OS grid reference ST081667 Country Wales Postcode district CF62 Local time Friday 3:23 PM UK parliament constituency Cardiff South and Penarth | Principal area Vale of Glamorgan Sovereign state United Kingdom Police South Wales Ceremonial county South Glamorgan | |
 | ||
Weather 12°C, Wind E at 29 km/h, 71% Humidity | ||
The hamlet of Porthkerry (Welsh: Porthceri) lies on the Bristol Channel coast of South Wales within the community of Rhoose between that village and the town of Barry to the east. It is very close to the end of the runway of Cardiff International Airport. To the east of the hamlet is Porthkerry Park which occupies the valley leading down to the coast.
Contents
Map of Porthkerry, Rhoose, Barry, UK
History
One of the oldest settlements in PorthKerry is the Iron Age promontory fort known as The Bulwarks, a 4.1 hectares (10 acres) site much of which is now wooded. The Bulwarks, which consisted of three closely spaced overgrown banks fronted by ditches with the final side facing the cliffs to the south, were occupied well into the period of Roman occupation. North of the fort is a church dedicated to Saint Curig. Described by Newman as "a very small church", St Curig has a single lancet window that is thought to be 13th century, but with other features, such as the east and west windows being confirmed as from the 15th century.
On 28 November 1831 the vessel The Nepture, sailing from Newport to Wexford in Ireland, struck a rock off the coast of Porthkerry. On 10 January 1898 the Porthkerry Viaduct on the Vale of Glamorgan Line operated then by the Barry Railway Company was the scene of a non-fatal railway accident involving the collapse of the structure. The viaduct also featured in scenes in the Doctor Who television series in 2000.The Porthkerry Leisure Park hit the national headlines in November 2011 when a portion of the cliff collapsed at the edge of the site leaving some caravans hanging over the edge of the cliff.