Lamphey
Lamphey is a village and parish near the south coast of Pembrokeshire, two miles east of the county town, Pembroke.
History
Lamphey is a small village with an estimated population of 250 to 300 people, being located a short distance from the historic town of Pembroke, the birthplace of Henry VII, father of Henry VIII.
The village itself includes an historic parish church and a palace known as 'Bishops Palace' due to its use by the Bishops of St David's. Everything was on hand - fishponds, fruit orchards, vegetable gardens and sweeping parklands. Standards of accommodation were also suitably inviting, so it was hardly surprising that by the early 14th century Lamphey had become a favourite residence of the Bishops. The palace was established in the 13th century. As it stands, it is mainly the work of the dynamic Henry de Gower, Bishop of St David's from 1328 to 1347 (it comes as no surprise to discover that he was also largely responsible for the magnificent bishop's palace alongside St David's Cathedral).
In the fast-disappearing Pembrokeshire dialect, Lamphey was pronounced "Lam-fa" rather than the more usual "Lam-fey".
About Lamphey
In addition to the palace ruins, the village includes one pub, two hotels and restaurants, a local primary school, service station, hair studio, playing fields, a village hall completed in 2007, and a local bakery. The local bakery has served the community for generations and is a hub of activity particularly on Saturday mornings when locals and tourists flock to buy fresh bread. The Lantern Grill (a small restaurant located directly next to the Spar) was refurbished in 2007 and is now known as 'The Lantern'. Lamphey also has its own railway station, and is on the Pembroke Dock to Swansea line.
The grade II* listed Lamphey Court Hotel was formerly a Georgian mansion built in 1823 close by the ruins of the bishop's palace. It was the seat of the Mathias family until sold in 1978 by Wing Commander Lewis Mathias, High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire in 1965. [1]
The village is also a short distance from the village of Freshwater East, a seaside village less than two miles from Lamphey.
References
- ↑ "Three Pembrokeshire villages". http://www.lamphey.org.uk/sparc/sparc%20leaflet.html. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
Outside links
- Location map: 51.667 -4.867
- All About Lamphey local information
- Village Times local newspaper
- Photos of Lamphey and surrounding area on geograph.org.uk
