History
Neyland was a small fishing village in the parish of Llanstadwell, but in 1856 it became the site for the western terminus of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Great Western Railway with a transatlantic terminal for the largest ships of the time. It was selected instead of the other possible location Abermawr. The town then grew rapidly to serve the port. An earlier plan (1846) to build the terminal at Goodwick was revived in 1899, and the more substantial port there was opened in 1906.
Many people relocated from Neyland to Goodwick and Fishguard at that time. Neyland was partially reprieved because silting of Goodwick harbour restricted its use, and for a little over one hundred years, Neyland was a busy rail and sea port. But in 1964 the Neyland terminal ceased operation. In the 1980s redevelopment saw the creation of a new marina and rehabilitation of the old railway yard. Some of the original Brunel iron wide gauge railway tracks can be seen today in use as safety barriers around the quay.
The Rail Terminus used to connect to a ferry that ran across the Cleddau to Hobbs Point from where there was a bus service to Pembroke Dock and Pembroke. This was stopped when the Cleddau Bridge was completed in the seventies.
In August 2010, an 8 ft bronze statue of Brunel was stolen from its site in the towns marina, presumably for its metallurgic value.
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