Loughor () ( cy, Casllwchwr) is a Welsh town in the City and County of

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 ...

, within the historic county boundaries of

Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...

, Wales. It lies on the estuary of the

River Loughor The River Loughor () ( cy, Afon Llwchwr) is a river in Wales which marks the border between Carmarthenshire and Swansea. The river is sourced from an underground lake at the Black Mountain emerging at the surface from Llygad Llwchwr which trans ...

. The town has a community council under the name Llwchwr. The town is bordered by the communities of

Bynea Bynea ( )G.M. Miller, ''BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names'' (Oxford UP, 1971), p. 23. ( cy, Bynie) is a village close to the River Loughor (Welsh-Afon Llwchwr) in Carmarthenshire (Sir Gaerfyrddin), Wales (Cymru). It also forms an Bynea ...

in Carmarthenshire,

Grovesend Grovesend ( cy, Pengelli; ) is a village in the community of Grovesend and Waungron ( cy, Pengelli a Waungron), City and County of Swansea in Wales. The community has a population of 1,131.Gowerton (Tre-Gwŷr), and Gorseinon. Loughor is part of the built-up area of Gorseinon.

Etymology

The town's name has been called "possibly the oldest name in Gower", dating back to the Roman era. It derives from the name of the Roman fort of

Leucarum Leucarum was a coastal auxiliary fort in the Roman province of Britannia. Its remains are located beneath the town of Loughor in the Welsh city of Swansea. The Romans built a rectangular or trapezoidal fort at the mouth of the River Loughor in the ...

History

The town includes the site of the Roman fort of Leucarum, over which the

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

Loughor Castle Loughor Castle is a ruined, medieval fortification located in the town of Loughor, Wales. The castle was built around 1106 by the Anglo-Norman lord Henry de Beaumont, during the Norman invasion of Wales. The site overlooked the River Loughor an ...

was built in 1106. Loughor developed around the castle. The town has had its own lifeboat station since 1969, situated near the road bridge. The current lifeboat is a Ribcraft 5.85m RIB. Loughor Castle - geograph

Loughor later grew as a port, while in the early 20th century the main industries were large tin and

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

works. About 1800,

John Vivian (1750–1826) John Vivian (1750 – 7 December 1826) was a Welsh industrialist of Cornish extraction. Himself a descendant of the Vivians of Trewan, Cornwall, he was the first member of this branch of the family to settle in South Wales, where he became the ...

of Truro, Cornwall, became managing partner in the copper works at

Penclawdd Penclawdd ( cy, Pen-clawdd) is a village in the north of the Gower Peninsula in the county of Swansea, Wales. Historically, it was part of Glamorgan. Penclawdd is most famous for its local cockle industry which goes back for many years to Roman ...

, when Loughor was owned by the Cheadle Brasswire Company of

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

. The

Vivian family Vivian may refer to: *Vivian (name), a given name and also a surname Toponyms * Vivian, Louisiana, U.S. * Vivian, South Dakota, U.S. * Vivian, West Virginia, U.S. * Vivian Island, Nunavut, Canada * Ballantrae, Ontario, a hamlet in Stouffville, ...

eventually ran large copper-mining, copper-smelting and trading businesses in and around Swansea ( Vivian & Sons) and throughout the 19th century did much to develop

as a city.

Structure and amenities

Loughor town can be divided into two areas, defined by the present electoral wards of Lower Loughor and Upper Loughor, which have separate histories. Lower Loughor lies nearer the sea on low ground, Upper Loughor on higher ground. Loughor initially developed around the Norman castle in what is now the Lower Loughor ward. Upper Loughor began as a distinct settlement, initially around what is now the Glebe Road area, and became established as a separate town by the mid-19th century. Loughor today is mostly a commuter town for

and Llanelli via the Loughor bridge, and has merged with the neighbouring town of Gorseinon. The West Wales line crosses the

over the

Loughor Viaduct The Loughor railway viaduct carries the West Wales Line across the River Loughor. It is adjacent, and runs parallel to, the Loughor road bridge. The 1880 viaduct was granted Grade II listed building status. Before it was demolished in early 2 ...

to the west of the town.

Loughor railway station Loughor railway station was on the South Wales Railway, now the West Wales Line, from Swansea railway station, Swansea to . The station was located on the west side of Swansea in the residential area of Loughor. History The railway line bet ...

was closed in 1960. Local schools in the town include Tre Uchaf Primary School and Casllwchwr Primary School. Opposite the Tre Uchaf Primary is one of the sites of

Gower College Swansea Gower College Swansea ( cy, Coleg Gŵyr Abertawe) is a further education college in Swansea, Wales. It was formed in 2010 by the merger of Gorseinon College and Swansea College Mark Jones, previously principal of Bridgend College, became pri ...

. The local rugby union team of the town is

Loughor RFC Loughor Rugby Football Club is a rugby union Club representing the town of Loughor, Swansea, South Wales. Loughor RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, o ...

Notable people

In birth order: * Evan Roberts (1878–1951), minister, a major figure in the

1904–1905 Welsh Revival Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

in religious worship * James Henry Govier (1910–1974), painter, etcher and engraver of the Swansea School, produced several images of Loughor. * Irma Chilton (1930–1990), children's writer in English and Welsh *

Leighton James Leighton James (born 16 February 1953 in Loughor, Swansea, Wales) is a former Wales international footballer. Playing career James started his career as a left winger with Burnley F.C., Burnley, making his league debut in November 1970 against ...

(born 1953), Welsh international footballer

References

Sources

*Swansea Art Gallery Catalogue, 1936 *The Gower Journal *Who's Who in Art *Dictionary of British Artists 1900–1950, by Grant M. Waters, 1975

External links

History of Loughorwww.geograph.co.uk : photos of Loughor and surrounding area
{{authority control Towns in Swansea