Oxwich is a village on the

Gower Peninsula Gower ( cy, Gŵyr) or the Gower Peninsula () in southwest Wales, projects towards the Bristol Channel. It is the most westerly part of the historic county of Glamorgan. In 1956, the majority of Gower became the first area in the United Kingdom ...

, in the city and county of Swansea in south

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. Oxwich is part of the small

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, ...

of Penrice which extends from the village of Horton to Oxwich Bay, and as of 2001 recorded a population of 454 inhabitants. Oxwich's main site of historical interest is the castle which is thought by many academics to be the most historic castle on the Gower Peninsula. The earliest evidence of it being inhabited is in 1459, where Philip Mansel was recorded as holding it. The Mansel family were a minor gentry in South Wales, who grew in power and prestige under the Tudor monarchs. The parish church of St. Illtyd's overlooks

Oxwich Bay Oxwich Bay on the Gower Peninsula of South Wales Oxwich Bay ( cy, Bae Oxwich) is a bay on the south of the Gower Peninsula, Wales. Its landscape features sand dunes, salt marshes and woodland. Oxwich Bay includes a long sandy beach, accessible f ...

. A place of worship has stood on this site since the 6th century, but the main tower of today was built in the 14th century. The chancel of this church is thought to be a 6th-century cell. The church bell in the tower also dates back to the 14th century, but was recast in 1892. In the churchyard there is a well, which locals believe is haunted by a ghost. Legend has it that a ghost was seen in the churchyard before vanishing into a well.

National nature reserve

The series of coastal sand-dunes, lakes and woodland form a national nature reserve designated for its great variety of ecosystems, its rare and unusual plant life and for it very unusual combination of environment in such close proximity.

Tourism

The Oxwich Bay Hotel is close to the church of St. Illtyd, set in eight acres of land overlooking the west end of Oxwich Bay. There is also a campsite in Oxwich. It has a heated swimming pool and accepts tents and trailers.

Geography and wildlife

Oxwich Bay is one of the most popular beaches in Gower, which has an expanse of curving sand, with Cefn Bryn in the background. The nearby woods at Nicholston however, came under threat in the 1950s, when they were bought by a speculator who 'was more interested in reducing the woods to timber than re-planning an over-mature landscape.' An Oxwich Bay protection Fund was then launched, and a compromise was agreed to ensure limited felling.

References

{{authority control Villages in Swansea Populated places on the Gower Peninsula Seaside resorts in Wales National nature reserves in Wales