Porthcawl was developed as a port when coal was discovered in South Wales.

The port was build between two villages, Newton and Nottage. Newton was built by the Normans and the older Nottage is thought to be Viking settlement.

The new port had a shaky start as it was at the mercy of the gales and the lack of lighthouses made navigation difficult.

But Nash lighthouse was built in 1832 and the dock was deepened a few years later.

So the town grew and prospered, and wide streets of Victorian and Edwardian villas were built together with upper and lower promenades.

Much of this development was due to the vision of one man whose name is kept alive in the town in the name of the main street - John Street - and the public house, the Brogden Arms.

In 1880 the Rest Convalescent Home was built at Rest Bay with the help of advice from Florence Nightingale.

However the Porthcawl docks still suffered from an exposed position which put ships at the mercy of sudden squalls. Also the close proximity of sandbanks and the notorious Tuskar Rock put the future of Porthcawl as a port in jeopardy.

When Barry and Port Talbot docks opened Porthcawl went into decline as a port but re-emerged as a very popular seaside resort.

It flourished between the wars and holidaymakers enjoyed the bathing and boating lakes, rollerskating rinks and a flying circus at a small aerodrome.

In addition paddle steamers maintained a link between Porthcawl and resorts on the Devon and Somerset coasts.

Since the Second World War, Porthcawl has developed into a busy little town with a host of visitors in the summer months, and a future which lies with the growing reputation of Porthcawl Royal Golf Course and the surfing at Rest Bay.