Wick () is a small village and

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

in the

Vale of Glamorgan The Vale of Glamorgan ( ), locally referred to as ''The Vale'', is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the South East Wales, south-east of Wales. It borders Bridgend County Borough to the west, Cardiff to the east, Rhondda Cynon Taf t ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, situated approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the coast. The closest towns are

Llantwit Major Llantwit Major () is a town and community (Wales), community in Wales on the Bristol Channel coast. It is one of four towns in the Vale of Glamorgan, with the third largest population (13,366 in 2001) after Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Barry and ...

Cowbridge Cowbridge () is a market town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, approximately west of the centre of Cardiff. The Cowbridge with Llanblethian community and civil parish elect a town council. A Cowbridge electoral ward exists for elections to ...

and

Bridgend Bridgend (; or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge over the River Og ...

. The community includes Broughton.

Amenities

The village has two

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

s, a

village shop A general merchant store (also known as general merchandise store, general dealer, village shop, or country store) is a rural or small-town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, someti ...

and a

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

. There are several footpaths and bridleways linking Wick with the surrounding countryside and the village is popular with cyclists. Walks from Wick include those to the local

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 (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...

es, Traeth Bach and Traeth Mawr, via the Cwm Nash footpath at Monknash or from Dunraven Bay at Southerndown. The cliffs here form part of the Glamorgan Heritage Coast.

History

Archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

evidence (such as the earthworks associated with

burial mounds A tumulus (: tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, mounds, howes, or in Siberia and Central Asia as ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. ...

, settlements and enclosures) suggests that there was settlement in Wick from around 1600BC when a small

proto-Celtic Proto-Celtic, or Common Celtic, is the hypothetical ancestral proto-language of all known Celtic languages, and a descendant of Proto-Indo-European. It is not attested in writing but has been partly Linguistic reconstruction, reconstructed throu ...

community may have developed, probably

farming Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

the surrounding land on a

subsistence A subsistence economy is an economy directed to basic subsistence (the provision of food, clothing and shelter) rather than to the market. Definition "Subsistence" is understood as supporting oneself and family at a minimum level. Basic subsiste ...

basis. The site of an ancient beacon tower lies just north-west of the village and to the south-west, on the cliff edge at Whitmore Stairs, is the earthworks of an

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

univallate hillfort A hillfort is a type of fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late European Bronze Age and Iron Age. Some were used in the post- Roman period. The fortif ...

, part of an ancient monument known as the Cwm Bach Camps. It is thought probable that the larger of the forts that make up this monument, situated approximately away on the Trwyn y Witch (Witches Point) headland, was at one time occupied by

Caratacus Caratacus was a 1st-century AD British chieftain of the Catuvellauni tribe, who resisted the Roman conquest of Britain. Before the Roman invasion, Caratacus is associated with the expansion of his tribe's territory. His apparent success led ...

(who led the

Silures The Silures ( , ) were a powerful and warlike tribe or tribal confederation of ancient Britain, occupying what is now south east Wales and perhaps some adjoining areas. They were bordered to the north by the Ordovices; to the east by the Do ...

in resistance to the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

occupation). Given its proximity to

Tusker Rock Tusker Rock () is a rock in the Bristol Channel, about west of Ogmore-by-Sea, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It is suggested that it takes its name from Tuska the Viking, a Dane whose fellow Vikings semi-colonised the Vale of Glamorgan. Alternative ...

, a small island named after Tuska (a Danish Viking), it is likely that Wick was a focus for

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

attacks on the south Wales coast. Local

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

suggests that beacons were lit on high ground around the village to warn of such raids and that attacks were fiercely resisted. It is thought that the village eventually came under Norman control in around 1097AD. Scheduled ancient monuments in Wick include Buarth Mawr (comprising a barn) and Rhyle round barrow. Various archaeological finds have been made in Wick, including the discovery of a hoard of five

Late Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

socketed axes by Mr. Adrian Jones in 2005. In later times it is likely that Wick formed part of a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

drovers route, by-passing the

toll road A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road for which a fee (or ''Toll (fee), toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented to help recoup the costs of road construction and ...

through nearby

. ''A Topographical Dictionary of The Dominion of Wales'' by Nicholas Carlisle, published 1811, recorded that in 1801 the population of Wick was 259. From 1822 parts of the village and areas of the surrounding land became part of the Dunraven Estate under the 1st Earl of Dunraven. By 1833 the population had risen to 349 according to ''A Topographical Dictionary of Wales'' by Samuel Lewis, published 1833, and in 1861 the population had reached 432 according to the 1880 ''Slaters Commercial Directory''. This then decreased to 384 by 1871 (according to the same source) and decreased further to 327 by the time of the 1891 census (the current population is 694 according to the 2001 census). The ''Slaters Commercial Directory'' also recorded that there were once 6 public houses in the village (The Carpenter Arms, The Lamb and Flag, The Royal Oak, The Star, The Steady Pointer and The Swan) of which only The Lamb and Flag and The Star remain as public houses today. There are some interesting historical features in the village, the most obvious being the

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

tower, 'Melin Du', built in 1825, and the single storey remnants of a much earlier stone

, 'Wick Old Windmill', near to the school. At nearby Broughton there are former brewery

malthouse A malt house, malt barn, or maltings, is a building where cereal grain is converted into malt by soaking it in water, allowing it to sprout and then drying it to stop further growth. The malt is used in brewing beer, whisky and in certain foo ...

s, used from the 1930s to the 1960s by the

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestantism, Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally ...

as holiday accommodation for children and the elderly, now converted into private flats. Some of the buildings in the village are known to be several hundred years old and 34 are now listed as 'County Treasures'. The coastline to the south and west of Wick is formed of rocks of the Lower Lias series that display horizontal stratification and are

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserve ...

bearing. It is from the top of these cliffs that, according to local

, the ' Wreckers of Wick' would, in the times before modern navigation, lure ships onto the rocks by showing false lights and then plunder the cargo. It is recorded that the bodies of drowned sailors were recovered from the beaches by

Monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

s from the

monastic grange Monastic granges were outlying landholdings held by Monastery, monasteries independent of the Manorialism, manorial system. The first granges were owned by the Cistercians, and other orders followed. Wealthy monastic houses had many granges, mo ...

at nearby Monknash and taken to what is now the Plough & Harrow Inn where they were prepared for burial. Historically this stretch of coastline has one of the highest instances of shipwrecks in Wales, its exposure to the Atlantic swell, south-westerly winds, shallow reefs and the Nash sands bar making it treacherous to shipping. Recorded wrecks on the 5 km stretch of coastline between Trwyn y Witch and Nash Point include: the Royal Hunter (1747), the Indian Prince (1752), the Elizabeth (1753), the Prince (1764), the George (1770), the Industry (1786), the Thomas (1806), the Bee (1820), the Harriet (1827), the Jessie Orasie (1831), the Frolic (1831), the Providence (1832), the Mayflower (1841), the New Felicity (1841), the Vigo (1842), the Betsey (1849), the Lucie (1854), the Williams (1854), the Mary & Deffus (1861), the Gillies (1862), the Elphis (1865), the Amelie (1870), the New Dominian (1872), the Bessie (1872), the John & Eliza (1876), the Jane & Susan (1882), the Ben-y-gloe (1886), the Malleny (1886), the Caterina Camogle (1887), the Denbigh (1888), the Tilburnia (1888), the Claymore (1892), the Lizzie (1892), the Elizabeth Couch (1913), the Narcissus (1916), the Pollensa (1919) and the Cato (1951). The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

of Wick is dedicated to Saint James the Great, and like many of the other churches in the parish dates from the twelfth century. It began as a

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

, but was later gifted to Ewenny Priory. It is a Grade 2*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

and consists of a

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

, south porch and western 'saddle back' tower. The church is built in the

Early English Period English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed a ...

style, although the oldest parts of the structure such as the chancel arch, the south door and a small window in the chancel, all date from the 12th century. The church has a

stone mensa (rectangular)

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

, views of which are provided through the 'squints' (

hagioscope A hagioscope () or squint is an architecture, architectural term denoting a small splayed opening or tunnel at seated eye-level, through an internal masonry dividing wall of a church in an oblique direction (south-east or north-east), giving wo ...

s) from the nave. The altar has unusual niches on either side, which probably contained statues of St James and the Blessed Virgin in centuries past. St James' was the subject of a major

Victorian restoration The Victorian restoration was the widespread and extensive wikt:refurbish, refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England church (building), churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century Victorian era, re ...

125 years ago and further additions have been made since then. The registers date from 1813. Wick also has a Unitarian and

General Baptist General Baptists, also called Arminian Baptists, are Baptists that hold to the doctrine of general atonement (belief that Jesus Christ died for all humanity and not only for the elect). General Baptist soteriology initially was not Arminian, bu ...

Chapel that has held regular services since 1792. Approximately to the west of the village is Monks Wood, a plantation of mixed native

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...

species managed by the Woodland Trust and the Monks Wood Committee. The wood was planted with native broadleaved trees and shrubs by villagers from Wick in November 2000. A wide mown path follows a circular route through the site and there is an information display for visitors. Another area of ecological importance is Clemenstone Meadows, directly to the north of the village, comprising 2 traditionally managed meadows on either side of a brook that support a number of rare plant species. The village was the birthplace of Sir Keith Thomas in 1933 and is currently home to the family of the Olympic gold medallist and World Champion cyclist Nicole Cooke. Sports clubs in the village include Wick

Rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

Club and the Wick & District

Cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

Club. On 28 November 2006 the village of Wick became the first community in the UK to be switched over to British Telecom's "21st Century Network" ( 21CN); an advanced high-speed

broadband In telecommunications, broadband or high speed is the wide-bandwidth (signal processing), bandwidth data transmission that exploits signals at a wide spread of frequencies or several different simultaneous frequencies, and is used in fast Inter ...

network that will be rolled out throughout the UK over the coming years, replacing all of BT's existing networks. Laura Wess, 11, made the first call using the system from Wick and Marcross Primary School to the Right Reverend John Stewart Davies,

bishop of St Asaph The Bishop of St Asaph heads the Church in Wales diocese of St Asaph. The diocese covers the counties of Conwy county borough, Conwy and Flintshire, Wrexham county borough, the eastern part of Merioneth in Gwynedd and part of northern Powys. The ...

, in

North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...

. The village won the South Wales Region Award for the 2008 Calor Village of the Year.

References

External links

Wick Walk

Plan of St James' Church

Wick Chapel

Geograph.co.uk : photos of Wick and surrounding area
{{authority control Villages in the Vale of Glamorgan Communities in the Vale of Glamorgan