The closed Sun Inn, reviewed as being a 'bit bonkers' and full of people who are 'VERY merry' in 2008.





Tenby harbour view.



A look along North beach.



Ice cream van touts for trade.



North beach, with its distinctive rock which becomes 'stranded' at low tide.



Caffe Vista. We liked this place - good coffee, lovely Welsh cakes and very friendly staff.





Walking down to the harbour.





Tenby Harbour. Note the tiny St Julian's Church by the beach.









Lobster pots.





Ice cream on the beach.



Caldey Island boat tour. The small island lies to the south of Tenby and is home to a small village and monastery.






Taking to the waters. Despite the darkening skies, the water was rather warm.



A sand castle faces the inevitable as the tide roars in.



Back from the trip to Caldey Island.












The remains of the watchtower on Castle Hill.




« back to Wales homepage    More Tenby photos »