Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Ever since the sixteenth century people who have visited the area have gone away claiming that they
have found a land of remarkable beauty. It is not surprising therefore that in 1956 Gower was the first
place in the
UK
to be designated an
AONB.
The complex geology of the peninsula produces a corres-
pondingly wide variety of scenery, ranging from the superb limestone cliffs of the south coast to the salt
marshes and sand-dune systems in the north. These spectacular coastal landscapes and sea views contrib-
ute significantly to the area's sense of identity and in 1973 they were also defined as a Heritage Coast.
Many of the classic views of Gower, such as Rhossili Bay (Fig. 2) and Three Cliff Bay, feature the coast-
line and the sea beyond. In a poll of the readers of
Country Life
magazine in 2002 the view of Three Cliff
Bay,withthewidesweepofthesandscontrastingwiththedistinctivecliffs,wasvotedoneofthefivebest
views in Britain (Fig. 3). Similarly, Worms Head has been voted the eighth most spectacular location for
sunsets in the whole of the United Kingdom. Almost the entire coastline is in the protective ownership of
the City and County of Swansea, the Countryside Council for Wales, the National Trust, or the Wildlife
Trust of South and West Wales. Inland, the most prominent features are the large areas of common, dom-
inated by sandstone heath ridges, including the prominent crest of Cefn Bryn.
In addition to the varied geology, Gower also contains an extremely large number of archaeological
and historical sites of all periods. In the
Register of Landscapes of Outstanding Historic Interest in Wales
(Cadw, 1998) the area is described as 'an unrivalled microcosm of Wales's historic wealth'. The sites
range from caves occupied in the Palaeolithic period, through to medieval castles, eighteenth-century
parkland landscapes and nineteenth-century industrial monuments. The peninsula also has a continu-
ous tradition of mixed farming, including both cereal cultivation and large-scale production of vegetable
crops, as well as dairying, stock raising and sheep farming (Fig. 4). The details that have been lost else-
where in the countryside still survive in Gower, and hedges, banks, ponds, small woods and marshy areas
remain part of the landscape.
