History
The earliest written form of the name, 'Cetgueli', is recorded by the monk,''Kidwelly Parish Church records, 1851 "Remarks: S torn. . . Lords day in this Town is but very little regarded as a day for spiritual worship ublick houses are allowed to be open, and frequented during Divine Service. Publick oues are very numerous in this place, and even the Town Clerk keeps a . . . publick house. Often times on the Lord's day we are not only hear cursing and . . . once swearing in our streets, but frequently we see most brutal fighting, and . . . tice taken thereof by the authority of the Town. This is the cause why places f worhip are so little frequented and religion so little appreciated and professed at Kidwelly." Thomas Griffiths, Vica
/blockquote>
Tourism
Local attractions includeKidwelly Castle Kidwelly Castle ( cy, Castell Cydweli) is a Norman castle overlooking the River Gwendraeth and the town of Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, Wales. The origin of this surname traces back to when it was spelled Cygweli which means "swan." Early histo ..., founded in 1106; a fourteenth-century bridge and gate; the formerquay A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths ( mooring locatio ...(now anature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...); a Norman parish church, and an industrial museum. Kidwelly Carnival is an annual event held on the second Saturday of July. Previous carnivals have featured aerial displays. The town is twinned with French villageSaint-Jacut-de-la-Mer Saint-Jacut-de-la-Mer (, literally ''Saint-Jacut of the Mer''; br, Sant-Yagu-an-Enez) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor département of Brittany in northwestern France. Population Inhabitants of Saint-Jacut-de-la-Mer are called ''jaguens'' (m ...on the north coast ofBrittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ....
Transport
Road – Kidwelly is connected toLlanelli Llanelli ("St Elli's Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. ...andCarmarthen Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , "Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, ...by theA484 road List of A roads in zone 4 in Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European isla .... Bus/Coach – There are local buses running through Kidwelly, linking the town with Llanelli and Carmarthen, with a main stop in the town centre. Some services were withdrawn in 2014. There is a Coach Park located in the town centre. Rail –Kidwelly railway station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Kidwelly railway station viewed from platform 2 - geograph.org.uk - 3394748.jpg , borough = Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire , country = Wales ...is on the West Wales Line. Westbound services from Kidwelly terminate atCarmarthen Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , "Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, ...or Pembroke Dock, with less frequent direct services toFishguard Harbour Goodwick (; cy, Wdig) is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, immediately west of its twin town of Fishguard. Fishguard and Goodwick form a Community (Wales), community that wraps around Fishguard Bay. As well as the two towns, it consists o ...andMilford Haven Milford Haven ( cy, Aberdaugleddau, meaning "mouth of the two Rivers Cleddau") is both a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, an estuary forming a natural harbour that has .... Eastbound services terminate atSwansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...or Cardiff Central, with less frequent direct services to Manchester Piccadilly andLondon Paddington Paddington, also known as London Paddington, is a London station group, Central London railway terminus and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services pro .... Cycling – Kidwelly is connected to theNational Cycle Network The National Cycle Network (NCN) is the national cycling route network of the United Kingdom, which was established to encourage cycling and walking throughout Britain, as well as for the purposes of bicycle touring. It was created by the cha ...along the coast from the east and west by NCR 4.Sustrans
/ref> The cycle path runs directly through the town centre. Air –Pembrey Airport Pembrey West Wales Airport ( Welsh: Maes Awyr Pen-Bre) is located west northwest of Llanelli ( south of Carmarthen) in Pembrey, Carmarthenshire, in Wales. Pembrey has one hard runway designated as 22LH/C and 04RH/C. The airport and its ICAO co ...is approximately east of Kidwelly. The nearest airport with domestic and international scheduled flights isCardiff Airport Cardiff Airport ( cy, Maes Awyr Caerdydd) is the only airport offering commercial passenger services in Wales. It has been under the ownership of the Welsh Government since March 2013, operating at an arm's length as a commercial business. Pa .... Walking – There are numerous public footpaths and bridleways in Kidwelly and Mynydd-y-Garreg, including Glan yr Afon, just behind the Wesleyan Chapel on the Bridge and Summer Way (Maes yr Haf) off Water Street.
Government
Kidwelly is governed on a local level byCarmarthenshire County Council Carmarthenshire County Council ( cy, Cyngor Sir Gaerfyrddin) is the local authority for the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales. It provides a range of services including education, planning, transport, social services and public safety. The counc ...and on a community level byKidwelly Town Council Kidwelly Town Council (Welsh: ''Cyngor Tref Cydweli'') is the town council serving the town of Kidwelly and the village of Mynydd-y-Garreg in the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales. Background Kidwelly Town Council consists of 16 Councillors. The ..., who appoint aMayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...of Kidwelly andMynydd-y-Garreg Mynydd-y-Garreg or Mynyddygarreg ("The mountain of the stone") is a village in the county of Carmarthenshire, West Wales. It borders the historic town of Kidwelly. Governance Mynydd-y-Garreg is in the Kidwelly community and shares with it a mayor .... It is located within the UK Parliament constituency of Llanelli, represented by the Welsh Labour MP Nia Griffith, and within the Welsh Assembly Constituency of Llanelli, also represented by the Welsh Labour AM Lee Waters. The community is bordered by the communities of:Llandyfaelog Llandyfaelog () is a community located in Carmarthenshire, Wales. According to the 2001 census the community has a population of 1,272, of which 71.88 percent are Welsh speaking. The population at the 2011 Census had increased to 1,304. The commu ...;Llangyndeyrn Llangyndeyrn () is a village, Community (Wales), community and electoral ward in the River Gwendraeth river valley, valley, Carmarthenshire, in Dyfed region of West Wales, United Kingdom. The village name is often spelt as Llangendeirne. The W ...;Trimsaran Trimsaran is a community and former mining village which lies on the B4308 between Llanelli and Kidwelly, in the Welsh county of Carmarthenshire. Trimsaran is six miles (10 km) from Llanelli, and from Carmarthen. It is close to Burry Por ...;Pembrey and Burry Port Town Pembrey and Burry Port Town (Welsh: ''Pen-bre a Phorth Tywyn'') is a community located in Carmarthenshire, Wales including the town of Burry Port and the village of Pembrey. The community population taken at the 2011 census was 8,547. The comm ...; and St Ishmael, all being in Carmarthenshire.
Sport
The localrugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...team isKidwelly RFC Kidwelly Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club representing the town of Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, South Wales. Rugby was first played in Kidwelly around 1880, though as is usual within early Welsh rugby history, no written evidence exists to ..., a club formed in the 1880s which now plays in theWelsh Rugby Union The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU; cy, Undeb Rygbi Cymru) is the Sports governing body, governing body of rugby union in the country of Wales, recognised by the sport's international governing body, World Rugby. The WRU is responsible for the running ...league. They play their home games at Parc Stephen's, Kidwelly. Parc Stephen's is also the home venue of localfootball Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...,cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...andlawn bowls Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green, which may be flat (for "flat-gre ...teams. The football team is Kidwelly Town AFC.Pembrey Circuit Pembrey Circuit is a motor racing circuit near Pembrey village, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is the home of Welsh motorsport, providing racing for cars, motorcycles, karts and trucks. The circuit's facilities have also been used for a single-venue ...is about 3 miles away hosting races and rallies.
See also
* Church of Saint Mary, Kidwelly *Mynyddygarreg Mynydd-y-Garreg or Mynyddygarreg ("The mountain of the stone") is a village in the county of Carmarthenshire, West Wales. It borders the historic town of Kidwelly. Governance Mynydd-y-Garreg is in the Kidwelly community and shares with it a mayor ...
References
Further reading
*
External links
Kidwelly Town Council
- Includes Visitors` Guide
Kidwelly Castle Official Website
Kidwelly Industrial Museum Official site
www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Kidwelly and surrounding area
{{Authority control Towns in Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire electoral wards Communities in Carmarthenshire