Clyne Castle is a Grade II*- listed building situated on a hill overlooking Swansea Bay, adjacent to the

Clyne valley The Clyne Valley Country Park is an area of parkland in Britain, at Swansea in south Wales. It lies on either side of the valley of the Clyne River and comprises an area of over of land running from the sea at Blackpill, Swansea, inland to Gowe ...

, near

Blackpill Blackpill (or Black Pill) is a suburban area of Swansea, Wales, beside Swansea Bay, about southwest of the city centre. Description Blackpill falls into the Mayals ward. The area is centred on a seafront building on Mumbles road, which onc ...

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

. Originally built in 1791 by a wealthy landowner it passed into the hands of 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, ...

and saw many distinguished guests over the years. Acquired by Swansea University in the 1950s, it was used as student accommodation. It has since become a block of apartments.

History

Clyne Castle was originally built in 1791 by Richard Phillips, a wealthy Carmarthenshire landowner. The Castle was subsequently remodelled by later owners, and was for many years in the possession of the

. While they lived in the castle, the eminent guests that visited them are thought to include Queen Victoria,

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

and King Edward VIII. William Graham Vivian planted the landscaped gardens in the 1860s.

Later uses

Swansea University used the Castle as a hall of residence (Neuadd Gilbertson) after it acquired the building in the 1950s. The University built two accommodation blocks, and, later, a women's hall (Neuadd Martin), with exceptionally fine sea views, on the hill behind the castle. The two halls, which were linked by external steps, shared some functions. The City of Swansea acquired the mature park of the Castle, now called Clyne Gardens (Gerddi Clun), which has views over the bay. The historic landscape area of Clyne Castle is a Registered Historic Park. In 2003, the university decided to sell the halls and to build more accommodation on the main university campus instead. The current use of the refurbished castle is as a block of one- and two-bedroom apartments. The grounds are protected by wrought iron gates and residents have use of the lawned gardens. The student accommodation blocks and the women's hall were demolished and were replaced in 2006 by new housing.

References

{{Swansea University Castles in Swansea Mock castles in Wales Grade II* listed buildings in Swansea Houses completed in 1791 Country houses in Wales Swansea University