Fishguard Port and Harbour Pembrokeshire |
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Fishguard (Welsh: Abergwaun = "Mouth of the River Gwaun") is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The name Fishguard is from old Norse fiskigarðr = "fish catching enclosure", and indicates that there may have been a Scandinavian trading post here, although there is no historical record to confirm this. It was once a marcher borough. Owen, in 1603, described it as one of five Pembrokeshire boroughs overseen by a portreeve. The Norman settlement lay along what is now High Street between the church at its north end and the slight remains of a Norman motte at its south end. Lower Fishguard developed as a herring fishery and port, trading with Ireland, Bristol and Liverpool. In the late 18th century Fishguard had 50 coasting vessels, and exported oats and salt herring. The port declined in the latter half of the 19th century. Fishguard's ancient Royal Oak pub saw the signing of surrender following the last invasion of Britain in 1797. The whole story is told by the Fishguard Tapestry, which was created for the 200th anniversary as a deliberate echo of the Bayeux Tapestry, and is on display in a hall near the town centre. Fishguard Harbour opened in 1906 and today is used by ferry passengers to Ireland |
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