Burry Port
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St Mary's Church |
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Burry Port shown within Carmarthenshire | |
OS grid reference | SN445015 |
Community | |
Principal area | |
Ceremonial county | |
Country | Wales |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | BURRY PORT |
Postcode district | SA16 |
Dialling code | 01554 |
Police | Dyfed-Powys |
Fire | Mid and West Wales |
Ambulance | Welsh |
EU Parliament | Wales |
UK Parliament | |
Welsh Assembly | |
Burry Port (Welsh: Porth Tywyn) is a small town five miles (8 km) outside the larger centre of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the Loughor estuary. The town's population was 4,209 in the 2001 census and 4,240 in 2012.
The town is home to a harbour and is where Amelia Earhart landed as the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. The Pembrey Burrows sand dune and wetland system, home to a country park and the Cefn Sidan sands, lie nearby. The town also has a proud musical heritage and is also home to Burry Port Opera, Male Choir and Burry Port Town Band
Burry Port lies 5 miles west of Llanelli. It sits at the mouth of the Loughor estuary, looking south towards the picturesque Gower peninsula. West of the town's shoreline is Pembrey Burrows, a large area of burrow and marshland which historically occupied many square miles of land, much of which has later been reclaimed. To the north of the town is the hill Mynydd Pembrey, or Pembrey Mountain. Further north lie the Gwendraeth Valleys. The Gwendraeth Fawr runs north easterly from Kidwelly for about twelve miles (19 km). The land around the valley itself contains large amounts of coal as well as limestone. The Gwendraeth Fawr flows the length of the valley and joins its sister river the Gwendraeth Fach west of Kidwelly before flowing into Carmarthen Bay.
People made a living in Burry Port from farming and fishing before the industrial revolution brought the railways and collieries to the area, As Pembrey Burrows was a hazard to shipping, local people would also salvage what they could from boats wrecked in storms while navigating the Bristol Channel.