What to See in Porthcawl - Top Sights and Attractions

Performing arts theater in Porthcawl, Wales. The Grand Pavilion is an entertainment venue in Porthcawl, Bridgend County Borough, Wales, opened in 1932. It has an octagonal dome and striking frontage, and was originally intended as a Palm Court for hosting tea dances, balls and civic functions.

Construction of the Grand Pavilion commenced in the summer of 1931. The use of ferrocrete throughout - then a relatively new technology - meant that the construction was relatively quick and was complete by August 1932.

The Grand Pavilion hosts a variety of events throughout the year including live theatre, concerts, ballroom dancing, conferences, dances, and culminating in the ever-popular Christmas pantomime. Recently, names such as Rob Brydon, Eddie Izzard, Elkie Brooks, Cerys Matthews, Hayley Westenra, Katherine Jenkins, Suzi Quatro, Ralph McTell, Joe Pasquale, and Gerry & The Pacemakers have all appeared on the Pavilion's stage. In 1957 a US Government travel ban prevented Paul Robeson from appearing in person at the Miners' Eisteddfod, however he still performed live via a secretly arranged transatlantic telephone link up. Fifty years on, in 2007, the Grand Pavilion celebrated this event with a concert featuring Sir Willard White.

The Grand Pavilion is also a conference venue, and hosts civil wedding ceremonies, receptions and parties.

The main hall features a fully equipped stage, and has a theatre seating capacity of 643. The hall also boasts one of the finest sprung dance floors anywhere in South Wales. The octagonal floor is regularly used for ballroom dancing classes and tea dances.

Originally named the "lesser hall" (and subsequently the "Jubilee Room") the basement of the Pavilion houses a refurbished performance space now named "The Stage Door", which plays host to regular Comedy nights, folk and jazz nights, dance classes, theatre workshops, conferences and meetings. The Cafe Bar hosts its own series of events, such as Jazz, Chill-out sessions, Literary speaking and an Art Forum. Several metres to the west is the Seabank Hotel.^[2]

Lake in Wales. Kenfig Pool is a national nature reserve situated near Porthcawl, Bridgend. Wild storms and huge tides between the 13th and 15th centuries are mainly responsible for creating the Kenfig dunes near Porthcawl, as they threw vast quantities of sand up over the Glamorgan coast. This buried the nearby borough of Kenfig, and its castle, of which only the ruined keep survives. At 70 acres the second largest freshwater lake in south Wales. Kenfig Pool lies at the heart of the national nature reserve and is a valuable stopping point for migrating birds. The lake's maximum depth is about 12 feet. An island, built by the aristocrats living in nearby Margam to encourage wildfowl to nest there, has long since sunk beneath the waters.^[4]