News

Archaeologists expect to reveal human remains

Published

10 years ago

May 16, 2016

DYFED ARCHAEOLOGICAL Trust are expecting to uncover even more human remains when they do a final dig at the site of an early medieval chapel in Whitesands Bay’s dunes.

Archaeologists have already carried out two excavations at the site of St Patrick’s Chapel on the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park beach, and they expect to reveal more about people living in Wales 1,000 years ago during their final dig.

Almost 50 skeletons dating to the seventh and eleventh centuries have been uncovered. Many were in ‘cist’ graves – long graves lined with stone slabs. Child graves were also found, decorated with layers of quartz pebbles and limpet shells.

This May, Dyfed Archaeological Trust will be excavating again and will conduct free tours every day from May 9-27. National Park Rangers and Voluntary Wardens will help to prepare the site by removing turf and sand.

Ken Murphy, of Dyfed Archaeological Trust, said that bone preservation in the first two digs had been very good and that a significant find was a stone cross standing at the end of one of the graves – the first time in Britain that an upright stone cross had been found in association with a long cist grave.

He added: “Bone analysis by the University of Sheffield will provide information on the diet of the people who are buried at St Patrick’s Chapel, and even on where they were born. The results of the excavation will greatly advance our knowledge of the lives and the beliefs of the people who lived in Wales over 1,000 years ago.”

The excavations are funded by Cadw (Welsh Government), the Nineveh Charitable Trust and the University of Sheffield, and supported by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority.

The chapel, from where St Patrick is said to have set sail for Ireland in the 5th century AD, was a ruin over 400 years ago but its location has never been forgotten and graves with human remains have regularly been exposed by storms.

Phil Bennett, the National Park Authority’s Culture and Heritage Manager, said: “We placed boulders against the site of the chapel to halt erosion 12 years ago, but they were washed away in the winter storms of 2014, exposing more burials. So we then decided to excavate the parts of the site most vulnerable to erosion and the aim of these digs is to ensure no more archaeology will be at risk for the next 50 years.”

The daily dig tours are free and no booking is necessary. The chapel site lies 50m from the car park at Whitesands Bay. On the weekends of May 14-15 and 21-22, there will be longer guided tours to include a visit to the archaeological remains on nearby St David’s Head.

Community

Stix Noodle Bar in Haverfordwest rewards visitors who park and shop local

Published

2 hours ago

May 18, 2026

Cerys Lafferty

A POPULAR restaurant is taking on one of the town centre’s biggest frustrations with a new initiative designed to ease parking stress and encourage more visitors into the heart of the community.

Stix Noodle Bar has announced a new scheme offering customers money off their bill when they show proof of paid parking in the town.

Under the initiative, diners who present an active parking ticket or parking app booking will receive the equivalent cost of one hour’s parking deducted from their meal bill.

The business says the idea was created in response to ongoing concerns about local parking pressures, while also supporting neighbouring independent traders and encouraging more people to spend time in the town centre.

In a statement released alongside the launch, the restaurant said: “Tired of Haverfordwest’s parking stress? So are we. That’s why we’re doing something about it.”

The team behind the noodle bar is encouraging visitors to “park up, come in, eat well, then go explore some of the brilliant businesses right on our doorstep,” adding that “Haverfordwest is worth stopping for.”

The scheme has already received support from local representatives, including Reform Councillor, Scott Thorley, who praised the move as a practical way to support the town centre economy.

“This is an excellent idea,” he said. “Tackling parking stress while boosting local businesses and footfall in Haverfordwest — this is exactly the practical support our town centre needs.”

Community

Pembrokeshire named UK’s most photographed coastal national park

Published

2 hours ago

May 18, 2026

Tom Sinclair

County’s coastline places sixth in UK-wide photo study

PEMBROKESHIRE has been named the most photographed coastal national park in the UK, according to new data from photo curation app Popsa.

The study, which analysed metadata from millions of customer photos uploaded in 2025, ranked Pembrokeshire Coast National Park sixth overall out of the UK’s 15 national parks.

It was the highest-ranked coastal park in the list, ahead of destinations including the Cairngorms, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, the Yorkshire Dales and Dartmoor.

Popsa gave Pembrokeshire a Photo Index Score of 28, representing 5.76% of all UK national park photography included in the study.

The company said the county’s 186-mile coastline, with its limestone arches, sea stacks, beaches and hidden coves, offered “photographic variety that few parks can match”.

Barafundle Bay was highlighted as one of the most photographed locations, particularly at low tide, while Skomer Island was noted for its puffin colonies, which attract photographers between April and July.

Wales performed strongly overall, with all three national parks appearing in the UK top ten. Eryri, formerly Snowdonia, ranked fifth, Pembrokeshire sixth, and Bannau Brycheiniog, formerly the Brecon Beacons, tenth.

Together, the three Welsh parks accounted for 16.46% of all UK national park photography in the study.

The Lake District topped the list, followed by the South Downs, the Peak District and the New Forest.

Popsa CEO Liam Houghton said: “Wales has three genuinely world-class national parks and this data shows they are clearly on photographers’ radar.

“But there’s a real gap between the quality of the landscapes and the volume of photos being taken there compared to the English parks.”

The findings suggest Pembrokeshire remains one of the UK’s standout destinations for landscape, wildlife and coastal photography, while also underlining the continued importance of the national park to the county’s tourism economy.

Crime

Pembroke woman accused of scrap fraud to appear in court

Published

2 hours ago

May 18, 2026

Court Reporter

Defendant accused of dishonestly selling vehicle for scrap in Haverfordwest

A PEMBROKE woman is due to appear before magistrates charged with fraud after allegedly selling a vehicle for scrap in Haverfordwest.

Natalie Morris, aged 42, of Corston Lodge, Axton Hill, is accused of fraud by false representation under the Fraud Act 2006.

The allegation relates to an incident said to have taken place in Haverfordwest on Tuesday (Aug 9), 2022, in which Morris allegedly dishonestly made a false representation by selling a silver Toyota Corolla, registration CU52 XBR, for scrap.

The court heard the alleged offence was carried out with the intention of making a financial gain of £313.

The case was listed before Llanelli Magistrates’ Court on Monday (May 18), where a previously issued warrant was withdrawn.

No plea was entered and the matter was adjourned.

Morris is now due to appear before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court at 10:00am on Tuesday (May 26) for a plea hearing, where she will be asked to enter a guilty or not guilty plea.