The soils and rocks of the Sandy Haven area are a distinct pink/red colour. These rocks are called the Old Red Sandstone by geologists and they belong to the Devonian period – known as The Age of Fishes. The rocks are about 395 million years old. They can be seen to be mainly red shales […]
Before asphalt roads, motor cars and electricity and piped water mains came to Sandy Haven, the few inhabitants of this tiny hamlet obtained their drinking water from a spring on the opposite side of Sandy Haven creek. They would cross the creek at high tide by boat and fill their containers with water. Presumably the […]
Up until the mid 1980s and to a lesser extent today, cliff path walkers heading east for a night at Herbrandston or Milford Haven would appear around high tide in the gardens of The Anchorage asking for the ferry. They were unable to cross the Sandy Haven creek at high tide where there can be […]
The interior of The Anchorage is decorated with a nautical decor old-world sailing ship theme, including prints and models. This is because the owner feels that the tiny hamlet of Sandy Haven with its few cottages, quay, and limekiln retains much of its 19th century charm. The settlement was formed by the Beer family who […]
Leaning against the house wall at the side entrance to The Anchorage is a large black piece of wood. This is the largest remaining fragment of the sailing schooner – The Crystal. She was operated by the Beer family who built Rock House and the small stone quay just below the Anchorage. The old trading […]
Across the road from the main entrance to The Anchorage, the ivy grown stone walls of the first Baptist chapel at Sandy Haven can be seen. This was built in 1814 and served the communities of Sandy Haven and Herbrandston. The villagers from Herbrandston walked to the chapel by crossing Sandy Haven creek on stepping […]
On the opposite side of the road to The Anchorage is a large stone built lime kiln with an iron weigh bridge and stone firemans hut. They are in a remarkable state of preservation as they have twice been restored in the past three decades. They date from the 19th century and many of them […]
The 200mile long coastal path of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park comes along the clifftop at the public sandy beach at Sandy Haven on the opposite side to the Anchorage. It crosses the creek by the footbridge and comes up the narrow tree covered road in front of The Anchorage. A few yards uphill of […]
A popular and memorable activity for small children at Sandy Haven is The Crabbing Bridge. This is the footbridge exposed at low tide across the stream running down Sandy Haven Creek. It is about 100 yards below the end of the asphalt road leading down from The Anchorage. In the summer school holidays it is […]
Perhaps the major attraction of the Anchorage is as a dinghy, canoe or kayak launching site for the 1.4 mile long tidal creek of Sandy Haven. The high tide line is only 50 m from the Anchorage which has asphalt parking for 5 cars as well as extensive grass parking for boats and trailers. The […]
Ten menhirs or standing stones have been erected on one of the terraces. While walking the local beaches during the making of The Anchorage gardens (mainly by collecting and arranging the many scattered large blocks of sandstone-conglomerate derived from the thick layer beneath the garage) , the owner was surprised to find menhirs on the […]
The Anchorage occupies the side of a small valley. Behind the house, the wooded valley side rises to a raised marine platform that covers the Dale Peninsula and provides the flat farmland. A woodland path leads up from the gardens to Fort Sandy (on the platform) which is a small fort with false wooden cannon […]
The stories and photographs on this website record the history of the Roobol family of John and Anne and their four children, Peter, Joanne, Matthew and Alice over a lifetime of summer holidays in Pembrokeshire. An early photograph taken in 1974 show Anne and one year old Peter on Albion Sands. Throughout the photographs the […]
In summer the social center of The Anchorage is the large patio garden in front of the house onto which two front doors open. This is known as The Monks Garden. It is a delightful place for breakfast, coffee and sundowner gatherings in seclusion with its surrounding of trees, birds and flowers. It has now been […]
Between the side entrance and the garage is a picturesque water well studded and roofed with seashells. This originated because the original cottages had a considerable problem of damp and the cottage garden in winter was often flooded with a few inches of water. By studying the geology of the Devonian sedimentary rocks of the […]
The design of the Anchorage and its two acres of gardens resulted from the owners experience as a geologist working in the Arabian deserts in summer. With daytime temperatures of 50 degrees, work was possible only from dawn to 10.00 am and from 4.00.pm until dark. Sometimes midday was spent in black Bedouin tents where […]
When purchased in 1982 there was a ruined double stone cottage on the site. Although grants were available to restore it, as the doors were only five feet tall and the owner is over six feet tall, it was demolished. The design of the double cottage is retained in the new modern house with its […]
The owner of The Anchorage is a geologist originating in Milford Haven but working around the world. The Anchorage is where he would have liked to live with his family but was only able to visit with his family on holidays and “to anchor” there briefly. – John Roobol