Newton ( cy, Drenewydd yn Notais) is a village located near the

seaside resort A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, such as in the Germ ...

town of

Porthcawl Porthcawl (, ) is a town and community on the south coast of Wales in the county borough of Bridgend, west of the capital city, Cardiff and southeast of Swansea. Historically part of Glamorgan and situated on a low limestone headland on the S ...

, in

Bridgend County Borough Bridgend County Borough ( cy, Bwrdeistref Sirol Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr) is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. The county borough has a total population of 139,200 people, and contains the town of Bridgend, after which it is named. I ...

, Wales.

History and amenities

Newton village dates from the 12th century and St John the Baptist Church was founded by the Knights of the

Order of St. John of Jerusalem The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic Church, Catholic Military ord ...

800 years ago and originally built as a fortress, still overlooks the

village green A village green is a common open area within a village or other settlement. Historically, a village green was common grassland with a pond for watering cattle and other stock, often at the edge of a rural settlement, used for gathering cattle t ...

. The Jolly Sailor

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

, the oldest in Porthcawl, and the Ancient Briton pub also overlook the green. 130 metres to the south of the church lies St. John's

water well A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. T ...

, the water from which is reputed to have healing properties. Newton Beach is a long sandy

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc sh ...

, approximately 3 miles long, stretching from Newton Point in the west to the mouth of the

River Ogmore The River Ogmore ( cy, Afon Ogwr) is a river in South Wales that is popular with anglers. It runs generally from north to south from the Ogmore Vale and Gilfach Goch, past Bridgend and Ogmore. The River Ogmore rises at Craig Ogwr (527 m) in th ...

in the east. The Newton Burrows and

Merthyr Mawr Merthyr Mawr is a village and community in Bridgend, Wales. The village is about 2½ miles from the centre of Bridgend town. The population of the community at the 2011 census was 267. The community occupies the area west of the Ewenny River, be ...

sand dunes back Newton beach, and are a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest. The present warren is what is left of what was once the largest sand dune system in Europe, stretching along the coast to

Mumbles Mumbles ( cy, Mwmbwls) is a headland sited on the western edge of Swansea Bay on the southern coast of Wales. Toponym Mumbles has been noted for its unusual place name. The headland is thought by some to have been named by French sailors, ...

. The dunes form an important habitat for wildlife and plants, and also claim fame to the second highest sand dune in Europe, locally known as the ‘big dipper’. Some of the filming of

Lawrence of Arabia Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–191 ...

took place on the dunes. The sand dunes were featured in the BBC series ''Coast'' and ''Weatherman Walking''. Newton is home to one independent school: St Clare's

Governance

Newton is a ward to Porthcawl Town Council and Bridgend County Borough Council. It is represented by four town councillors on Porthcawl Town Council. Since the 1999 county elections Newton has been a county ward, electing one county councillor to Bridgend County Borough Council.

References

External links

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Newton and surrounding area
{{authority control Villages in Bridgend County Borough Porthcawl Wards of Bridgend County Borough