Croes-goch

Croesgoch
Cottages in Croes-goch
Croesgoch
Croesgoch shown within Pembrokeshire
Population	400
OS grid reference	SM8230
Community	Llanrhian
Principal area	Pembrokeshire
Ceremonial county	Dyfed
Country	Wales
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	HAVERFORDWEST
Postcode district	SA62
Dialling code	01348
Police	Dyfed-Powys
Fire	Mid and West Wales
Ambulance	Welsh
EU Parliament	Wales
UK Parliament	Preseli Pembrokeshire
Welsh Assembly	Preseli Pembrokeshire

Croes-goch is a village in North Pembrokeshire, West Wales. It is situated on the A487 between Fishguard and St David's. It lies some five miles north east of St Davids on the junction of the A487 St Davids to Fishguard road with the B4330 Llanrhian to Haverfordwest. The village, which has a population of about 400, lies within Llanrhian Community Council and lies two miles south of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.

History

There are a number of ancient burial mounds in the general vicinity and a previous site of a windmill. An old private tollgate still stands and is now used as a holiday cottage. Croesgoch lies on one of the pilgrimage routes to St David's cathedral. Nearby, at Mesur y Dorth, a specially carved stone, indicates a spot where people shared their bread before the last stage of their journey.

The name of the village is thought to originate from a battle which occurred near the village and resulted in a slaughter and a mythical river of blood that formed a cross - Croes-Goch. The oldest archaeological remains that have been found in the village is a cist burial tomb carbon dated c 500 AD unearthed during building work.

The Baptist Chapel, which is situated near the village centre, was built in 1858 and played a crucial role in village life. Nearby, churches include Llanrhian and Llanhywel.

On an 1842 Tithe Map shows only a small group of three or so cottages, with a building designated as a Chapel. Similarly, the 1841 census shows only a small group of three cottages.

Over the years the village has grown with building mainly taking place on the Llanrhian, Abereiddi and Trefeigan roads.

The Modern Village

The village now has various amenities. There is an extremely modern, successful and bilingual primary school, Ysgol Gymunedol Croesgoch. The Chapel is still functioning with services on a fortnightly basis. There are two art galleries run by well-known artists (one being John Knapp-Fisher). There is a garage (Forge Garage) for vehicle maintenance and MOTs and a large farm store (Croesgoch Farm Stores). The local pub, The Artramont Arms, offers Takeaway meals as well as a friendly drinking environment. It also offers Post Office services. The post office is temporarily closed, but with regular collections. There is a village general carpenter, metal worker and undertaker. Village people are employed in these activities and many travel further afield for their employment and others are employed in holiday and service industries in the locality. A construction company (Carreg Construction) is based in the village and building work is carried out in the village also employing some local people.

The Croesgoch exchange was the first in North Pembrokeshire to have broadband enabled back in April 2004^[1] which has enabled local businesses, residents and the school to connect to the World Wide Web at much faster speeds than previously experienced on dial-up.

Culture

The Croesgoch Garden Show committee organises the annual show which takes place at the school. This has been running for 65 years. Other events include fireworks (which is organised by the pub in the field next to Felinwynt), carol singing, the nearby church fete in Llanrhian which takes place in August and Llanhywel Church Strawberry Fair and the school summer fete in July, and women come together to recite poetry. Every year in the month of June a vintage tractor run is held in Croesgoch and it attracts much local interest. The leading painter John Knapp Fisher^[2] lived and worked here in Trevigan Gallery until his death in 2015.

References