Solva ( cy, Solfach) is a village,

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, t ...

and

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to ...

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a county in the south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The county is home to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. The Park oc ...

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 ...

. The village comprises principally Lower Solva and Upper Solva. The community also includes Middle Mill and Whitchurch.

Location

Solva lies on the north side of St Bride's Bay, in North Pembrokeshire in the

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Pembrokeshire Coast National Park ( cy, Parc Cenedlaethol Arfordir Penfro) is a national park along the Pembrokeshire coast in west Wales. It was established as a National Park in 1952. It is one of three national parks in Wales, the others ...

and on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. It lies on a deep valley at the mouth of the River Solva. In the valley is Lower Solva, consisting of a long street ending at the small

harbour A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...

. Most of the modern development has been in Upper Solva, on the

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on co ...

top to the west of the harbour.

History

Solvach Bay and harbour in Brides Bay Pembroke Shire

The rocks at the entrance to Solva Harbour made it one of the most sheltered anchorages between Fishguard and

Milford 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 ...

; it was marked on a 1578 parish map of Pembrokeshire as ''Dolvath Haven''. On a 1748 map it is named ''Solvach''. Solva became the main trading centre of St Bride's Bay in the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

period, and was important for lime burning. A prominent row of lime kilns is preserved at the harbour edge. By the end of the 18th century Solva had begun to expand, and could accommodate vessels of 500 tons, or up to 1,000 in an emergency. Some 30 vessels were registered to the port at this time, though this number reduced during the 19th century. The fading coastal trade was replaced by

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

, and the harbour became a leisure boating centre. In 1943 the RAF established an airfield, named RAF St Davids, but which now lies within Solva community. The area was the subject of an archaeological survey in 2000. The village was the location for Wales's first butterfly farm, Solva Nectarium, which opened in 1979.

Demographics

The population of the community was 865 at the 2011 Census. As of 2019, it is estimated that the population has increased to 869. According to the

United Kingdom Census 2011 A census of the population of the United Kingdom is taken every ten years. The 2011 census was held in all countries of the UK on 27 March 2011. It was the first UK census which could be completed online via the Internet. The Office for Nationa ...

, 30.7% of the community of Solva could speak Welsh. The 2011 Census noted that 96.3% of the population was born in the United Kingdom; 54.7% of the population was born in Wales and 39.2% of the population was born in England.

Geology

Solva Harbour is a good example of a ria — a flooded coastal valley or

inlet An inlet is a (usually long and narrow) indentation of a shoreline, such as a small arm, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea. Overview In marine ...

. Local rocks contain fossils from the

Cambrian The Cambrian Period ( ; sometimes symbolized Ꞓ) was the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and of the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cambrian lasted 53.4 million years from the end of the preceding Ediacaran Period 538.8 million years ago ...

period, and the village gives its name to the Solva Group, a rock sequence.

Governance

of the same name exists. This ward extends to Brawdy and in fact some of the community was transferred there. The total population of the ward at the 2011 census was 1,877.

Traditional events

Every year on

Easter Monday Easter Monday refers to the day after Easter Sunday in either the Eastern or Western Christian traditions. It is a public holiday in some countries. It is the second day of Eastertide. In Western Christianity, it marks the second day of the ...

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 Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wat ...

which features rowing for adults and children. Solva now hosts its own festival each year, this being held at the end of July or the beginning of August. The festival is called 'The Edge Festival Solva', and profits go to community-based projects.

Amenities and attractions

The local cliff coast is popular with walkers, and the classic cliff exposures of

rocks attract amateur and professional

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

s. Solva Woollen Mill, located at the nearby village of Middle Mill, claims to be the oldest continuously working woollen mill in Pembrokeshire. 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.

Listed structures

There are 37 listed structures in the community, including the church (of Whitchurch parish) of Saint Aidan.

Notable people

* The musician David Gray 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. * Ex-professional footballer Simon Davies, who played for

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandswor ...

and represented Wales, was brought up in Solva. His career started as a teenager at Solva AFC, and it was here that he was talent-spotted. *

Meic Stevens Meic Stevens (born 13 March 1942) is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Stevens's songs have a mystical, faintly psychedelic flavour, and are mostly sung in his native Welsh language. Still largely unknown outside Wales, he was discovered by DJ Jim ...

, 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 Solfa'' ("The Spirit of Solfa") which contained songs about his childhood in Solva during the 1940s and early 1950s. * Frances Hodgkins painted in Solva in 1936 and 1938, commenting in a letter to a friend in 1936:

TV and film

In June 2014 Solva was used as a location for the filming of

Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems " Do not go gentle into that good night" and " And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Und ...

's ''

Under Milk Wood ''Under Milk Wood'' is a 1954 radio drama by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, commissioned by the BBC and later adapted for the stage. A film version, ''Under Milk Wood'' directed by Andrew Sinclair, was released in 1972, and another adaptation of ...

''."Solva taken over for Under Milkwood filming"
''BBC News'', 23 June 2014.

References

Images of Solva

Image:Solfach - Clifftop Walk.jpg, Clifftop walk Solva Image:Solva Harbour 2.JPG, Summer evening at low tide in Solva Image:Solva harbour 3.jpg, Kayaking in caves at the mouth of Solva Harbour Image:Solva Colours.JPG, Colourful houses in Solva

External links

*
Solva Websitewww.geograph.co.uk : photos of Solva and surrounding area
{{Authority control Villages in Pembrokeshire Ports and harbours of Wales Communities in Pembrokeshire Coast of Pembrokeshire Populated coastal places in Wales