Port Eynon Salt House

The village of Port Eynon is probably best known for its beach, which is situated on the beautiful Gower peninsula. But wander around a quarter of a mile from the village and overlooking the bay you’ll find the Salt House, a mid-16th-century ruin once used as a storage for salt production in medieval times.

Centuries ago when in service three large chambers were situated on the beach. Sea water would enter these chambers when the tide was high and would be stored in a reservoir. It would then be pumped into large tanks and heated slowly in iron pans to evaporate. The salt that formed would be dried and stored in the main building. Production stopped sometime around the mid-17th century.

The structure is a scheduled ancient monument and is regarded as being of national importance. The area surrounding the ruins was excavated by GGAT in the 1980s and then again in the 1990s, revealing the true history of the site.