Rosebush, Pembrokeshire
| Rosebush | |
 Terrace of quarrymen's cottages |
|
  Rosebush |
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| Community | Maenclochog |
|---|---|
| Principal area | Pembrokeshire |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Maenclochog |
| Postcode district | SA66 |
| Dialling code | 01437 |
| Police | Dyfed-Powys |
| Fire | Mid and West Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| EU Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament | Preseli Pembrokeshire |
| Welsh Assembly | Preseli Pembrokeshire |
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Coordinates: 51°56′N 4°48′W / 51.93°N 4.8°W
Rosebush is a small village in Maenclochog community, north Pembrokeshire, Wales. It lies in the southern slopes of the Preseli Hills, about 1 mile (1.6 km) north west of the village of Maenclochog. Slate was extensively quarried nearby, its export facilitated by the railway in the 19th century. Today, Rosebush is a centre for exploring the Preseli Hills.
Name
The name Rosebush is probably an Anglicisation of Rhosbwlch (meaning moor gap) or Rhos y Bwlch (moor in the gap). A number of other nearby places include Bwlch.
History
Rosebush as a village did not exist before slate began to be quarried nearby in the early 19th century.[1] The village took its name from Rosebush Quarry when houses were built for quarry workers. To the north, there had been quarrying at Prescelly Quarry (later called Bellstone) since 1825.[2] Rosebush may have been the first Welsh village to have piped water.[3]
Slate quarrying
Quarrying was an industrially modest but locally significant mining operation in the Welsh slate industry. Quarrying at Rosebush began in 1842 and was worked until the end of the century.[2] The quarry supplied slate for the roof of Westminster Palace. Slate was ferried around the county by the old railway; some was taken to Fishguard via the Rosebush and Fishguard Railway to be shipped abroad.
Rosebush slate was not of a very good standard for roofing but made good blocks for buildings. An example of the qualities of Rosebush slate can be seen in the construction of Rosebush House, now the old Post Office Bistro and Bar, in the village. It was built in 1872 by the owners of Rosebush Quarry. The front of the building is constructed of fine faced slate block from the quarry in Rosebush and has some nice details in the block edging and particularly around the porch. To the side of the building the slates are not so tidy.
Inside the old post office bistro can be found a slate quarry apprentice piece of work, cut to the shape of a Welsh plank for cooking Welshcakes. This slate comes from Llangolman.
Railway
In 1876 a railway line from Clynderwen to Rosebush was opened by the Narberth Road and Maenclochog Railway company which facilitated the export of slate from the quarries. The line closed in 1882 and the name changed to North Pembrokeshire and Fishguard Railway in 1884 but was not reopened until 1895 with an extension from Rosebush to Letterston. An early passenger was a Western Mail reporter who travelled from Newport into the mountains to interview the husband of Margaret Rees who was being tried for murdering her child at Tyr-Bwlch. At the end of the report, he wrote that he drove "...to Rosebush Station to return, by the new North Pembrokeshire Railway, to more civilised haunts."[4]
The Great Western Railway took over in 1898. The line was closed to passengers in 1937 and to freight in 1949. During World War II the railway line across the moorland was used by British and USA air forces for target practice. The Preselis were used extensively by the military ground forces during the conflict, and some troops were stationed in and around Rosebush.[5]
Forgery charge
In 1881 at Newport, former Lincolnshire curate John Frederick Morgan, after visiting the rector Rev. Thomas Walters at Rosebush, was committed for trial for stealing a cheque book and passing forged cheques for £50 and £27.10s. He was allowed bail, and subsequently pleaded guilty at trial.[6][7]
Explosion
On the evening of June 2013 an explosive device was detonated inside a letter box in the village, destroying the box and scattering cast iron fragments.[8]
Amenities
Rosebush has a pub, Tafarn Sinc, built from timber and zinc sheeting in the grounds of the railway station. It was originally a hostelry for quarry workers. Part of the station platform still exists.[1] At the end of the 19th century attempts were made to encourage tourists to visit by rail, but the proposal did not bear fruit.[9]
Rosebush has a pub and restaurant that includes menu items for those with special diets, called The Old Post Office. Originally it was the house of the owner of the smaller part of the old Rosebush slate quarry. Built in 1872 of faced Rosebush slate, it was also a general store where the quarry workers bought supplies. It later became a Victorian post office. From there a walk can be started to the highest point in the hills.
The village is home to cheese manufacturer Pant Mawr Cheeses, which has a shop and a post office on the farm. Seren Brewing Company is in Rosebush. There is also a Holiday Park in the village of Rosebush.
Nearby Rosebush Reservoir provides water for southern Pembrokeshire and is a brown trout fishery.[10]
References
- 1 2 "Visit Pembrokeshire - Maenclochog & Rosebush". Retrieved 21 June 2014.
- 1 2 "Rosebush and Bellstone Slate Quarries". Retrieved 22 June 2014.
- ↑ Billing, Joanna (2003). The Hidden Places of Wales. Travel Publishing. p. 224. ISBN 9781904434078. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
- ↑ "The Pembrokeshire Tragedy". Western Mail. British Newspaper Archive. 12 June 1895. Retrieved 30 June 2014. (subscription required (help)).
- ↑ "Pembrokeshire Military History Guide". Retrieved 22 June 2014.
- ↑ "Charge of forgery against a clergyman". Bristol Mercury. British Newspaper Archive. 3 March 1881. Retrieved 30 June 2014. (subscription required (help)).
- ↑ "News". Portsmouth Evening News. British Newspaper Archive. 4 March 1881. Retrieved 4 July 2014. (subscription required (help)).
- ↑ "Calls for 'blown up' post box to be replaced". Western Telegraph. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ↑ Barnes, David (2005). The Companion Guide to Wales. Companion Guides. p. 245. ISBN 9781900639439. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
- ↑ "Rosebush Reservoir". Retrieved 28 Apr 2014.
Further reading
- Richards, Alun John. The Slate Quarries of Pembrokeshire, (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst, 1998) ISBN 1845241894
- George, Eirwyn. Meini Nadd a Mynyddoedd, (Gwasg Gomer, 1999) ISBN 1859027849
- Wyn, Hefin Battle of the Preselau 1946-1948 (Clychau Clochog 2008) ISBN 9780954993139