Ilkeston Cam On Holiday 2002 - South West Wales
Part 09 - Burton Ferry
The photos on this page were taken on Monday 15th July
We could have followed main roads from Haverfordwest but I chose
the "scenic route" and eventually pulled up on the
north bank of the stretch of water known as Milford Haven opposite
Pembroke Dock at Burton Ferry.
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From beneath a wooden jetty, the triangular shape of the beams
was echoed by the red sails of a yacht preparing to set sail
in the sunshine.
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I walked to where the yacht had been moored but by the time I
arrived there, it had long gone and all that remained was this
motor boat and a small rowing boat. The yellow building on the
right is the "Jolly Sailor" public house.
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From this position though, I had a good view of the wooden jetty
and Trinity House. Trinity House was built in 1861 as a depot
for lightships and lighthouses between Swansea and North Wales.
with the jetty providing a landing stage and storage in its underslung
rooms.
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A vessel called "The Siren", moored off Burton Ferry
between 1878 and 1920 and carried relief crews and oil for the
lamps. Cottages in Trinity Terrace provided accommodation for
the crews but the depot eventually transferred to Swansea in
1926. This view from the entrance to Trinity House not only shows
the wooden jetty but also the modern way to cross into Pembroke
Dock - the toll bridge.
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In times gone by ferrymen rowed children to school in Pembroke
Dock and on Tuesdays and Fridays, Llangwm fisherwomen were taken
across to sell their catch. They left their donkeys and carts
in fields adjacent to "Jolly Sailor", the ferry service
continuing until the 1950s. Today the toll bridge provides a
much more convenient if less romantic means of crossing.
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