Porthkerry Country Park is in the process of receiving a wildflower makeover with Vale of Glamorgan County Council laying trial areas of Wildflower Turf, Meadowscape Pro and seed.
The Country Park itself sits within 220 acres of woods and meadowland in a sheltered valley leading to a pebble beach and spectacular cliffs and the park has a fascinating history.
Enjoyed by around 250,000 visitors each year, the park has a number of nature trails, picnic sites, a café, an adventure play area, barbecue areas and mini-golf course. A new project to rewild the old golf course has recently been undertaken, with Vale of Glamorgan County Council creating a mosaic of habitats, including hedgerows, ponds, wildflower meadows and salt marsh for the benefit of wildlife.
Once split between the ancient manors of Barry, Porthkerry and Penmark, the area was bought by the Romilly family in 1412, which worked the site on similar lines to an English country estate. The Romilly’s produced a ‘model’ farm and buildings using the most modern farming techniques of the time such as crop rotation. The family built the cottages for estate workers and foresters, established stables and a sawmill together with extensive mill leats and drained woods and fields.
Porthkerry Park was purchased from the Romilly estates in 1929 by Barry Urban District Council, after which it was used as a large public open park and then even played a role in the build up to the invasion of Normandy in World War II.
We look forward to sharing more images with you as this regeneration project by Vale of Glamorgan County Council continues.
