Tenby

My first visit to Tenby. It is a town on the Pembrokeshire coast and still has its medieval walls. You can see the 13th Century walls behind me, I don't think the car park sign is quite that old.

In Welsh Tenby is Dinbych y Pysgod - Little Town of Fishes. The Normans strengthened the castle next to the town. After it was attacked by Llewelyn The Great the town walls were built. This was done by William de Valence, Earl of Pembroke. At times it appears this period of history seems to consist of somebody called Llewlyn attacking somewhere and a Norman called William building a wall or castle.

Tenby is where Henry Tudor sheltered (I think that's polite for hid from people with swords) before leaving the country during the Wars of the Roses. When he returned and became Henry VII the town benefited from royal grants.

The town suffered a decline after the civil wars. It lost a lot of its population and became very run down. Then Napoleon came along and rescued it - sort of. As rich people could no longer visit fashionable parts of Europe they started looking for places in Britain to go. Sir William Paxton built a 'bathing establishment' then a hotel and cottages. This attracted lots of the tourists who could no longer go to Europe. The towns revival continued into Victorian times.

Tenby is now a very pretty town. A cliff top road gives lovely views into the harbour. The centre of town is full of narrow streets with brightly painted Victorian shops.