Stackpole Estate
| Stackpole Estate | |
|
National Trust | |
|---|---|
 Barafundle Bay on the Stackpole Estate | |
| Grid reference: | SR983946 |
| Location: | 51°36’53"N, 4°54’50"W |
| Information | |
| Website: | Stackpole Estate |
Stackpole Estate in southern Pembrokeshire extends between the villages of Stackpole and Bosherston near Pembroke. The estate lies within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and is owned and maintained by the National Trust. The estate consists of 5 square miles of farmland, lakes, woodland, beaches, and cliffs.
The estate has no visible boundary and is accessible to visitors all year round. However the National Trust does charge for car parking at Stackpole Quay, Bosherston and Broad Haven South beach from spring through to October.
History
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The 100 acres of lakes, which are today known as the Lily Ponds, were created by the damming of the three narrow limestone valleys in 1780 and 1860 by the earls of Cawdor, then owners of the Stackpole estate. The estate once centred on an elegant baronial mansion, Stackpole Court, built just outside Stackpole. However, during the Civil War, the Lort family, who owned the estate from 1611 to 1698, took the side of the King, and the house was besieged by Parliamentarians, to whom they eventually surrendered. When Sir Gilbert Lort died in 1698 the estate passed to his sister Elizabeth who had married Sir Alexander Campbell, Thane of Cawdor, in 1689. She outlived her husband, and on her death in 1714 the estate passed to her son John Campbell.
A new mansion constructed of limestone was built in later years with extensive gardens, greenhouses and fine collections of plants. Unfortunately much of the Stackpole Estate farmland was requisitioned at the start of Second World War to create a training ground for British troops. Castlemartin range still occupies this land. This made the estate unviable and The Cawdors returned to their estate in Nairnshire in the early 1940s. Crippling taxes on the empty mansion meant it was demolished in 1963, leaving behind the estate's outbuildings, parkland and beaches which are looked after by the National Trust and enjoyed by the public today.
Scenery and wildlife
The Stackpole Estate contains the unspoilt beaches of Barafundle Bay and Broad Haven South, the 100-acre lily ponds are home to otters, fish, swans, ducks and many other wildlife species. From the cliff tops and beaches, bottlenose dolphins and basking sharks can sometimes be seen along with many different varieties of sea birds such as kittiwakes.
Stackpole Village
- Main article: Stackpole
Stackpole Village stands within the Trust's Stackpole Estate. It has a population of around 200, a late nineteenth century school and a pub, The Stackpole Inn, which occupies the former village Post Office, a sixteenth century building.
In 1735 Stackpole village was moved from its original mediæval site to accommodate the growing Stackpole Estate.
Outside links
- Stackpole Estate information at the National Trust
- Location map: 51°37’30"N, 4°54’9"W
- Stretmap: SR992958
