Solva () is a village,

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 ...

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 t ...

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and otherwise by the sea. Haverfordwest is the largest town and ...

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 ...

. 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 St Brides Bay () is a bay in western Pembrokeshire, West Wales. Either Skomer Island or the mainland extremity of Wooltack Point at the western end of the Marloes Peninsula marks the southern limit of the bay whilst its northern limit is ...

, in North Pembrokeshire in the

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Pembrokeshire Coast National Park () is a National Parks of England and Wales, national park along the Pembrokeshire coast in west Wales. It was established as a National Park in 1952. It is one of the three National parks of Wales, the others ...

and on the

Pembrokeshire Coast Path The Pembrokeshire Coast Path (), often called the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, is a designated National Trail in Pembrokeshire, southwest Wales. Established in 1970, it is a long-distance walking route, mostly at cliff-top level, with a total ...

. 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), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be Mooring, moored. The t ...

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

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff or rock face is an area of Rock (geology), 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. ...

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 Fishguard (, meaning "Mouth of the River Gwaun") is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with a population of 3,400 (rounded to the nearest 100) as of the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census. Modern Fishguard consists of two parts, Lowe ...

and

Milford Haven Milford Haven ( ) is a town and community (Wales), community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, an estuary forming a natural harbour that has been used as a port since the Middle Ages. The town was ...

; 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 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 ...

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, and during the 19th century, Solva had an

RNLI The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest of the lifeboat services operating around the coasts of the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. Founded in 1824 ...

lifeboat station. The fading coastal trade was replaced by

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

, 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 in the United Kingdom, 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 Inter ...

, 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 ria (; , feminine noun derived from ''río'', river) is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Definitions Typically rias have a dendriti ...

— a flooded coastal valley or

inlet An inlet is a typically long and narrow indentation of a shoreline such as a small arm, cove, 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 ...

. Local rocks contain fossils from the

Cambrian The Cambrian ( ) is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cambrian lasted 51.95 million years from the end of the preceding Ediacaran period 538.8 Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the Ordov ...

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 Brawdy () is a village, parish and Community (Wales), community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Etymology The Welsh language Welsh placename, name appears to be an archaic form of "Bridget" and the parish may originally have been Llanfreudeth. The Eng ...

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 is the second day of Eastertide and a public holiday in more than 50 predominantly Christian countries. In Western Christianity it marks the second day of the Octave of Easter; in Eastern Christianity it marks the second day of Br ...

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 wa ...

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 structure, composition, and History of Earth, history of Earth. Geologists incorporate techniques from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and geography to perform research in the Field research, ...

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

Frances Hodgkins Frances Mary Hodgkins (28 April 1869 – 13 May 1947) was a New Zealand painter chiefly of landscape, and for a short period was a designer of textiles. Born in Dunedin, she was educated Dunedin School of Art, then became an art teacher, ...

(1869–1947), a New Zealand painter, painted in Solva in 1936 and 1938, commenting in a letter to a friend in 1936: *

Meic Stevens Meic Stevens (born 13 March 1942) is a Welsh singer-songwriter. He has been one of the most prominent figures in the Welsh music scene for over five decades, and played a key role in establishing the popular music scene in Wales. He is descri ...

(born 1942), 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. * David Gray (born 1968) musician, 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. * Simon Davies, (born 1979), former footballer with 368 club caps who played for

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

and represented Wales 58 times, was brought up in Solva. His career started as a teenager at Solva AFC, and it was here that he was talent-spotted.

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" ''Un ...

's ''

Under Milk Wood ''Under Milk Wood'' is a 1954 radio drama by Welsh people, Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. The BBC commissioned the play, which was later adapted for the stage. The first public reading was in New York City in 1953. A Under Milk Wood (1972 film), f ...

''."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