Porthcawl

Porthcawl
Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl
Porthcawl is located in Bridgend
Porthcawl
Porthcawl
Location within Bridgend
Population16,005 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceSS825775
Principal area
Preserved county
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townPORTHCAWL
Postcode districtCF36
Dialling code01656
PoliceSouth Wales
FireSouth Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
Websiteporthcawltowncouncil.gov.uk
List of places
UK
Wales
Bridgend

51°29′N 3°41′W / 51.48°N 3.69°W / 51.48; -3.69


Map of the community

Porthcawl ([pɔrθˈkaul] ) is a town and community in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales. It is on the south coast of Wales, 25 miles (40 km) west of Cardiff and 19 miles (31 km) southeast of Swansea.

Historically part of Glamorgan and situated on a low limestone headland on the South Wales coast, overlooking the Bristol Channel, Porthcawl developed as a coal port during the 19th century, but its trade was soon taken over by more rapidly developing ports such as Barry. Northwest of the town, in the dunes known as Kenfig Burrows, are hidden the last remnants of the town and Kenfig Castle, which were overwhelmed by sand about 1400.

  1. ^ "Town population 2011". Retrieved 7 November 2015.