=How to get there.=—Train from Paddington. Great Western Rly.
=Nearest Station.=—Haverfordwest (16 miles from St. Davids), thence
by coach to St. Davids, past Roch Castle.
=Distance from London.=—To Haverfordwest, 261 miles.
=Average Time.=—Varies between 6-1/2 to 9 hours.
1st 2nd 3rd
=Fares.=—Single 42s. 0d. 26s. 3d. 21s. 0d.
Return 72s. 3d. 46s. 0d. 42s. 0d.
=Accommodation Obtainable.=—"Grove Hotel," "City Hotel," etc.
St. Davids, the most western town in Wales, is situated on the little river Alan, a mile from its mouth, near St. Davids Head, on the north side of St. Brides Bay. The place is now little more than a village, though in the Middle Ages it was a large city, the great resort of pilgrims to St. David's shrine. The city, which was the =Menevia= of the Romans, is almost as isolated now as it was in their days, the only available communication being by the daily mail-cart from Haverfordwest, and an omnibus twice a week during the season.
The modern "city" of St. Davids is a mere village, consisting of one principal street and two at right angles, with a fine old cross at their junction, but the chief attractions are its grand old cathedral and the ruins of its once famous Episcopal palace. The cathedral, originally built in 1176, is curiously situated in a deep dell, so that only the upper part of the lofty tower is visible from the village, and the close is entered by descending thirty-nine steps, locally known as the thirty-nine articles. The entrance to the close is through a fine old tower-gateway, 60 feet high, where the records were formerly kept and a consistory court held.
The west front of the cathedral, which has been well restored, is one of the finest features of the building. Among the more interesting objects in the cathedral are Bishop Morgan's throne, of remarkable workmanship; the fine rood screen, the work of Bishop Gower; Bishop Vaughan's beautiful Tudor chapel and monument; and the shrine of St. David.
The Bishop's Palace, on the opposite bank of the river, was one of the finest in the kingdom. It was founded by Bishop Gower in the fourteenth century, and, together with the cathedral, St. Mary's College, and other ecclesiastical buildings, was enclosed by a lofty wall having four gateways, of which only one remains.
In mediaeval days the shrine of St. David was regarded with great veneration, and was visited by William the Conqueror, Henry II., and by Edward I. and his queen.
[Illustration: G.W. Wilson & Co.