The following article appeared in the Dyfed Wildlife Trust Bulletin No 61, dated April 1993
Westfield Pill At Last!
By Allan Hansen
In 1981, Jimmy Carter was President of the United States, the Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer, and Swansea City had a First Division football team. It was also the year the Dyfed Wildlife Trust, known then as the West Wales Naturalists’ Trust, commenced negotiations with Preseli District Council for the lease of the old railway line at Westfield Pill, Neyland. Little did we realise then that this process would take almost twelve years to complete.
Why this outstanding area remained undiscovered by naturalists for so long is a mystery. The hidden valley, always a favourite with locals, even during British Rail’s occupation, was a well kept secret until the construction of the high level bridge over the Pill in the early seventies.
Gradually, discoveries were made. The Small Blue butterfly, in what was one of its few locations in Pembrokeshire, attracted visiting naturalists, who subsequently found even more of interest. Botanists identified plants such as Bastard Balm, Green Winged Orchid, Grass Vetchling, Pale Flax, Red Hemp Nettle, Common Broomrape and Wild Service Tree. The lepidopterists managed to find thirty-two butterfly species during the next decade. One hundred and twenty-five species of birds have been recorded so far, including Hoopoe, Temminck’s Stint, Night Heron, Curlew Sandpiper and Red-necked Grebe. Westfield Pill is also an otter site, and the more vigilant may also be able to locate Adders and Grass Snakes.
The worthiness of this area to have Nature Reserve status was never in doubt, and in June 1981 our first approach was made to the District Council. This was met with a cool, but not discouraging, response. More correspondence, and we seemed to be gradually winning the Council officers over. So much so that, when plans were announced to build a marina at the lower end of Westfield Pill in 1983, the imaginative scheme included areas set aside for nature conservation. Maps marking the important areas, complete with our recommendations, were submitted to Preseli District Council. However, in May 1984 large amounts of clay and rubble from the marina construction were dumped in an area which we hoped would be part of the Nature Reserve, almost completely destroying the main Small Blue colony. Our hopes had been dashed.
After this, there followed a considerable period of concern by the Trust, for talk was now of an ‘amenity area’ complete with a narrow gauge railway. Nature conservation seemed a very low priority. Thankfully, these plans gradually petered out, and due to our determination a Nature Reserve returned to the forefront.
Towards the end of the 1980s, the District Council carried out much work on the Pill and adjoining area. With good relations now restored, the Trust advised on species of grasses, trees and wildflowers to be planted. We were also given considerable assistance with the initial management of the area, which consisted mainly of scrub clearance to restore a more open habitat.
Finally, the lease was signed in November 1992. We now have a 13 acre Nature Reserve of superbly varied habitat. It is hoped that, sometime in the near future, this can be extended to include the large lake adjoining the old railway track. Only then will our vision of twelve years ago be complete.
The bulletin adds:
Note: The Trust is particularly indebted to Allan Hansen for his untiring efforts at Westfield Pill: wildlife recording, establishing links with the local community and Officers and Councillors of Preseli District Council. Without this single-handed commitment, success could not have been achieved.