Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
and the
second-largest city of
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 west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
. It forms a
principal area {{Short description, Formal legal term for a county in England and Wales
In England and Wales local government legislation, a principal area is one of the sub-national areas established for control by a principal council. They include most of the ar ...
, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe).
The city is the
twenty-fifth largest in the United Kingdom. Located along
Swansea Bay
Swansea Bay ( cy, Bae Abertawe) is a bay on the southern coast of Wales. The River Neath, River Tawe, River Afan, River Kenfig and Clyne River flow into the bay. Swansea Bay and the upper reaches of the Bristol Channel experience a large tid ...
in southwest Wales, with the principal area covering 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 ...
, it is part of the
Swansea Bay region and part of the
historic county of
Glamorgan; also the ancient Welsh
commote
A commote (Welsh ''cwmwd'', sometimes spelt in older documents as ''cymwd'', plural ''cymydau'', less frequently ''cymydoedd'')''Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru'' (University of Wales Dictionary), p. 643 was a secular division of land in Medieval Wales ...
of Gŵyr.
The principal area is the second most
populous local authority area in Wales with an estimated population of 246,563 in 2020. Swansea, along with
Neath and
Port Talbot
Port Talbot (, ) is a town and community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, situated on the east side of Swansea Bay, approximately from Swansea. The Port Talbot Steelworks covers a large area of land which dominates the south ...
, forms the
Swansea Urban Area with a population of 300,352 in 2011. It is also part of the
Swansea Bay City Region.
During the 19th-century industrial heyday, Swansea was the key centre of the
copper-smelting industry, earning the nickname ''Copperopolis''.
Etymologies
The
Welsh name
Fixed surnames were adopted in Wales from the 15th century onwards. Until then, the Welsh had a patronymic naming system.
History
In 1292, 48 per cent of Welsh names were patronymics and, in some parishes, over 70 per cent. Other names were der ...
, ''Abertawe'', translates as ''"mouth/estuary of the
Tawe
The River Tawe (; cy, Afon Tawe ) is a long river in South Wales. Its headwaters flow initially east from its source below Llyn y Fan Fawr south of Moel Feity in the Black Mountains, the westernmost range of the Brecon Beacons National ...
"'' and it is likely this name was used for the area before a settlement was established. The first written record of the Welsh name for the town itself dates from 1150 and appears in the form ''Aper Tyui''.
The name, ''Swansea'', pronounced (Swans-ee, not
Swan-sea), is derived from the
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...
name of the original
Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
trading post that was founded by King
Sweyn Forkbeard (c.960–1014).
It was the name of the king, 'Svein' or 'Sweyn' with the suffix of '-ey', "island" referring to either a bank of the river at its mouth, or an area of raised ground in marshland. However, the Norse termination ''-ey'', can mean "inlet" and the name may simply refer to the mouth of the river.
History
Ancient history
The area around Swansea has a unique
archaeological history dating back to the
Palaeolithic
The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός ''palaios'', "old" and λίθος '' lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone to ...
. Finds at
Long Hole Cave on 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 ...
have been interpreted as that of the first modern humans in Britain,
and the same area is also home to the
oldest ceremonial burial in Western Europe, discovered at
Paviland
The Red Lady of Paviland is an Upper Paleolithic partial skeleton of a male dyed in red ochre and buried in Wales 33,000 BP. The bones were discovered in 1823 by William Buckland in an archaeological dig at Goat's Hole Cave (Paviland cave) – ...
in 1823, and dated to 22,000 BC. The area also has many
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...
and
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...
sites, such as the burial mound at Cillibion and the
hill fort
A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...
at Cil Ifor.
[''A History of Wales'', John Davies, Penguin, 1990 ] There is also the remains of a
Roman villa
A Roman villa was typically a farmhouse or country house built in the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, sometimes reaching extravagant proportions.
Typology and distribution
Pliny the Elder (23–79 AD) distinguished two kinds of villas n ...
again on the Gower peninsula.
Medieval Swansea
The area that would become Swansea is located on the eastern edge of the
cwmwd
A commote ( Welsh ''cwmwd'', sometimes spelt in older documents as ''cymwd'', plural ''cymydau'', less frequently ''cymydoedd'')'' Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru'' (University of Wales Dictionary), p. 643 was a secular division of land in Medieval Wal ...
of Gwyr, in the Cantref Eginawc, the easternmost Cantref of
Ystrad Tywi
Ystrad Tywi (, ''Valley of the Tywi'') is a region of southwest Wales situated on the banks of the River Tywi and possibly the River Loughor. Although Ystrad Tywi was never a kingdom itself, it was historically a valuable territory and was foug ...
. The area was noted for its valuable land and was highly contested by the early Welsh kingdoms. During the
Viking Age
The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Germ ...
, the mouth of the Tawe became a focus for trade, and a trade post may have been founded sometime between the 9th and 11th centuries. When the Normans took control of the settlement, they built
Swansea Castle and minted coins bearing the names ''Swensi'', ''Sweni'' and ''Svenshi'' .
The first charter was granted sometime between 1158 and 1184 by William de Newburgh, 3rd
Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the United Kingdom. The title has been created four times in English history, and the name refers to Warwick Castle and the town of Warwick.
Overview
The first creation ...
. This charter contains the earliest reference in English to ''Sweynesse'' and gave it the status of a
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
In the Middle A ...
, granting the townsmen (called
burgess __NOTOC__
Burgess may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Burgess (surname), a list of people and fictional characters
* Burgess (given name), a list of people
Places
* Burgess, Michigan, an unincorporated community
* Burgess, Missouri, U ...
es) certain rights to develop the area. In 1215
King John granted a second charter, in which the name appears as ''Sweyneshe''. A town seal which is believed to date from this period names the town as ''Sweyse''.
Following the
Norman conquest
The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Con ...
, a
marcher lordship
A Marcher lord () was a noble appointed by the king of England to guard the border (known as the Welsh Marches) between England and Wales.
A Marcher lord was the English equivalent of a margrave (in the Holy Roman Empire) or a marquis (in ...
was granted by
Henry I Henry I may refer to:
876–1366
* Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936)
* Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955)
* Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018)
* Henry I of France (1008–1060)
* Henry I the Long, Margrave of the ...
under the title of
Gower
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 ...
. It included land around
Swansea Bay
Swansea Bay ( cy, Bae Abertawe) is a bay on the southern coast of Wales. The River Neath, River Tawe, River Afan, River Kenfig and Clyne River flow into the bay. Swansea Bay and the upper reaches of the Bristol Channel experience a large tid ...
as far as the River Tawe, the manor of Kilvey beyond the Tawe, and the peninsula itself. Swansea was designated chief town of the lordship and received a
borough charter at some point between 1158 and 1184 (and a more elaborate one in 1304).
[The Welsh Academy Encyclopedia of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press 2008.]
Industrial Revolution
From the early 1700s to the late 1800s, Swansea was the world's leading
copper-smelting area. Numerous smelters along the River Tawe received copper and other metal ores shipped from Cornwall and Devon, as well as from North and South America, Africa, and Australia. The industry declined severely in the late 1800s, and none of the smelters is now active.
The port of Swansea initially traded in wine, hides, wool, cloth and later in coal.
After the invention of the
reverbatory furnace
A reverberatory furnace is a metallurgical or process furnace that isolates the material being processed from contact with the fuel, but not from contact with combustion gases. The term ''reverberation'' is used here in a generic sense of ''re ...
in the late 1600s, copper smelting was able to use coal rather than more-expensive charcoal. At the same time, the mines of Cornwall were increasing copper production. Swansea became the ideal place to smelt the Cornish copper ores, being close to the coalfields of South Wales and having an excellent port to receive ships carrying Cornish copper ore. Because each ton of copper ore smelted used about three tons of coal, it was more economical to ship the copper ore to Wales rather than send the coal to Cornwall.
The first copper smelter at Swansea was established in 1717, followed by many more. Once smelting was established, the smelters began receiving high-grade ore and ore concentrates from around the world. More
coal mines
Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron fro ...
opened to meet demand from northeast Gower to
Clyne and
Llangyfelach
Llangyfelach is a village and community located in the City and County of Swansea, Wales. Llangyfelach is situated about 4 miles north of the centre of Swansea, just west of Morriston. It falls within the Llangyfelach ward. To the west is open ...
. In the 1850s Swansea had more than 600 furnaces, and a fleet of 500 oceangoing ships carrying out Welsh coal and bringing back metal ore from around the world. At that time most of the copper matte produced in the United States was sent to Swansea for refining.
[W. H. Dennis, 100 Years of Metallurgy (Chicago: Aldine, 1963) 128.]
Smelters also processed arsenic, zinc, tin, and other metals. Nearby factories produced
tinplate
Tinplate consists of sheets of steel coated with a thin layer of tin to impede rusting. Before the advent of cheap milled steel, the backing metal was wrought iron. While once more widely used, the primary use of tinplate now is the manufacture ...
and pottery. The Swansea smelters became so adept at recovering gold and silver from complex ores that in the 1800s they received ore concentrates from the United States, for example from Arizona in the 1850s, and Colorado in the 1860s.
The city expanded rapidly in the 18th and 19th centuries, and was termed "Copperopolis".
From the late 17th century to 1801, Swansea's population grew by 500%—the first official census (in 1841) indicated that, with 6,099 inhabitants, Swansea had become significantly larger than
Glamorgan's county town,
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
, and was the second most populous town in Wales behind
Merthyr Tydfil (which had a population of 7,705). However, the census understated Swansea's true size, as much of the built-up area lay outside the contemporary boundaries of the
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
In the Middle A ...
; the total population was actually 10,117. Swansea's population was later overtaken by Merthyr in 1821 and by Cardiff in 1881, although in the latter year Swansea once again surpassed Merthyr.
Much of Swansea's growth was due to migration from within and beyond Wales—in 1881 more than a third of the borough's population had been born outside Swansea and Glamorgan, and just under a quarter outside Wales.
Copper smelting at Swansea declined in the late 1800s for a number of reasons. Copper mining in Cornwall declined. The price of copper dropped from £112 in 1860 to £35 in the 1890s. In the early 1900s, mining shifted to lower-grade copper deposits in North and South America, and the lower-grade ore could not support transportation to Swansea.
The
Swansea and Mumbles Railway
The Swansea and Mumbles Railway was the venue for the world's first passenger horsecar railway service, located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom.
Originally built under an Act of Parliament of 1804 to move limestone from the quarries of Mum ...
was built in 1804 to move limestone from the quarries of Mumbles and coal from the
Clyne valley to Swansea and to the markets beyond. It carried the world's first fare-paying rail passengers on the day the British Parliament abolished the transportation of slaves from Africa. It later moved from horse power to steam locomotion, and finally converting to electric trams, before closing in January 1960, in favour of motor buses.
20th century
Through the 20th century, heavy industries in the town declined, leaving the
Lower Swansea Valley
The Lower Swansea valley ( cy, Cwm Tawe Isaf) is the lower half of the valley of the River Tawe in south Wales. It runs from approximately the level of Clydach down to Swansea docks, where it opens into Swansea Bay and the Bristol Channel. This ...
filled with derelict works and mounds of waste products from them. The Lower Swansea Valley Scheme (which still continues) reclaimed much of the land. The present
Enterprise Zone was the result and, of the many original docks, only those outside the city continue to work as docks; North Dock is now
Parc Tawe
Parc Tawe is a retail park and leisure area in Swansea. It is located in the eastern area of the city centre on the west bank of the River Tawe in the Lower Swansea.
The area includes "out-of-town" style stores with car parks located outside ...
and South Dock became the
Marina.
In the Second World War, Swansea's industrial importance made it a target of German bombing, and much of the town centre was destroyed during the
Swansea Blitz on the 19, 20 and 21 February 1941 (the 'Three Nights Blitz').
In 1969 Swansea was granted
city status City status is a symbolic and legal designation given by a national or subnational government. A municipality may receive city status because it already has the qualities of a city, or because it has some special purpose.
Historically, city status ...
to mark
Prince Charles's investiture as the
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...
. The Prince made the announcement on 3 July 1969 during a tour of Wales. Swansea obtained the further right to have a
Lord Mayor in 1982.
Within the city centre are the ruins of the
castle, the Marina, the
Glynn Vivian Art Gallery
The Glynn Vivian Art Gallery is the public art gallery of the City and County of Swansea, in Wales, United Kingdom. The gallery is situated in Alexandra Road, near Swansea railway station, opposite the old Swansea Central Library.
History
The ...
,
Swansea Museum
The Swansea Museum in Swansea, Wales, UK is the oldest museum in Wales, created for and by the Royal Institution of South Wales in 1841 to house its collections and provide research and learning facilities.
History
Swansea Museum is the oldes ...
, the
Dylan Thomas Centre
The Dylan Thomas Centre is an arts centre located in the Maritime Quarter in Swansea, Wales. It is a Grade II* listed building.
History
The building was commissioned to replace a previous guildhall which had been located near Swansea Castle ...
, the
Environment Centre, and the
Market
Market is a term used to describe concepts such as:
*Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand
*Market economy
*Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market
Geography
*Märket, an ...
, which is the largest covered market in Wales.
It backs onto the
Quadrant Shopping Centre
The Quadrant Shopping Centre is the principal under-cover shopping centre in Swansea, Wales. The centre opened in 1979. From the 1980s to 2019 it was home to the Swansea Devil, a controversial carved wooden statue of the Devil.
The centre and ...
, which opened in 1978, and the adjoining
St David's Centre opened in 1982. Other notable modern buildings include the BT Tower (formerly the GPO tower) built around 1970, Alexandra House opened in 1976, County Hall opened in July 1982.
Swansea Leisure Centre opened in 1977; it has undergone extensive refurbishment which retained elements of the original structure and re-opened in March 2008.
Governance
The "City and County of Swansea" local authority area is bordered by unitary authorities of
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...
to the north, and
Neath Port Talbot
Neath Port Talbot ( cy, Castell-nedd Port Talbot) is a county borough in the south-west of Wales. Its principal towns are Neath, Port Talbot, Briton Ferry and Pontardawe. The county borough borders Bridgend County Borough and Rhondda Cynon Taf ...
to the east. The Urban Subdivision of Swansea covers all urbanised areas within the city boundary, with a population of 179,485, it is considerably smaller than the unitary authority.
The local government area is in size, about 2% of the area of Wales. It includes a large amount of open countryside and a central urban and suburban belt.
Local government
In 1887, Swansea was a township at the mouth of the river Tawe, covering in the county of
Glamorgan. There were three major extensions to the boundaries of the borough, first in 1835, when
Morriston
Morriston (; cy, Treforys ) is a community in the City and County of Swansea, Wales and falls within the Morriston ward. It is the largest community in Swansea county.
Morriston is sometimes referred to as a distinct town (e.g. the local fo ...
,
St Thomas,
Landore
Landore ( cy, Glandŵr) is a district and community in Swansea, Wales. The district falls in the Landore council ward. A mainly residential area, it is located about 2.5 miles north of Swansea city centre. The north-easterly part of Landore i ...
, St John-juxta-Swansea, and part of
Llansamlet parish were added, and again in 1889 when areas around
Cwmbwrla
Cwmbwrla ( en, Bwrla valley) is a residential area and community of Swansea in Wales, within the Cwmbwrla ward of the city. Located on rising ground about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the city centre, it takes its name from the valley of the Bur ...
and Trewyddfa were included, and in 1918 when the borough was enlarged to include the whole of the ancient parish of Swansea, the southern part of Llangyfelach parish, all of Llansamlet parish,
Oystermouth
Oystermouth (a corruption of the Welsh name ''Ystum Llwynarth'' or ''Ystumllwynarth'') is a village (and former electoral ward) in the district of Mumbles, Swansea, Wales. It is part of the Mumbles community (civil parish).
Description
The ...
Urban District and Brynau parish.
In 1889, Swansea attained
county borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control, similar to the unitary authorities created since the 1990s. An equivalent te ...
status, and it was granted
city status City status is a symbolic and legal designation given by a national or subnational government. A municipality may receive city status because it already has the qualities of a city, or because it has some special purpose.
Historically, city status ...
in 1969, which was inherited by the
Swansea district when it was formed by the merger of the borough and
Gower Rural District in 1974. In 1996, Swansea became one of 22
unitary authorities
A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governme ...
with the addition of part of the former
Lliw Valley
, HQ= Penllergaer
, subdivision_type= Borough
, Start= 1 April 1974
, End= 31 March 1996
, Replace= SwanseaNeath Port Talbot
, Civic=
, Motto= Nid d ...
Borough. The new authority received the name 'City and County of Swansea' ( cy, Dinas a Sir Abertawe).
[se]
Swansea City and County
an
Swansea was once a staunch stronghold of the
Labour Party which, until 2004, had overall control of the council for 24 years. The
Liberal Democrats were the largest group in the administration that took control of Swansea Council in the 2004 local elections until the
2012 council elections saw the council return to Labour control. For 2009/2010, the
Lord Mayor of Swansea was Councillor Alan Lloyd, and in 2010/2011 Richard Lewis was the Lord Mayor. The Lord Mayor changes in May each year.
Senedd
The
Senedd constituencies are:
*
Gower
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 ...
, current MS is
Rebecca Evans,
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
since 2016
*
Swansea East, current MS is
Mike Hedges,
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
since 2011
*
Swansea West, current MS is
Julie James
Julie James MS (born February 1958) is a Welsh Labour politician, serving as Minister for Climate Change since 2021. James has been the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Swansea West since 2011. She served as Minister for Housing and Local Gove ...
,
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
since 2011
The city is also part of the
South Wales West regional constituency and is served by
Tom Giffard
Tom Giffard is a Welsh Conservative politician who has served as Member of the Senedd (MS) for the region of South Wales West since 2021.
Giffard is a second language Welsh speaker, held various roles before his election, firstly becoming a Le ...
(
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
),
Sioned Williams (
Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom.
Plaid wa ...
),
Altaf Hussain (
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
) and
Luke Fletcher (
Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom.
Plaid wa ...
).
UK parliament
The
UK parliament
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...
ary constituencies are:
*
Gower
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 ...
, current MP is
Tonia Antoniazzi
Antonia Louise Antoniazzi (born 5 October 1971) is a Welsh Labour Party politician. She was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Gower at the 2017 general election.
Early life
Antoniazzi was born and raised in Llanelli by a Welsh mo ...
,
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
since 2017
*
Swansea East, current MP is,
Carolyn Harris,
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
since 2015
*
Swansea West, current MP is
Geraint Davies,
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
since 2010
Geography
Swansea may be divided into four physical areas. The geology is complex, providing diverse scenery. 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 ...
was the first area in the United Kingdom to be designated as an
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of ...
(AONB). Apart from the southeast corner, the whole of the Gower Peninsula is within the AONB.
Swansea has numerous urban and country parklands. The region has featured regularly in the Wales in Bloom awards.
To the north are the Lliw uplands which are mainly open moorland, reaching the foothills of the
Black Mountain range. To the east is the coastal strip around
Swansea Bay
Swansea Bay ( cy, Bae Abertawe) is a bay on the southern coast of Wales. The River Neath, River Tawe, River Afan, River Kenfig and Clyne River flow into the bay. Swansea Bay and the upper reaches of the Bristol Channel experience a large tid ...
. Cutting through the middle from the southeast to the northwest is the urban and suburban zone stretching from the
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 ...
to the towns of
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 Sw ...
and
Pontarddulais
Pontarddulais (), also known as Pontardulais (), is both a community and a town in Swansea, Wales. It is northwest of the city centre. The Pontarddulais ward is part of the City and County of Swansea. Pontarddulais adjoins the village of Hendy ...
. The most populated areas of Swansea are
Morriston
Morriston (; cy, Treforys ) is a community in the City and County of Swansea, Wales and falls within the Morriston ward. It is the largest community in Swansea county.
Morriston is sometimes referred to as a distinct town (e.g. the local fo ...
,
Sketty
The suburban district of Sketty ( cy, Sgeti) is about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the Swansea city centre on Gower Road. It falls within the Sketty council ward of Swansea. It is also a community.
Description
The area approximates to the Vivi ...
and the
city centre. The chief urbanised area radiates from the city centre towards the north, south and west; along the coast of Swansea Bay to
Mumbles
Mumbles ( cy, Mwmbwls) is a headland sited on the western edge of Swansea Bay on the southern coast of Wales.
Toponym
Mumbles has been noted for its unusual place name. The headland is thought by some to have been named by French sailors, ...
; up the Swansea Valley past
Landore
Landore ( cy, Glandŵr) is a district and community in Swansea, Wales. The district falls in the Landore council ward. A mainly residential area, it is located about 2.5 miles north of Swansea city centre. The north-easterly part of Landore i ...
and Morriston to
Clydach; over
Townhill and
Mayhill to
Cwmbwrla
Cwmbwrla ( en, Bwrla valley) is a residential area and community of Swansea in Wales, within the Cwmbwrla ward of the city. Located on rising ground about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the city centre, it takes its name from the valley of the Bur ...
,
Penlan
Penlan is a suburban area of Swansea, Wales in the Penderry ward. The area is set on top of a hill, which overlooks Townhill, Kilvey Hill and Swansea Bay.
Leisure
Local amenities include the Penlan leisure centre, which incorporates a swi ...
,
Treboeth
Treboeth is a suburb and historical village in the Mynydd-Bach ward of Swansea, Wales. Gwyrosydd Primary School and Welsh language primary school Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Tirdeunaw are located in Treboeth. Gwyrosydd was the Bardic name of Treboet ...
and
Fforestfach
Fforestfach is a suburban district of Swansea, Wales which developed during the Victorian era as part of the expansion of Swansea, and to service several collieries in the area. It lies within the Cockett ward, between the districts of Waunar ...
; through
Uplands,
Sketty
The suburban district of Sketty ( cy, Sgeti) is about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the Swansea city centre on Gower Road. It falls within the Sketty council ward of Swansea. It is also a community.
Description
The area approximates to the Vivi ...
,
Killay to
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 ...
; and east of the river from
St. Thomas to
Bonymaen,
Llansamlet and
Birchgrove. A second urbanised area is focused on a triangle defined by
Gowerton
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 ...
,
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 Sw ...
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), ...
along with the satellite communities of
Penllergaer
Penllergaer ( cy, Penlle'r-gaer) is a village and community in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, to the east of Gorseinon, within the electoral ward of the same name. It is situated about 4.5 miles north west of Swansea city centre, near jun ...
and
Pontarddulais
Pontarddulais (), also known as Pontardulais (), is both a community and a town in Swansea, Wales. It is northwest of the city centre. The Pontarddulais ward is part of the City and County of Swansea. Pontarddulais adjoins the village of Hendy ...
. About three-quarters of Swansea is on the coast—the
Loughor Estuary
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 tran ...
, Swansea Bay and the
Bristol Channel.
The geology of the Gower Peninsula ranges from
Carboniferous Limestone
Carboniferous Limestone is a collective term for the succession of limestones occurring widely throughout Great Britain and Ireland that were deposited during the Dinantian epoch (geology), Epoch of the Carboniferous period (geology), Period. T ...
cliffs along its southern edge from Mumbles to
Worm's Head
Worm's Head ( cy, Ynys Weryn) is a headland, at Rhossili, part of the City and County of Swansea, Wales. It is the furthest westerly point of the Gower Peninsula. The name Worm's Head is derived from an Old English word 'wyrm' for 'sea serpent ...
and the salt-marshes and dune systems of the
Loughor estuary
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 tran ...
to the north. The eastern, southern and western coasts of the peninsula are lined with numerous sandy beaches both wide and small, separated by steep cliffs. The
South Wales Coalfield
The South Wales Coalfield ( cy, Maes glo De Cymru) extends across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen. It is rich in coal deposits, espe ...
reaches the coast in the Swansea area. This had a great bearing on the development of the city of Swansea and other nearby towns such as Morriston. The inland area is covered by large swathes of grassland common overlooked by
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
heath
A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler a ...
ridges including the prominent
Cefn Bryn
Cefn Bryn is an ancient ridge in Britain. It is a 5-mile-long Old Red Sandstone ridge in south Wales, in the heart of the Gower Peninsula, in the City and County of Swansea. Local people colloquially refer to it as the "backbone of Gower", as ...
. The traditional agricultural landscape consists of a patchwork of fields characterised by walls, stone-faced banks and hedgerows. Valleys cut through the peninsula and contain rich
deciduous
In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...
woodland
A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (se ...
.
Much of Swansea is hilly with the main area of upland being located in the council ward of
Mawr
240px, Pre-2022 Mawr electoral ward
Mawr is a community (and former electoral ward) of the City and County of Swansea, in south Wales, U.K. Mawr has its own elected community council. Its name simply means "large", and it was given the name ...
. Areas up to in elevation range across the central section:
Kilvey Hill
Kilvey Hill ( Welsh: ''Mynydd Cilfái'' or ''Y Bigwrn'') is a hill in South Wales, to the east of Swansea. Kilvey Hill is high and is classed as a Sub Marilyn. The top of Kilvey Hill enjoys panoramic views of Swansea city centre, Swansea Do ...
,
Townhill and
Llwynmawr
Llwynmawr ( cy, Llwyn-mawr) is a village in the Ceiriog Valley in North Wales, about halfway between the villages of Glyn Ceiriog and Pontfadog, in the community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as ...
separate the centre of Swansea from its northern suburbs.
Cefn Bryn
Cefn Bryn is an ancient ridge in Britain. It is a 5-mile-long Old Red Sandstone ridge in south Wales, in the heart of the Gower Peninsula, in the City and County of Swansea. Local people colloquially refer to it as the "backbone of Gower", as ...
, a ridge of high land, is the backbone of the Gower Peninsula. Rhossili Down, Hardings Down and
Llanmadoc Hill are up to high. The highest point is located
Penlle'r Castell at on the northern border with
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...
.
Climate
Swansea has a
temperate
In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...
oceanic climate. As part of a coastal region, it experiences a milder
climate
Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologi ...
than inland. Swansea is exposed to rain-bearing winds from the
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
.
Demographics
From 1804 until the 1920s, Swansea experienced continuous population growth. The 1930s and 1940s was a period of slight decline. In the 1950s and 1960s, the population grew and then fell in the 1970s. The population grew again in the 1980s only to fall again in the 1990s. In the 21st century, Swansea is experiencing a small amount of population growth; the local authority area had an estimated population of 228,100 in 2007. However, by the 2021 census, this population growth has reversed its trend very slightly with the population declining by 0.2%
Around 82% of the population were born in Wales and 13% born in England; 13.4% were
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
speakers.
The population of the Swansea built-up area within the unitary authority boundaries in 2011 was about 179,485, and the council population was 238,700. The other built-up areas within the unitary authority are centred on Gorseinon and Pontarddulais. In 2011, the Gorseinon built-up area had a population of 20,581 and the Pontarddulais built-up area had a population of 9,073.
The wider
urban area
An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities ...
, including most of
Swansea Bay
Swansea Bay ( cy, Bae Abertawe) is a bay on the southern coast of Wales. The River Neath, River Tawe, River Afan, River Kenfig and Clyne River flow into the bay. Swansea Bay and the upper reaches of the Bristol Channel experience a large tid ...
, has a total population of 300,352, making it the third largest urban area in Wales and the
27th largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Over 218,000 individuals are
white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
; 1,106 are of
mixed race
Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-ethn ...
; 2,215 are
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
– mainly
Bangladeshi (1,015); 300 are
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...
; and 1,195 belong to
other ethnic groups.
The Office for National Statistics 2010 mid-year population estimate for the City & County of Swansea is 232,500.
Religion
In 2001, 158,457 people in the local authority area (71 per cent) stated their religion to be
Christian, 44,286 (20 per cent)
no religion, 16,800 (7.5 per cent) did not state a religion and 2,167 were
Muslim.
There are small communities of other religions, each making up a little under 1 per cent of the total population.
Swansea is part of the
Anglican Diocese of Swansea and Brecon
The Diocese of Swansea and Brecon was established as a Diocese of the Church in Wales in 1923 with Brecon Priory as the cathedral. The area of the diocese had formerly been the Archdeaconry of Brecon within the Diocese of St Davids. The dioc ...
and the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Menevia
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Menevia is a diocese of the Catholic Church in Wales. It is one of two suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cardiff and is subject to the Archdiocese of Cardiff.
History
On 12 May 1898, the A ...
. The Catholic
see
See or SEE may refer to:
* Sight - seeing
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Music:
** ''See'' (album), studio album by rock band The Rascals
*** "See", song by The Rascals, on the album ''See''
** "See" (Tycho song), song by Tycho
* Television
* ...
is based in Swansea at
St. Joseph's Cathedral in the Greenhill area.
Swansea, like Wales in general, has seen many
Non-conformist religious
revivals
Revival most often refers to:
* Resuscitation of a person
*Language revival of an extinct language
* Revival (sports team) of a defunct team
*Revival (television) of a former television series
*Revival (theatre), a new production of a previously p ...
. In 1904,
Evan Roberts, a miner from
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), ...
(Llwchwr), just outside Swansea, was the leader of what has been called one of the world's greatest
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
religious revivals. Within a few months, about 100,000 people were converted. This revival in particular had a profound effect on Welsh society. Swansea is covered by the
Swansea and Gower Methodist Circuit.
The
Ebenezer Baptist Church
Ebenezer Baptist Church is a Baptist church located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, affiliated with the Progressive National Baptist Convention and American Baptist Churches USA. It was the church where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was co-past ...
dates from November 1875 when the foundation stone was laid for Tabernacle chapel in Skinner Street. The first pastor, the Rev. J. D. Jones, was called in February 1876 and the new building was opened in July that year. The church was served by a number of ministers until 1911 when the Rev. R. J. Willoughby came to the church. The church has an organ by
Harrison & Harrison
Harrison & Harrison Ltd is a British company that makes and restores pipe organs, based in Durham and established in Rochdale in 1861. It is well known for its work on instruments such as King's College, Cambridge, Westminster Abbey, and the ...
.
The
Norwegian Church is a Grade II
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
in the
docklands area of the city. The church building was originally located at
Newport Docks
Newport Docks is the collective name for a group of docks in the city of Newport, south-east Wales.
By the eighteenth century there were a number of wharves on the west shore of the River Usk; iron and coal were the principal outward traffic. Th ...
. The building consists of a
Seaman
Seaman may refer to:
* Sailor, a member of a marine watercraft's crew
* Seaman (rank), a military rank in some navies
* Seaman (name) (including a list of people with the name)
* ''Seaman'' (video game), a 1999 simulation video game for the Seg ...
's
Mission
Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to:
Organised activities Religion
*Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity
*Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...
to the west end and a single
gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
church to the east end. It was originally built as a place of worship
for Norwegian sailors when they visited the UK. It was relocated to Swansea in 1910 at a site directly opposite the
Sainsbury's
J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, with a 14.6% share of UK supermarket sales.
Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company ...
supermarket on the River Tawe.
The city is home to 10% of the total Welsh
Muslim population; Swansea's Muslim community is raising money to
open a new central mosque and community centre in the former St. Andrew's United Reformed Church. This would replace the existing central Mosque on St Helens Road and be in addition to the other three existing mosques (Swansea University Mosque, Hafod Mosque, Imam Khoei Mosque).
Swansea is represented in
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...
with the Dharmavajra Kadampa Buddhist Centre, Pulpung Changchub Dargyeling (Kagyu Tradition) and a branch of the international Dzogchen Community (Nyingma Tradition). Swansea Synagogue and
Jehovah's Witness
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...
Kingdom Hall are both located in the
Uplands area. Around 160 people in Swansea indicated they were Jewish in the 2011 census.
The following table shows the religious identity of residents residing in Swansea according to the 2001, 2011 and the 2021 censuses.
Ethnicity
Culture
The
Royal Institution of South Wales
The Royal Institution of South Wales is a Welsh learned society founded by George Grant Francis in Swansea in 1835.
Prior to its establishment, the Royal Institution was known as the Swansea Philosophical and Literary Society, which maintained ...
was founded in 1835 as the
Swansea Literary and Philosophical Society
The Royal Institution of South Wales is a Welsh learned society founded by George Grant Francis in Swansea in 1835.
Prior to its establishment, the Royal Institution was known as the Swansea Philosophical and Literary Society, which maintained th ...
.
Performing arts
The
Grand Theatre in the centre of the city is a Victorian theatre which celebrated its centenary in 1997 and which has a capacity of a little over a thousand people. It was opened by the celebrated opera singer
Adelina Patti
Adelina Patti (19 February 184327 September 1919) was an Italian 19th-century opera singer, earning huge fees at the height of her career in the music capitals of Europe and America. She first sang in public as a child in 1851, and gave her la ...
and was refurbished from 1983 to 1987. The annual programme ranges from pantomime and drama to opera and ballet.
Fluellen Theatre Company is a professional theatre company based in Swansea who perform at the Grand Theatre and the Dylan Thomas Centre. The
Taliesin building on the university campus has a theatre, opened in 1984. Other theatres include the Dylan Thomas Theatre (formerly the Little Theatre) near the marina, and one in Penyrheol Leisure Centre near
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 Sw ...
. In the summer, outdoor Shakespeare performances are a regular feature at
Oystermouth Castle
Oystermouth Castle ( cy, Castell Ystum Llwynarth) is a Norman stone castle in Wales, overlooking Swansea Bay on the east side of the Gower Peninsula near the village of Mumbles.
The early castle
A number of Antiquarians state that the Norman ...
, and
Singleton Park
Singleton Park ( cy, Parc Singleton) is the largest urban park in the city of Swansea. It is located in Sketty.
The park comprises 250 acres of land. An ornamental garden is located to the south, near the entrance to Swansea University, and a w ...
is the venue for a number of parties and concerts, from dance music to outdoor
Proms
The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...
. A folk festival is held on Gower. Standing near Victoria Park on the coast road is the
Patti Pavilion
The Patti Pavilion is a venue for the performing arts in Swansea, Wales, located at Victoria Park to the south west of Swansea City Centre. The theatre stages plays, pantomimes, musical shows and fairs.
The venue is named after Adelina Patti, the ...
; this was the Winter Garden from Adelina Patti's Craig-y-Nos estate in the upper Swansea valley, which she donated to the town in 1918. It is used as a venue for music shows and fairs. The
Brangwyn Hall
, former_names =
, alternate_names =
, image = Brangwyn hall.jpg
, alt =
, caption = Brangwyn Hall entrance
, map_type =
, altitude =
, building_type ...
is a multi-use venue with events such as the graduation ceremonies for
Swansea University
Swansea University ( cy, Prifysgol Abertawe) is a public university, public research university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. It was chartered as University College of Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales. ...
. Every autumn, Swansea hosts a Festival of Music and the Arts, when international orchestras and soloists visit the Brangwyn Hall. The Brangwyn Hall is praised for its acoustics for recitals, orchestral pieces and chamber music alike.
Swansea is home to the
Palace Theatre. Located at 156 High Street, it is recognisable for its distinctive wedge shape. Originally built in 1888 as a traditional music hall, the building's original name was the 'Pavilion'. During its lifetime, the building has been used as a bingo hall as well as a nightclub.
In 2018 Singleton Park, Swansea was the home-city for BBC Music's 'Biggest Weekend' featuring
Ed Sheeran
Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently re ...
,
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
,
Sam Smith
Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. After rising to prominence in October 2012 by featuring on Disclosure's breakthrough single " Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, they ...
,
Florence + The Machine
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
and others. Priority was given to Swansea residents in purchasing tickets for this one-off 'day festival' (over 2 days); tickets were priced at £18 a day and all 60,000 tickets (30,000 for each day) sold out almost instantly.
Festivals
Swansea hosted the
National Eisteddfod in 1863, 1891, 1907, 1926, 1964, 1982 and 2006. The 2006 event occupied the site of the former
Felindre
Felindre is a rural village in southern Wales. Felindre is located in the far north of Swansea, in the electoral ward of Mawr.
The nearby Lower Lliw Reservoirs are a popular venue for walking and fishing. The water mill in the village was workin ...
tinplate works to the north of the city and featured a strikingly pink main tent. In 2009 Swansea Council launched Wales's only week long
St David's Week festival in venues throughout the city. The Beginning and Do Not Go Gentle are Festivals in the Uplands area of the city where Dylan Thomas was born and lived for 23 years.
Swansea is known for its celebration of
Beaujolais Day with people booking tables in restaurants and bars for the day up to a year in advance to ensure they can sample the year's newly released Beaujolais wine. Historian
Peter Stead argues that its rise in popularity there can be traced to the city's No Sign Bar, owned in the 1960s by former
Wales rugby union captain
Clem Thomas
Richard Clement Charles "Clem" Thomas (28 January 1929 – 5 September 1996) was a international rugby union player. A flanker, he represented Cambridge University R.U.F.C. in the Varsity Match in 1949 and played for Brynamman, Swansea, Lo ...
, who owned a house in Burgundy and could transport Beaujolais quickly and cheaply to south Wales, and suggests that it reflected Swansea's efforts to "gentrify and intellectualise itself" at the time. In 2015 it was estimated that Beaujolais Day contributed £5 million to the local economy.
Welsh language
There are many
Welsh language
Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). Historically, it has ...
chapels in the area. Welsh-medium education is a popular and growing choice for both English- and Welsh-speaking families. Just over 1,600 secondary pupils were educated through the medium of Welsh in 2017. Nearly double this figure, 3,063 pupils are currently educated through the medium of Welsh in the primary sector. The 2014 Swansea Pre-School survey showed that 35% of parents across the City and County of Swansea would select a Welsh education for their children if there was a local Welsh school available to them. 45% of the rural council ward
Mawr
240px, Pre-2022 Mawr electoral ward
Mawr is a community (and former electoral ward) of the City and County of Swansea, in south Wales, U.K. Mawr has its own elected community council. Its name simply means "large", and it was given the name ...
are able to speak
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
, as can 38% of the ward of
Pontarddulais
Pontarddulais (), also known as Pontardulais (), is both a community and a town in Swansea, Wales. It is northwest of the city centre. The Pontarddulais ward is part of the City and County of Swansea. Pontarddulais adjoins the village of Hendy ...
.
Clydach,
Kingsbridge
Kingsbridge is a market town and tourist hub in the South Hams district of Devon, England, with a population of 6,116 at the 2011 census. Two electoral wards bear the name of ''Kingsbridge'' (East & North). Their combined population at the ab ...
and
Upper Loughor
Upper Loughor ( cy, Casllwchwr Uchaf) was an electoral ward in the City and County of Swansea, Wales. The ward covered the eastern part of the town of Loughor in the parliamentary constituency of Gower.
It was bounded by Lower Loughor and the ...
all have levels of more than 20%. By contrast, the urban
St. Thomas has one of the lowest figures in Wales, at 6.4%, a figure only barely lower than
Penderry
Penderry ( cy, Penderi) is the name of an electoral ward and a community in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, UK. Penderry does not have a community council.
Penderry is bordered by the wards of Mynydd-Bach to the east; Cockett and Cw ...
and
Townhill wards.
Food
Local produce includes
cockles and
laverbread
Laverbread (; cy, bara lafwr or '; ga, sleabhac) is a food product made from laver, an edible seaweed (littoral alga) consumed mainly in Wales as part of local traditional cuisine. The seaweed is commonly found around the west coast of Great ...
sourced from the
Loughor estuary
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 tran ...
.
Salt marsh
A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is domin ...
lamb
Lamb or The Lamb may refer to:
* A young sheep
* Lamb and mutton, the meat of sheep
Arts and media Film, television, and theatre
* ''The Lamb'' (1915 film), a silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in his screen debut
* ''The Lamb'' (1918 ...
, raised in the salt marshes of the estuary, is also a local speciality.
Listed buildings
The city has three
Grade One listed buildings:
Swansea Castle, the
Tabernacle Chapel, Morriston and the
Swansea Guildhall
The Guildhall ( cy, Guildhall Abertawe) is one of the main office buildings of the City and County of Swansea Council. The Guildhall complex, which includes the City Hall, Brangwyn Hall (concert hall) and the County Law Courts for Swansea, is a ...
. Swansea Castle was an impressive building occupying a strategic position above the River Tawe. The ruins that are visible today date from the late 13th and early 14th centuries. Today, the castle is hemmed in by modern buildings. The Tabernacle Chapel at Morriston was built in 1872 by John Humphreys of Swansea. A unique feature is the use of semi-circular arches. The building has been described as the "Nonconformist Cathedral of Wales" and has been listed as Grade I on the basis that it is "the most ambitious grand chapel in Wales, its interior and fittings remain virtually unaltered". The Guildhall is one of the main office buildings in the centre of the city and was designed by
Percy Thomas
Sir Percy Edward Thomas OBE (13 September 1883 – 19 August 1969) was an Anglo-Welsh architect who worked in Wales for the majority of his life. He was twice RIBA president (1935–37 and 1943–46).
Biography
Percy Edward Thomas was born on ...
and opened in 1934. It is faced in white
Portland stone and includes a tall clock-tower which makes it a landmark. The building comprises the City Hall, the
Brangwyn Hall
, former_names =
, alternate_names =
, image = Brangwyn hall.jpg
, alt =
, caption = Brangwyn Hall entrance
, map_type =
, altitude =
, building_type ...
concert venue and the County Law Courts. It is considered "the most important building in Wales of its period".
In addition to these there are a number of Grade II* listed buildings; Ebenezer Baptist Chapel and its Hall in Ebenezer Street; the
Glynn Vivian Art Gallery
The Glynn Vivian Art Gallery is the public art gallery of the City and County of Swansea, in Wales, United Kingdom. The gallery is situated in Alexandra Road, near Swansea railway station, opposite the old Swansea Central Library.
History
The ...
; the Midland Bank building; the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Kingsway, along with its Hall and School blocks; the Offices of Associated British Ports in Pier Street; the Royal Institution of South Wales building, now
Swansea Museum
The Swansea Museum in Swansea, Wales, UK is the oldest museum in Wales, created for and by the Royal Institution of South Wales in 1841 to house its collections and provide research and learning facilities.
History
Swansea Museum is the oldes ...
in Victoria Road; and the Old Guildhall in Somerset Place.
Notable people
The poet
Dylan Thomas is perhaps the best-known. He was born in the town and grew up at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive, Uplands, where he lived for 23 years and produced two-thirds of his published work from his tiny bedroom which has been faithfully recreated as it may have been in 1934 and is open for house tours, events, Edwardian dinner parties and overnight stays. There is a memorial to him in the nearby
Cwmdonkin Park; he described Swansea as an "ugly lovely town". In the 1930s Thomas was a member of a group of local artists, writers and musicians known as
The Kardomah Gang
The Kardomah Gang,The Kardomah Boys, or Kardomah Group was a group of bohemian friends – artists, musicians, poets and writers – who, in the 1930s, frequented the Kardomah Café in Castle Street, Swansea, Wales.
Members of the Gang ...
, which met in the
Kardomah Café which was in Castle Street, Swansea until bombed during the Second World War.
Throughout the 19th century, 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, ...
did much to develop Swansea. Their wealth and influence came from large copper-mining, smelting and trading businesses in Swansea (
Vivian & Sons Vivian & Sons was a British metallurgical and chemicals business based at Hafod, in the lower Swansea valley. The firm was founded in 1810, disappearing as a separate entity in 1924. Its chief outputs were ingot and sheet copper, with sulphuric ac ...
), and is still visible today in their former family residences:
Singleton Abbey
Singleton Abbey ( cy, Abaty Singleton) is a large, mainly 19th-century mansion in Swansea, Wales. Today, the buildings are used to house administration offices for Swansea University. They can be found at the eastern end of the Swansea Universit ...
(now used by
Swansea University
Swansea University ( cy, Prifysgol Abertawe) is a public university, public research university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. It was chartered as University College of Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales. ...
),
Sketty Hall
Sketty Hall is a venue used for hosting social functions, business functions and conferences in Singleton Park, Swansea, south Wales. The original building was built in the early 18th century as a private house. Over the years it has seen a numb ...
,
Clyne Castle
Clyne Castle is a Grade II*-listed building situated on a hill overlooking Swansea Bay, adjacent to the Clyne valley, near Blackpill, Swansea. Originally built in 1791 by a wealthy landowner it passed into the hands of the Vivian family and saw m ...
and
Clyne Gardens
Clyne Gardens is a botanical garden located in Swansea, Wales, UK. The current park was formed from the landscaped gardens created by Glynn Vivian of the Vivian family who purchased Clyne Castle in 1860. The estate passed to his nephew Algern ...
.
Henry Vivian Henry Vivian may refer to:
* Giff Vivian (Henry Gifford Vivian, 1912–1983), New Zealand cricketer
*Henry Vivian, 1st Baron Swansea
Henry Hussey Vivian, 1st Baron Swansea (6 July 1821 – 28 November 1894), known between May 1882 and Ju ...
became the first
Lord Swansea in 1893.
Rowan Williams
Rowan Douglas Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth, (born 14 June 1950) is a Welsh Anglican bishop, theologian and poet. He was the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, a position he held from December 2002 to December 2012. Previously the Bish ...
, Archbishop of Canterbury, was born in Swansea. He was educated at the state-sector
Dynevor School, Swansea
Dynevor School was a secondary school in Swansea, Wales, at times co-educational and at others for boys only. It was closed in 2002. The school's premises have been re-developed and are now used by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (U ...
before reading theology at
Christ's College, Cambridge.
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Catherine Zeta-Jones (; born 25 September 1969) is a Welsh actress. Known for her versatility, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Tony Award. In 2010, she was appointed C ...
was born and raised in Swansea and still owns a home in Mumbles. Swansea is the home town of
Non Stanford
Non Stanford (born 8 January 1989) is a British former professional triathlete, representing Great Britain and Wales at international level. Stanford was the ITU (now World Triathlon) World Champion in 2013, part of the Great Britain world champ ...
, the 2013 ITU Triathlon World Champion. The thriller writer,
Mark Ellis was educated in Swansea.
The American-born philosopher of Welsh descent
Rush Rhees
Rush Rhees (; 19 March 1905 – 22 May 1989) was an American philosopher. He is principally known as a student, friend, and literary executor of the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. With G. E. M. Anscombe he was co-editor of Wittgenstein's pos ...
taught at Swansea University from 1940 to 1966 and is buried at
Oystermouth Cemetery
Oystermouth Cemetery ( Welsh: ''Mynwentydd Ystumllwynarth'') is a municipal cemetery in the village of Oystermouth, Swansea, South Wales. It was opened in 1883 and remains in use today, run by the Cemeteries and Crematorium Division of the City an ...
in
Mumbles
Mumbles ( cy, Mwmbwls) is a headland sited on the western edge of Swansea Bay on the southern coast of Wales.
Toponym
Mumbles has been noted for its unusual place name. The headland is thought by some to have been named by French sailors, ...
.
People from Swansea are known locally as Swansea Jacks, or just Jacks. The source of this nickname is not clear. Some attribute it to
Swansea Jack
Swansea Jack (1930 – October 1937) was a famous Welsh dog who rescued 27 people from the docks and riverbanks of Swansea, Wales.
Life
Swansea Jack was a black retriever with a longish coat. He was similar in appearance to a modern Fl ...
, the life-saving dog.
Sport
Swansea City A.F.C.
Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
(founded 1912) is the city's main football association team. Originally playing at the
Vetch Field
The Vetch Field was a football stadium in Swansea, Wales. It was used for football matches and was the home ground of Swansea City until the club moved to the newly built Liberty Stadium in 2005. Opened in 1912, the ground held around 12,000 ...
, they moved to the
Swansea.com Stadium (then known as the Liberty Stadium) at the start of the 2005–06 season, winning promotion to League One in their final year at their old stadium. The team presently play in the
English Championship
The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the E ...
, after spending seven seasons in the English
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
. The Football Association of Wales had decided that for the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, Wales would play all of their home ties at either the
Cardiff City Stadium
The Cardiff City Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Dinas Caerdydd) is a stadium in the Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales. It is the home of Cardiff City Football Club and the Wales national football team.
Following expansion of the Ninian Stand in July 2 ...
or the Liberty Stadium.
Swansea has four association football clubs that play in the
Welsh football league system
The Welsh football league system (or pyramid) is a series of football leagues with regular promotion and relegation between them.
While most Welsh clubs play in the Welsh pyramid and most clubs in that pyramid are Welsh, five Welsh clubs play ...
:
Swansea University F.C.,
Garden Village
The garden city movement was a 20th century urban planning movement promoting satellite communities surrounding the central city and separated with greenbelts. These Garden Cities would contain proportionate areas of residences, industry, and ...
,
South Gower and
West End.
Swansea is home to
Swansea Rugby Football Club (Swansea RFC), a founder member of the
Welsh Rugby Union and one of the most important teams in the early history of Welsh
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
. Playing out of
St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground the club not only produced several of the greatest Welsh rugby superstars, including
Billy Bancroft
William James Bancroft (2 March 1871 – 3 March 1959) was a Welsh international fullback, who played club rugby for Swansea, and a county cricketer for Glamorgan, for whom he was the first professional player in 1895.
Bancroft was seen as o ...
and
Billy Trew, they also hosted national touring sides from Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. Known as the 'All Whites', Swansea kept a constant supply of players that filled the Welsh ranks in the early history of the game. In 1935 Swansea became the first club side to beat the
All Blacks
The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987, ...
.
In 2003,
Swansea RFC
Swansea Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team which plays in the Welsh Premiership. The club play at St Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground in Swansea and are also known as ''The Whites,'' in reference to their home kit colours.
History
T ...
merged with
Neath RFC
Neath Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Castell-Nedd) is a Welsh rugby union club which plays in the WRU Championship. The club's home ground is The Gnoll, Neath. The team is known as the All Blacks because of the team colours: black with onl ...
to form the
Ospreys. Swansea RFC remained at St Helen's in semi-professional form, but the Ospreys moved into the Liberty Stadium in Landore for the start of the 2005–06 season. Neath-Swansea rugby games used to be hotly contested matches, such that there was some debate about whether a team incorporating both areas was possible. The team came fifth in the
Celtic League
The Celtic League is a pan-Celtic organisation, founded in 1961, that aims to promote modern Celtic identity and culture in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall and the Isle of Man – referred to as the Celtic nations; it places part ...
in their first year of existence and topped that league in their second year. By 2012 they had won the league a then-record four times.
St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground is the home of
Swansea RFC
Swansea Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team which plays in the Welsh Premiership. The club play at St Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground in Swansea and are also known as ''The Whites,'' in reference to their home kit colours.
History
T ...
and
Glamorgan County Cricket Club have previously played matches there. In this ground, Sir
Garfield Sobers
Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers, (born 28 July 1936), also known as Sir Gary or Sir Garry Sobers, is a former cricketer who played for the West Indies between 1954 and 1974. A highly skilled bowler, an aggressive batsman and an excellent fielder, ...
hit six sixes in one over; the first time this was achieved in a game of
first-class cricket
First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officia ...
. The final ball landed on the ground past the Cricketers' pub just outside the ground. It is also the home of the tallest floodlight stand in Europe.
Swansea's
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...
side plays from Swansea in the small town of
Ystalyfera
Ystalyfera is a former industrial village and community (Wales), community in the upper Swansea Valley, on the River Tawe, about northeast of Swansea. It is an ward (politics), electoral ward and a community (Wales), community in the unitary a ...
. They are known as the Swansea Valley Miners but were formed as the Swansea Bulls in 2002.
The
Swansea Bowls Stadium opened in early 2008. The stadium hosted the World Indoor Singles and Mixed Pairs Championship in April 2008 and the Gravelles Welsh International Open Bowls Championships in 2009.
Plans
Swansea City Centre is undergoing a £1 billion transformation scheme. A large area of the city is earmarked for redevelopment. A new city-centre retail precinct is planned involving demolition of the dilapidated
St. David's Shopping Centre which has three or four traders, about 13% of the retail space in the centre and the
Quadrant Shopping Centre
The Quadrant Shopping Centre is the principal under-cover shopping centre in Swansea, Wales. The centre opened in 1979. From the 1980s to 2019 it was home to the Swansea Devil, a controversial carved wooden statue of the Devil.
The centre and ...
. Including relocation of the
Tesco
Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...
Superstore near to the city's
Sainsbury's
J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, with a 14.6% share of UK supermarket sales.
Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company ...
store in
Parc Tawe
Parc Tawe is a retail park and leisure area in Swansea. It is located in the eastern area of the city centre on the west bank of the River Tawe in the Lower Swansea.
The area includes "out-of-town" style stores with car parks located outside ...
, the new retail precinct will be almost four times the size of the Quadrant Centre. The city centre is also being brightened up with street art and new walkways, along with the first phase of the David Evans – Castle Street development. New green spaces will be provided in conjunction with the proposed Quadrant Square and Grand Theatre Square. Redevelopment of the Oxford Street car park and Lower Oxford Street arcades are also planned.
At the sea front,
The Tower, Meridian Quay is now Wales's tallest building at a height of with a restaurant on the top (29th) floor. It was under construction adjacent
Swansea Marina until 2010.
Economy
Swansea originally developed as centre for
metals
A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typical ...
and mining, especially the copper industry, from the beginning of the 18th century. The industry reached its apogee in the 1880s, when 60% of the copper ores imported to Britain were smelted in the
Lower Swansea valley
The Lower Swansea valley ( cy, Cwm Tawe Isaf) is the lower half of the valley of the River Tawe in south Wales. It runs from approximately the level of Clydach down to Swansea docks, where it opens into Swansea Bay and the Bristol Channel. This ...
. However, by the end of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
these heavy industries were in decline, and over the post-war decades Swansea shared in the general trend towards a post-industrial,
service sector economy.
Of the 105,900 people estimated to work within the City and County of Swansea, over 90% are employed in the service sectors, with relatively high shares (compared to the Welsh and UK averages) in ''public administration, education & health'' and ''banking, finance & insurance'',
and correspondingly high proportions of employment in occupations associated with the service sector, including professional, administrative/secretarial and sales/customer service occupations. The local authority believes this pattern reflects Swansea's role as a service centre for South West Wales.
Economic activity and employment rates in Swansea were slightly above the Welsh average in October 2008, but lower than the UK average.
In 2005,
GVA per head in Swansea was £14,302 – nearly 4% above the Welsh average but 20% below the UK average.
Median full-time earnings in Swansea were £21,577 in 2007, almost identical to the Welsh average.
Swansea is home to the
DVLA
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA; cy, Asiantaeth Trwyddedu Gyrwyr a Cherbydau) is the organisation of the UK government responsible for maintaining a database of drivers in Great Britain and a database of vehicles for the entire ...
headquarters in
Morriston
Morriston (; cy, Treforys ) is a community in the City and County of Swansea, Wales and falls within the Morriston ward. It is the largest community in Swansea county.
Morriston is sometimes referred to as a distinct town (e.g. the local fo ...
, which employs around 6,000 people in the city. Other major employers in the city are
Admiral Group
Admiral Group plc is a British financial services company headquartered in Cardiff, Wales. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, it is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, and markets the ''Admiral'', ''Bell'', ''Elephant'', ''Diamond'' and ''Veyg ...
,
HSBC,
Virgin Media
Virgin Media is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, television and internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, England. It is owned by Virgin Media O2, a 50:50 joint ventu ...
,
Swansea Bay University Health Board,
BT and
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...
.
Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic, a trading name of Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited and Virgin Atlantic International Limited, is a British airline with its head office in Crawley, England. The airline was established in 1984 as British Atlantic Airways, and ...
also maintains its largest worldwide contact centre in Swansea; including reservations, sales, baggage claims, and customer relations.
Education
Further and higher education
Swansea University
Swansea University ( cy, Prifysgol Abertawe) is a public university, public research university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. It was chartered as University College of Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales. ...
has a campus in
Singleton Park
Singleton Park ( cy, Parc Singleton) is the largest urban park in the city of Swansea. It is located in Sketty.
The park comprises 250 acres of land. An ornamental garden is located to the south, near the entrance to Swansea University, and a w ...
overlooking Swansea Bay. Its engineering department is recognised as a centre of excellence with pioneering work on computational techniques for solving engineering design problems. The department of physics is renowned for its research achievements at the frontiers of theoretical physics, particularly in the areas of elementary particle physics and string theory. Many other departments including history,
computer science
Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to practical disciplines (includi ...
and German have been awarded "excellent" inspection ratings. In 2015
Swansea University
Swansea University ( cy, Prifysgol Abertawe) is a public university, public research university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. It was chartered as University College of Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales. ...
opened a new Bay Campus situated in the Jersey Marine area of Swansea. The university was awarded ''The Times'' Higher Education Supplement Award for the UK's "best student experience" in 2005. In 2017,
Swansea University Medical School was ranked as the third best medical school in the United Kingdom, behind Oxford and Cambridge universities.
Other establishments for further and higher education in the city include
University of Wales Trinity Saint David
, image = Crest of TSD.png
, image_size = 200px
, caption = Coat of armsUniversity of Wales Trinity Saint David
, established = 2010 (Saint David's College, Lampeter founded 1822 and opened 1827; royal charter 1828)
, ...
,
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 ...
and also Swansea College. Trinity Saint David was formed on 18 November 2010 through the merger of University of Wales Lampeter and Trinity University college Carmarthen under Lampeter's royal charter of 1828. On 1 August 2013, Swansea Metropolitan University became part of University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD). Swansea Metropolitan University was particularly well known for its Architectural Glass department, as well as its Teaching and Transport & Logistics degrees. Trinity Saint David also took over the
Swansea Business School
Swansea Business School (Welsh: ''Ysgol Fusnes Abertawe'') is a public research institution focusing on business studies and is situated in the city of Swansea, Wales, UK. It is based near the High Street at the Swansea Business Campus of the U ...
, which was formerly part of the Metropolitan University. It continues to provide higher education in the field of business including an MBA programme. Swansea Sixth Form College Wales (sscwales) was founded in 2013 and 2021 changed its name to Swansea College.
Schools
In the local authority area, there is one nursery school; six infant schools and five junior schools. There are 77 primary schools, ten of which are
Welsh-medium, and six of which are voluntary aided. There are 15 comprehensive schools under the remit of the local education authority, of which two are Welsh-
medium
Medium may refer to:
Science and technology
Aviation
*Medium bomber, a class of war plane
*Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design
Communication
* Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data
* Medium of ...
. In addition, there are six special schools.
The oldest school in Swansea is
Bishop Gore School
The Bishop Gore School ( cy, Ysgol Esgob Gore) is a secondary school in Swansea in Wales, founded on 14 September 1682 by Hugh Gore (1613–1691), Bishop of Waterford and Lismore. It is situated in Sketty, close to Singleton Park and Swans ...
, founded in 1682. The largest comprehensive school is
Olchfa School. There is one Roman Catholic comprehensive school –
Bishop Vaughan Catholic Comprehensive School. Other secondary schools include Birchgrove Comprehensive School, Cefn Hengoed Community School, Dylan Thomas School, Pentrehafod Comprehensive School,
Morriston Comprehensive School
Morriston (; cy, Treforys ) is a community in the City and County of Swansea, Wales and falls within the Morriston ward. It is the largest community in Swansea county.
Morriston is sometimes referred to as a distinct town (e.g. the local f ...
and Gowerton School. There are 2
Welsh-medium secondary schools in Swansea:
Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Gŵyr and
Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bryn Tawe
Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bryn Tawe is a Welsh-language comprehensive school based in Penlan, Swansea , southwest Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish S ...
.
Independent schools in Swansea include
Ffynone House School
Ffynone House School is an independent co-educational secondary day school in Swansea, Wales. It is situated in the Uplands area of the city at 36 St. James Crescent.
The school teaches children from age 11 to 18 (Year 7 to GCSE and A Level) ...
and
Oakleigh House School
Oakleigh House School is a co-educational private primary school in Swansea, Wales. The school is owned and operated by the Cognita Group, and is situated in the Uplands area of the city.
History
Oakleigh House School was established in 1 ...
.
Media
The local newspaper is the Swansea edition of the
South Wales Evening Post
The ''South Wales Evening Post'' is a tabloid daily newspaper distributed in the South West region of Wales. The paper has three daily editions – Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot and Carmarthenshire – and is published by Media Wales, part ...
. The
Swansea Herald of Wales was a free newspaper which was distributed every week to residential addresses until 2011 when the paper ceased to be in print. The Cardiff edition of the free daily paper
Metro
Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to:
Geography
* Metro (city), a city in Indonesia
* A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center
Public transport
* Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urb ...
is distributed throughout the city. The council also produces a free monthly newspaper called the Swansea Leader.
Swansea Life is a monthly lifestyle magazine published and distributed in Swansea.
Swansea has three local radio stations:
The Wave on 96.4 FM and
DAB, its sister station
Greatest Hits Radio South Wales
Greatest Hits Radio South Wales (formerly Swansea Sound) is Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Bauer Radio as part of the Greatest Hits Radio network. The station broadcasts to Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, East Carmarthenshire a ...
on DAB, and
Easy Radio
Easy Radio is an Independent Local Radio station that broadcasts to Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and East Carmarthenshire. It is owned and operated by Nation Broadcasting and broadcasts on 102.1 FM and DAB from studios near the St Hilary transm ...
on 102.1 FM and DAB. There is a community radio station
Radio Tircoed and two regional radio stations:
Heart South Wales
Heart South Wales is an regional radio station that broadcasts to South and West Wales from studios in Cardiff Bay. The station is owned and operated by Global Radio and forms part of the expanded Heart radio network of stations.
Background ...
on 106.0 FM and
Nation Radio Wales on 107.3 FM and DAB.
The patients and staff at
Singleton Hospital
Singleton Hospital ( cy, Ysbyty Singleton) is a general hospital in Sketty Lane, Swansea, Wales. It is managed by Swansea Bay University Health Board.
History
The first stage of the hospital, which included outpatients' facilities, was completed ...
can listen to the hospital radio station,
Radio City 1386AM and Swansea University also runs its own radio station,
Xtreme Radio
Extreme may refer to:
Science and mathematics Mathematics
*Extreme point, a point in a convex set which does not lie in any open line segment joining two points in the set
*Maxima and minima, extremes on a mathematical function
Science
*Extremop ...
, on 1431 AM. Providing the
DAB service, the local multiplex called
Swansea SW Wales is broadcast from
Kilvey Hill
Kilvey Hill ( Welsh: ''Mynydd Cilfái'' or ''Y Bigwrn'') is a hill in South Wales, to the east of Swansea. Kilvey Hill is high and is classed as a Sub Marilyn. The top of Kilvey Hill enjoys panoramic views of Swansea city centre, Swansea Do ...
. This transmitter also provides digital terrestrial television in the Swansea area. As well as Kilvey Hill the city is in the catchment areas of the
Wenvoe
Wenvoe ( cy, Gwenfô) is a village, community and electoral ward between Barry and Cardiff in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. Nearby are the Wenvoe Transmitter near Twyn-yr-Odyn and the site of the former HTV Wales Television Centre at Culverhouse ...
transmitter (in the
Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan ( cy, Bro Morgannwg ), often referred to as The Vale, is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It borders Bridgend County Borough to the west, Cardiff to the east, Rhondda Cynon Taf to the north, and the Bristol ...
) and the Carmel transmitter in
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...
.
Since 1924, the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. Currently it has facilities to broadcast live radio and television and is listed as a BBC regional studio.
In mid-2008, the BBC included Swansea in its "Big Screen" project, and a large live permanent television screen has been sited in Castle Square.
Independent filmmakers
and Studio8 are based in Swansea, and the city plays host to the BeyondTV Film Festival. BeyondTV is annual event organised by Undercurrents to showcase the best of activism filmmakers. Swansea has also hosted the annual Swansea Bay Film Festival, where past-winning directors have included Gareth Evans, Anthony James, Alun D Pughe and
.
''.
Swansea was the first city in Wales to feature in its own version of the board game
. The Swansea edition of Monopoly features 33 local landmarks, including the
; the game has been produced in both English and Welsh.
Swansea was also featured in a television documentary titled Swansea Love Story as part of the Rule Britannia series on
. The film is of a rather graphic nature and features heroin users, as well as community members affected by the narcotic, while trying to provide some explanation for the increase in use. Swansea was featured in several
series as an undesirable civil service posting, in particular the vehicle licensing centre.
Swansea is the hometown of Edward Kenway, the main protagonist of the video game ''
''. This is because
, the voice actor of Edward, is from Swansea.
. The regional headquarters for the Swansea area is
.
services. Singleton Hospital has one of Wales's three radiotherapy departments.
services are coordinated by the local council, which deals with refuse collection and recycling and operates five
services to Swansea. There is a water treatment works at
. Reservoirs which supply Swansea include the
and the Lliw Reservoirs, which are operated by Welsh Water.
The Local Gas Distribution company is Wales and West Utilities.
There was a high rate of car crime during the 1990s. In 2002, the BBC described Swansea as a "black spot for car crime". Car crime is a central theme in the film ''
'', which was set in and around Swansea and Port Talbot.
The football violence that Swansea experienced during the 1970s–1990s has considerably reduced, the only major clashes occurring between Swansea City supporters and Cardiff City supporters. Many matches between these sides have ended in violence in both Swansea and Cardiff. These two clubs have a long history of intense rivalry, so much so that it is described in the media as ''tribal''.
as the main east–west route. Both the M4 and the A48 connect with
to the west. The
links the city centre with the motorway at junction 42 to the east and junction 47 to the north west.
On departing Swansea to the north, the A483 multiplexes with the A48 before continuing through mid Wales and terminating at
. The
is also a dual carriageway for much of its route through Swansea. Other notable local roads include the
.
. Services calling at Swansea operate to
. There are also suburban stations in
.
providing recreational flights only. Further development of the airport is strongly resisted by the local communities and environmental groups. Swansea is served by
, which provides scheduled domestic and international flights. It is approximately 40 minutes away by road or 70 minutes by rail.
, to the west, is available for private flights.
to the south of the city centre has berths for 410 leisure boats. An addition 200 berths for leisure boats are located near the mouth of the River Tawe. Further leisure boating berths are being constructed at the Prince of Wales Dock in the
complex. The Swansea Docks complex is owned and operated by Associated British Ports and is used to handle a range of cargo ranging from agribulks and coal to timber and steel. Swansea Docks consists of three floating docks and a ferry terminal.
service until November 2011, when the service was ended. A proposal for a catamaran-based passenger ferry service from
to Swanseascheduled to begin in time for Easter in 2010 has yet to launch. It would have had two return trips a day taking around 50 minutes each way and carried cycles.
, South Wales Transport, Lewis Coaches, First Call Travel and DANSA also operate some routes in the city, most of which serve
. First Cymru operated the
in 2009,. In late 2015 the fleet of
articulated buses that served the Swansea Metro route were removed from service and replaced with standard non-articulated
vehicles. First Cymru introduced the "Cymru Clipper" and "Swansea & The Bay" liveries in 2014 and 2019 respectively with services originating from Swansea bus station. The "Cymru Clipper" operations serve several rural communities across
.
Veolia used to operate the rural services around the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw Valley - branded Gower Explorer and Lliw Link respectively. Since Veolia's withdrawal from Swansea, these services were operated by First Cymru for several years, and are now operated by NAT Group.
Swansea direct coach services:
*
.
. During busy periods of the year, additional services are operated from the
were cut in 2015 due to local authority financial constraints.
, which terminates at Abercraf.
and (eventually) London.
City cruiser pedal vehicles are being introduced to the
.
In November 2007 a new bridge was completed over the Fabian Way which provides a one way park and ride bus lane and a shared-use pedestrian and
route 4 cycle way. The leaf-shaped bridge was shortlisted for the 2008
Structural Steel Design Awards.
A number of beaches around Swansea Bay are promoted to visitors. Surfing is possible at
, with the latter winning accolades from two national newspapers for the quality of its waves. The promenade from the Marina to Mumbles offers views across Swansea Bay. The seaside village of
, small, independent shops and boutiques, restaurants and cafes. The south coast of Gower is the chief magnet for walkers, with a path stretching from Mumbles Head across the cliff tops, beaches and coastal woodland to
.
On the Waterfront, Swansea Bay has a sweep of coastline which features a beach, promenade, children's lido, leisure pool, marina and maritime quarter featuring the museums the
, the oldest museum in Wales. Also situated in the maritime quarter is the
, which celebrates the life and work of the author with its permanent exhibition 'Dylan Thomas – Man and Myth', and
also in the heart of the Maritime Quarter which hosts a range of exhibitions from various art disciplines; it also host a craft space, with ranging works from local and international artists. The Dylan Thomas Centre is the focal point for the annual Dylan Thomas Festival (27 October – 9 November). There is a permanent exhibition at the Dylan Thomas Birthplace and Home for 23 years in Uplands which has been restored to its condition as a new house when bought by the Thomas family in 1914 a few months before Dylan was born in the front bedroom. The
area is the latest development for living, dining and leisure.
Swansea Bay, Mumbles and Gower are home to various parks and gardens and almost 20 nature reserves.
is home to a collection of plants set in parkland and host to 'Clyne in Bloom' in May.
has acres of parkland, a botanical garden, a boating lake with pedal boats, and crazy golf.
is a tropical hothouse pyramid featuring three climatic zones, housing a variety of unusual plants, including several species which are extinct in the wild, and monkeys, reptiles, fish and a butterfly house. Other parks include
was named the most beautiful beach in Britain by travel writers who visited more than 1,000 beaches around the world in search of the perfect sands (2007). ''The Travel Magazine'' praised Oxwich for "magnificent and unspoilt" scenery and as a "great place for adults and children to explore". It has over three miles (5 km) of sand and ''
'' named it one of Britain's blue-riband top 10 category beaches (2007). ''
as "the British supermodel of beaches" (2006) and the best beach in Britain for breathtaking cliffs (2007), whilst ''
'' listed it as one of the 25 best beaches in the world (2006).
Thanks to its clear air and lovely golden sand, this romantic stretch of sand was voted the best place in the UK to watch the sun set (''
, with its soft sands, consistent beach break and great facilities, was listed as the best place to learn how to surf in Britain by The Observer (2006) and one of the 10 'classic surfing beaches by ''The Guardian'' (2007). Gower also claims Britain's Best Beach,
. The Gower landmark topped the BBC Holiday Hit Squad nationwide competition (2006) and was voted Britain's best camping beach by ''The Independent'' thanks to its superb setting and quiet location (2007).
also made the final of the ITV series Britain's Favourite View – the only nomination in Wales and backed by singer
. Nearby
came sixth in an online poll to find the UK's top beach for the baby boomer generation (2006). Beaches which won 2006
and Swansea Marina (one of the few Blue Flag Marinas in Wales). All of these beaches also won a
2006.
. Other Green Coast Awards went to Pwll Du,
.
and cycling. Part of the
, Swansea Bay provides a range of traffic-free cycle routes including along the seafront and through
. The Cycling Touring Club
has a local group in the area. Swansea Bay, Mumbles and Gower have a selection of
was one of the top ten visitor attractions in the Wales; it has been redeveloped as an indoor waterpark, rebranded the 'LC', and was officially opened by Queen
on 7 March 2008. The
is in Swansea.
Swansea has a number of pubs, bars, clubs, restaurants and a casino. Swansea had two casinos until 30 August 2012 when Aspers closed. The majority of city centre bars are situated on
. Some venues feature live music. The
s", declined in the early 21st century and a number of local pubs were converted into flats or restaurants.
, China.
: 21 January 1914.
* Roger Beck: 21 January 1914.
* John Dyer : 21 January 1914.
*
: 15 March 1939.
* William Owen : 15 March 1939.
* David John Davies : 15 March 1939.
*
: 18 February 1953.
*
Daniel Evans : 18 February 1953.
* George William Peacock: 18 February 1953.
*
: 24 July 2019.
* Kevin Johns : 8 December 2022.
: 12 March 2016.
*
: 17 March 2018.
: 27 July 2019.