Rhossili  Rhossili (; ) is a small village and community on the southwestern tip of the Gower Peninsula in Swansea. It is within an area designated as the first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the United Kingdom. The village has a community council and is part of the Gower parliamentary constituency, and the Gower electoral ward. The population was 278 in 2011 census. ,a third born in England. Rhossili probably gets its name in part from the Welsh word for moorland, "rhos". The second element in the name may be a reference to a Saint Sulien or St Sili, but details are not clear. Certainly the present Norman church is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin. Inside there is a memorial to Edgar Evans who was the first to perish on the Terra Nova Expedition on the return from the South Pole. There was a local tradition that there had been an earlier, pre medieval village complete with church closer to the sea which had been abandoned after "besanding" in the 14th century. A storm and subsequent excavation of newly exposed remains in the Warren (an area of sand dunes to the north of the present village) in 1980 helped to confirm the truth of this. Despite its relatively remote position, Rhossili is a popular tourist destination: the views from the headland and the Down are panoramic; several pleasant walks begin, end, or pass through the village; Iron Age remains are found on Rhossili Down; and the 4 mile (6.4 km) long beach attracts surfers, particularly at the Llangennith (northern) end. The prominent wreck of the "Helvetia", which ran aground in Rhossili Bay in November 1887, bears witness to the challenging sea conditions. Rhossili Bay curves along an arc running northwards from the village. The sandy beach is three miles (5 km) long and is backed with sand dunes. Some locals refer to the beach as Llangennith Sands. Behind the beach just north of the village is Rhossili Down with the highest point on the Gower Peninsula, the Beacon (193 metres), and a number of prehistoric remains. It is between Rhossili Down and the beach proper that the Warren is found. In some of the fields on "The Vile" in Rhossili, the National Trust plant every year around 400,000 sunflowers. This is an extremely popular attraction for visitors to take selfies at during late July and early August, however there have been issues with some visitors picking the flowers.