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]
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.