The Captain's Wife is a public house in the former fishing hamlet of Swanbridge in Sully, between Barry and Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, south Wales.[1] The pub was established in 1977 from a row of three sea houses. Notable smuggling operations and dove culling once took place here and a tunnel connected the sea to what was known as Sully House.[2] It takes its name from the wife of a sea captain who lived here and buried her in a nearby wood rather than confessing to her dying aboard his ship. The body of the wife, named Gertrude, was originally kept in a box that was mistaken for treasure and stolen.[3]

The Captain's Wife

In 1984 the pub owners were given permission to strengthen the sea wall, though the work left concrete and metal debris over the beach which was not cleared until 2012.[4]

In 2002 the owners of the pub imposed parking charges for people coming to the pub and beach. By January 2003, the scheme had been dropped.[5]

In November 2019 the pub's owners were criticised for closing up a historic dovecote.[6] The pub reversed their decision after a social media post by Caerphilly Bird Rescue went viral.[7]

Today the Spinney Park Holiday and Leisure Park surrounds the pub.

References

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  1. ^ Somerville, Christopher (1 July 1988). Coastal walks in England and Wales. Grafton. p. 115. ISBN 978-0-246-13029-7. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  2. ^ "CAPTAINS WIFE PUBLIC HOUSE Barry, Nr Cardiff". Glamorgan Paranormal. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  3. ^ "The Captain's Wife in Penarth". Vintageinn.co.uk. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  4. ^ Grice, Natalie (23 May 2012). "Swanbridge beach, Sully: Dumped 1984 rubble clear-up". BBC News. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Sully pub axes car park fees". South Wales Echo. 17 January 2003. Archived from the original on 17 November 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  6. ^ Clements, Laura (27 November 2019). "Pub causes anger after blocking up dovecote". walesonline. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  7. ^ "Anger over dovecote blockage prompts Sully pub u-turn". BBC News. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2024.

51°24′0″N 3°11′53″W / 51.40000°N 3.19806°W / 51.40000; -3.19806