The small coastal village that became one of UK's most popular seaside resorts

Wales Online

24-05-2025

It draws visitors from far and wide to its beaches and is known globally for its Elvis Festival and this year Porthcawl marks its 200th anniversary. Here we take a look back at the town in pictures since it gained Royal Assent in 1885.
Over two centuries the town has survived two world wars and recession as well as doubling its population for two weeks each year for the Miner's Fortnight. It's hosted political conferences as well as being a seaside and surfing destination with its fairgrounds, caravan parks and ice cream shops.
Porthcawl has transformed since George IV gave Royal Assent for a tramroad to be built from 'Duffryn Llynfi, in the Parish of Llangonoyd, to or near a certain Bay called Pwll Cawl , otherwise Porth Cawl in the Parish of Newton Nottage' on June 10 1895.
Two buildings were built on the dock, one for storing coal brought to the area that would become the town and one for administration. One of those buildings, known locally as the Jennings building, still stands today.
By the late 1840's the iron industry was in recession and John Brogden and Sons Company of Sale, Manchester brought out the debts of Tondu Ironworks and with it a piece of land around Porthcawl harbour called Pickets Lease. It was this land, developed by James and Mary Brogden that became the town of Porthcawl we know today.
The first vessel to enter the new Porthcawl dock was the steamer SS John Brogden and by 1880 James and Mary Brogden had moved into Seabank House and involved themselves in the town including overseeing building the sea wall which was the precursor of the Esplanade there today.
It was this new sea walkway, and the national growing attraction of the seaside in Victorian times, which first drew visitors to Porthcawl. This in turn led to hotels, initially the Esplanade, being built. But by 1891 the Brogden fortune had gone and the dock and train line became the property of the Great Western Railway.
That was followed by the closure of Porthcawl Dock in 1902 as trade moved to the new docks at Barry and Port Talbot which were purpose built and not tidal. Luckily the town continued to be developed for tourism and by 1914 Porthcawl had a population of 5,500 but was about to change with the outbreak of War One declared.
During the war Porthcawl became a recruiting and training centre with six new battalions formed, a rifle range established in nearby Newton and the Rest Home converted into St John's Auxiliary Hospital. Soon Belgium refugees were welcomed into town life.
The end of the war and the 1920s brought tourists back and In 1932 the Grand Pavilion was built followed by and Griffin Park in 1935. Porthcawl grew as a seaside destination in the years before Word War Two with 70,000 visitors arriving each season by train. Hotels and Boarding houses were often full and the town was buzzing.
World War Two brought new people to the town with Dutch, Americans and some British service people arriving. The 49th Reconnaissance Regiment 'C' Squadron was formed in Porthcawl in September 1942, RAF Stormy Down was established, and the Jennings building was commandeered as Marine Air Sea Rescue No 46.
Soldiers were soon camped around the town and Americans who arrived in 1943 were often seen training on Coney Beach in preparation for D Day.
After the war peace brought holidaymakers back and Porthcawl's attraction as a seaside town continued to grow. Trecco Bay became a popular tourist resort with caravans and tents as an alternative to boarding houses and hotels. Soon the Miners' fortnight in Porthcawl was an established event in late July and early August earning the town the title of Wales' mini Blackpool.
The town also has political history. On October 5 1957 Paul Robeson sang across the Atlantic to fans in the town. Unable to leave the USA after his passport was confiscated, owing to the government believing he had Communist sympathies, Paul Robeson sang down the telephone line to a packed house of 5,000 people in the Porthcawl Grand Pavilion for the 19th Miners' Eisteddfod.
Some events were more rowdy. Between 1945 and 1968 the 12,000 seater Coney Beach Arena, hosted many boxing contests with the most infamous being on August 29 1960 when spectators swarmed into the ring resulting in a riot that took 20 Porthcawl policemen to control.
Five years later the Beeching cuts saw Porthcawl Railway closed in 1965 bringing cars and car parks to the town instead. Meanwhile Porthcawl's popularity as a seaside resort continued to grow with the creation of Cosy Corner's paddling pool and Stan Stennett's Summer Shows, pantomimes, and the development of Trecco Bay Caravan Park into one of the largest in Europe.
Fast forward to the 21st century and in 2004 Porthcawl staged its first Elvis Festival in 2004. The hugely popular festival is now internationally famed and one of the largest Elvis events in the world.
For many the iconic lighthouse at the harbour is a symbol of the town with photographs of waves lashing the wall becoming a well known image of winter storms. The seas around the town can be perilous and Porthcawl RNLI is one of the busiest stations in Wales. But for most visitors to the town Porthcawl is a place to visit on sunny days for the beach or a stroll along the seafront with an ice cream in hand.