Gowerton ( cy, Tregŵyr) is a large village and

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

, about 4 miles north west of

Swansea city centre Swansea city centre in Swansea, Wales, contains the main shopping, leisure and nightlife district in Swansea. The city centre covers much of the Castle ward including the area around Oxford Street, Castle Square, and the Quadrant Shopping Centr ...

, Wales. Gowerton is often known as the gateway to the

Gower Peninsula Gower ( cy, Gŵyr) or the Gower Peninsula () in southwest Wales, projects towards the Bristol Channel. It is the most westerly part of the historic county of Glamorgan. In 1956, the majority of Gower became the first area in the United Kingdom ...

. Gowerton's original name was Ffosfelin. The village falls within the Gowerton electoral ward of the

City and County of Swansea Council , coa_pic = , coa_res = , coa_alt = , logo_pic = Swansea City Council Logo.svg , logo_res = , logo_alt = , house_type = Unitary authority , jurisdiction = , foundation = 1 April 1996 , preceded_by = West Glamorgan County Council S ...

, which elects one councillor. The

had a population of 5,212. and the built-up area with

Waunarlwydd Waunarlwydd ( en, The Lord's Meadow – ''arlwydd'' is a local variant of ''arglwydd'') is a village and community in Swansea, Wales, within the newly formed Waunarlwydd ward in 2021. Wendy Lewis Labour is the first elected councillor for the ...

8,183. In 1980, the Welsh

National Eisteddfod The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competitors ...

(named after ''Dyffryn Lliw'', see below) was held at the Elba sports complex in the village. The Eisteddfod stone ( Gorsedd stones) is located on the roundabout (grid ref. 585966) on the B4295 road to Penclawdd.

Geography

Nearby villages/towns are Penclawdd (west),

Three Crosses Three Crosses ( lt, Trys kryžiai, pl, Góra Trzykrzyska) is a prominent monument in Vilnius, Lithuania, on the Hill of Three Crosses, originally known as the Bald Hill ( lt, Plikasis kalnas), in Kalnai Park. According to a legend, which find ...

and

Dunvant Dunvant ( cy, Dyfnant) (Dyfn - deep; nant - stream or brook) is a suburban district and community (parish) in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, and falls within the Dunvant ward. It is situated in a valley some 4.5 miles west of Swansea cit ...

(south),

(east, contiguous with Gowerton),

Gorseinon Gorseinon is a town within the City and County of Swansea, Wales, near the Loughor estuary. It was a small village until the late 19th century when it grew around the coal mining and tinplate industries. It is situated in the north west of Swa ...

(north) and

Loughor Loughor () ( cy, Casllwchwr) is a Welsh town in the City and County of Swansea, within the Historic counties of Wales, historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales. It lies on the estuary of the River Loughor. The town has a community (Wales), ...

(north-west). From 1974 to 1966, Gowerton was part of the district of Lliw Valley (''Dyffryn Lliw'') within West Glamorgan. People from Gowerton are often referred to as "starch". When the local area processed steel for export, the steel owners and white collar workers lived in the Gowerton area; hence the name "starch". On the other hand, many of the manual workers resided in neighbouring Penclawdd and are known by the affectionate term "donks". Gowerton is twinned with

La Gacilly La Gacilly (; ) is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France. It is located on the right bank of the Aff River, about north of Redon, on the train line between Vannes and Rennes and about from both. It extended ...

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Politics

Gowerton elects a

community council A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain. In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies. In ...

of thirteen members in two wards: East and West.

Education

Gowerton has three schools:

Gowerton Primary school Gowerton ( cy, Tregŵyr) is a large village and community, about 4 miles north west of Swansea city centre, Wales. Gowerton is often known as the gateway to the Gower Peninsula. Gowerton's original name was Ffosfelin. The village falls within the ...

Gowerton Comprehensive School Gowerton School is a secondary school located in Gowerton, near Swansea, Wales. History Intermediate School The school opened on 5 October 1896 in Talbot Street as a co-educational Intermediate school under the Welsh Intermediate Education A ...

and

Ysgol Gyfun Gŵyr Ysgol Gyfun Gŵyr is a Welsh language medium secondary school in Gowerton, Swansea, Wales, with approximately 950 pupils as of 2016. It was established in 1984. Notable past students include footballer John Hartson, soprano Elin Manahan Thom ...

(Welsh medium comprehensive school).

Religion

Gowerton once had five church or chapel buildings: St John's Church (built 1882), Tabernacl (opened 1893) Temple United Reformed Church (opened 1888), Bethel (opened 1873) and Bethania (opened 1891). However, only two, St John's Church and Temple URC, still remain. Bethel has lain in ruins for two decades and both Tabernacl and Bethania have been demolished.

Transport

Bus services are provided by

First Cymru First Cymru is an operator of bus services in South West Wales. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup with its headquarters in Swansea. History In 1987, South Wales Transport was sold during the privatisation of the National Bus Company in a man ...

and NAT. These depart Gowerton from Hill Street or Sterry Road.

provide a half-hourly service (no. 16) through the village to

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

and

Gowerton railway station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Gowerton railway station - geograph.org.uk - 3673649.jpg , borough = Gowerton, Swansea , country = Wales , coordinates = , g ...

is on the West Wales Line, between Swansea and Llanelli. Gowerton once had two railway stations, but today only one remains. This was made single-track in 1986. Work began in November 2012 to restore the double track to Gowerton by mid-2013, this has now been completed.

Sport

The local rugby club is

Gowerton RFC Gowerton Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club based in Gowerton near Swansea, Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and w ...

. Gowerton's Elba Sports Complex is home to Swansea Senior League Second Division, Gowerton FC. Gowerton has a golf range and a nine-hole, par 3 golf course.

References

External links

Gowerton local historyGowerton primary school
{{authority control Communities in Swansea Districts of Swansea Villages in Swansea Swansea Bay (region)