85-800: 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 Centre ; Alexandra Road, High Street, Wind Street and the Castle; Parc Tawe; and the Maritime Quarter extending down to the seafront. Swansea's early 18th century industrial development shaped
170-655: A Compulsory Purchase order was obtained in 1946 and reconstruction work began in 1947. The reconstruction task took over thirty years to accomplish. The new centre was planned on a grid-pattern of roads including the main thoroughfares of Kingsway, Princess Way, West Way and Oystermouth Road. At the time of the initial post-war rebuilding, the River Tawe riverfront and the South Dock (now the Maritime Quarter) were still port and industrial areas, separated from
255-479: A coastal region, it experiences a milder climate than inland. Swansea is exposed to rain-bearing winds from the Atlantic , also cooling summer temperatures. 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
340-446: A commercially viable office market can eventually be developed in Swansea city centre. Swansea Market , the Quadrant Shopping Centre and the St. David's Shopping Centre are in the middle of the city centre. The Quadrant Centre opened in the late 1970s and is dominated by chain stores; it has a multi-storey car park that opens directly into Debenhams on one floor. Swansea bus station
425-522: A curb on new pub and club licences in the city centre. In December 2010, Wind Street had the second highest number of reported crimes in the whole of England and Wales. In 2007 the development of the street's lower, south-eastern end was completed, as 'Salubrious Place', including an Aspers Casino, a Vue Cinema, a Premier Inn hotel, parking and additional eating and drinking venues. The casino closed in 2012 and Salubrious Place went into receivership in 2013, though in 2014 new plans were announced to re-invent
510-573: 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 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
595-479: 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. Smelters also processed arsenic, zinc, tin, and other metals. Nearby factories produced tinplate and pottery. The Swansea smelters became so adept at recovering gold and silver from complex ores that in
680-568: A new development incorporating five stores trading over two floors, providing 5,400 m (58,000 sq ft) of retail space. Zara , Slater's Menswear and JT Morgan have signed up for the scheme. In late 2011 The Gym Group opened a gym on the first floor of the development. In December 2008, the Council sought expressions of interest from contractors for the redevelopment of the Quadrant bus station . The Council said that it hopes to award
765-590: 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 ; 1,106 are of mixed race ; 2,215 are Asian – mainly Bangladeshi (1,015); 300 are black ; and 1,195 belong to other ethnic groups . The Office for National Statistics 2010 mid-year population estimate for the City & County of Swansea
850-801: 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 , Swansea Museum , the Dylan Thomas Centre , the Environment Centre , and the Market , which is the largest covered market in Wales. It backs onto the Quadrant Shopping Centre , which opened in 1978, and the adjoining St David's Centre opened in 1982. Other notable modern buildings include
935-462: A £1 billion redevelopment of the city centre. The two developers previously collaborated on Birmingham 's Bullring development. The plan by architects BDP, includes more than 60,000 m (650,000 sq ft) of additional retail space; 1,000 homes; new leisure, office, hotel and conference facilities; and a "European Boulevard" incorporating Oystermouth Road and Quay Parade. The former David Evans department store has been replaced with
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#17327810451951020-483: Is 232,500. 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 and
1105-572: 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 (Welsh: Dinas a Sir Abertawe ). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in the United Kingdom . Located along Swansea Bay in south-west Wales, with the principal area covering the Gower Peninsula , it is part of the Swansea Bay region and part of
1190-582: Is a concreted square that slopes upwards towards steps to Swansea Castle to the east, forming an amphitheatre -like space. It has grass verges and a few trees on its sides, and two fountains. The square is faced to the south by Caer Street which is lined with shops in buildings with a mock Tudor facade. In July 2008, a permanent BBC TV big screen was constructed on the southern corner of Castle Square, to show BBC coverage of Beijing 2008 and London 2012 as well as local content. St. Mary's Square links Princess Way with Whitewalls. St. Mary's Church stands in
1275-622: Is also a dual carriageway for much of its route through Swansea. Other notable local roads include the A484 , which provides a link from Fforestfach west to Llanelli , and the A4118 , the main route westwards from the city centre across Gower to Port Eynon . Swansea railway station is served by two train operating companies : Bus routes in the area are operated predominantly by First Cymru , with smaller operators such as Adventure Travel , South Wales Transport and DANSA also operate some routes in
1360-668: Is complex, providing diverse scenery. The Gower Peninsula was the first area in the United Kingdom to be designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (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
1445-528: Is derived from the Old Norse name of the original Viking 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 either to a bank of the river at its mouth or to an area of raised ground in marshland. However, the Norse termination -ey can mean "inlet", and the name may simply refer to
1530-563: Is focused on a triangle defined by Gowerton , Gorseinon and Loughor along with the satellite communities of Penllergaer and Pontarddulais . About three-quarters of Swansea is on the coast—the Loughor Estuary , Swansea Bay and the Bristol Channel . The geology of the Gower Peninsula ranges from Carboniferous Limestone cliffs along its southern edge from Mumbles to Worm's Head and the salt-marshes and dune systems of
1615-443: Is located opposite the police station. The Mount Pleasant Baptist Church is in the far south of the area, on Kingsway. St Helens Road is the main route to the city centre from the south west of Swansea. The south side of the street is dominated by fast food outlets, restaurants, ethnic grocery stores and ethnic restaurants. Bryn-y-mor Road links to St. Helen's where many student bars and more restaurants can be found. The north side of
1700-567: Is not a major office location, although there are office premises including the BT Tower near Swansea Castle , Oldway House/Alexandra House on High Street/Alexandra Road and the JobCentre Plus building near the St. David's Shopping Centre. In 2002, there was 147,960 m (1,592,600 sq ft) of office space in the city centre as a whole, and 30,360 m (326,800 sq ft) in
1785-418: Is now part of Swansea College of Art and houses its Stained Glass , Product Design, Automotive Design, Games Design, 3D Computer Animation and Foundation courses. The BBC has two radio studios, a newsroom and general office at 32 Alexandra Road. It sub-lets part of its former building from UWTSD which now owns the building and hosts its Music Technology and Performing Arts courses. The Swansea Magistrates Court
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#17327810451951870-516: Is on the western side of the centre, and Swansea Grand Theatre is next door to the station on Singleton Street. A Tesco superstore is immediately south-east of the Quadrant. High Street was once the main shopping street in Swansea and formed the central axis of the shopping centre. It was completely destroyed in World War II, leaving just a few buildings standing gutted, including half of
1955-498: Is pedestrianised and dominated by chain stores. The western end features mass-market/down-market multiple stores and links to two arcades of very small independent retailers. Further west, the street enters the Sandfields area and is mainly residential. Street markets are held on Oxford Street, Princess Way and Castle Square over Christmas. Wind Street ( Welsh : Stryd y Gwynt ) has a name which nowadays means different things in
2040-475: Is the Plantasia , a large triangular tropical plant house. Entertainments in the area include a 10 screen cinema and a ten pin bowling alley. Alexandra Road is in an area to the north of the city centre at the foot of Townhill. It is home to a campus University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) which has several premises in the area. Swansea College of Art's main centre is in a building that once housed
2125-478: Is the oldest theatre in Wales, one of only two remaining purpose-built music halls left in the United Kingdom, and the first place in Wales to screen a moving picture. It was once used as a nightclub but is now mostly derelict. Until the development of Wind Street as a nightlife zone, the Kingsway was the centre of nightlife in Swansea. While many of the bars have shut down due to competition from Wind Street bars,
2210-492: The First Cymru 's Swansea Metro bus route. At the eastern end of the Kingsway was a large roundabout incorporating a pedestrian subway. The subway has been filled in and the roundabout replaced with a traffic light crossroad and wider pedestrian walkways. Oxford Street is the main shopping street in Swansea which has major retailers such as Marks and Spencer and Next. The eastern end of the street, close to Castle Square,
2295-526: The Loughor estuary 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 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 heath ridges including
2380-706: The Marina . In the Second World War , Swansea's industrial importance made it a target of German bombing; 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 to mark Prince Charles 's investiture as the Prince of Wales . The Prince made the announcement on 3 July 1969 during
2465-536: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Menevia . The Catholic see 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 . In 1904, Evan Roberts , a miner from Loughor (Llwchwr), just outside Swansea, was the leader of what has been called one of the world's greatest Protestant religious revivals. Within
2550-622: 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: The M4 motorway , with junctions 44 to 47, bypasses Swansea, replacing the A48 as the main east–west route. Both the M4 and the A48 connect with Neath , Port Talbot and Cardiff to
2635-573: The historic county of Glamorgan and the ancient Welsh commote of Gŵyr. The principal area is the second most populous local authority area in Wales, with an estimated population of 241,282 in 2022. Swansea, along with Neath and Port Talbot , 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
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2720-456: 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 , and
2805-475: 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 speakers. The population of
2890-897: 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. The Senedd constituencies are: The city also falls under the South Wales West regional constituency which is served by Tom Giffard ( Conservative ), Sioned Williams ( Plaid Cymru ), Altaf Hussain (Conservative) and Luke Fletcher (Plaid Cymru). The UK parliamentary constituencies covering Swansea and their MPs are: Swansea may be divided into four physical areas. The geology
2975-498: The 20th century, heavy industries in the town declined, leaving the Lower Swansea Valley 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 and South Dock became
3060-643: 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. The City and County of Swansea local authority area is bordered by unitary authorities of Carmarthenshire to the north, and Neath Port Talbot to
3145-671: The City Centre Strategic Framework, Swansea is the eighteenth largest retail centre in the UK, relatively large for its population. However, the general quality, range and size of city centre shops is poor, so Swansea is usually ranked outside the top 50 retail centres in the UK on various industry listings. The poor retail performance is believed to be the result of several factors, including poor urban design, lack of recent development and competition from out-of-town shops at Fforestfach and Morfa . Swansea city centre
3230-551: The Dynevor Secondary school. The Glynn Vivian Art Gallery is here, as is Swansea Central police station . The Old Library building next to the old police station, on the corner of Orchard Street and Alexandra Road, once housed the central lending and reference library, which has now been relocated to the Civic Centre . The old police station has been converted into flats for students of UWTSD. The old library
3315-582: The Kingsway and on St. Mary's Square. A single bus rapid transit route marketed as Swansea Metro runs through the centre. There are three Park and Ride sites with dedicated buses serving the city centre, all operated by First Cymru : A fourth Park and Ride site is planned for the south of Swansea with the proposed site located in Blackpill serving both the city centre and Mumbles . Swansea Swansea ( / ˈ s w ɒ n z i / SWON -zee ; Welsh : Abertawe [abɛrˈtawɛ] )
3400-488: The River Tawe, the manor of Kilvey beyond the Tawe, and the peninsula itself. In the following years, Henry built Swansea Castle c. 1106 , and minted coins bearing the names Swensi , Sweni and Svenshi c. 1140 . Swansea was designated chief town of the lordship and received its first borough charter sometime between 1158 and 1184 from William de Newburgh, 3rd Earl of Warwick . This charter contains
3485-587: The Swansea Grand Hotel. The stretch between the castle and railway station is dominated by local retailers, discount retailers and eating and drinking establishments. The street becomes mainly residential to the north of the railway station. In this residential stretch, there is one wedged-shaped building on the corner with Prince of Wales Street: this is the Palace Theatre , where Anthony Hopkins staged his first professional performance. It
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3570-540: 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 , including most of Swansea Bay , has
3655-646: The University of Wales Trinity Saint David north of Walter Road. Carmarthen Road is a dual carriageway stretch of the A483 which runs NW from the Dyfatty traffic junction in the city centre. Carmarthen Road has a mix of developments including residential, retail and commercial parks and industrial units. Fabian Way, a stretch of the A483, departs the city centre to the east. It bypasses St. Thomas and Port Tennant to
3740-460: The addition of part of the former Lliw Valley Borough. The new authority received the name City and County of Swansea ( Welsh : Dinas a Sir Abertawe ). 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
3825-482: The area. Princess Way ( Welsh : Ffordd y Dywysoges ) links Kingsway Circle to the north with Oystermouth Road to the south. The northern section of the street is fully pedestrianised and is fronted with shops. The southern section is fronted with pubs, restaurants and offices and has a Travelodge hotel, a Vue cinema and Aspers casino. The central portion of Princess Way opens onto two town squares . Castle Square links Princess Way with Castle Street. Castle Square
3910-516: The burial mound at Cillibion and the hill fort at Cil Ifor. There are also the remains of a Roman villa also on the Gower peninsula. The area that would become Swansea was known as the Cantref Eginog in ancient times, located on the eastern edge of the cwmwd (commote) of Gwyr, the easternmost cantref of Ystrad Tywi . This area was noted for its valuable land and was highly contested by
3995-405: The centre of Swansea from its northern suburbs. Cefn Bryn , a ridge of high land, is the backbone of the Gower Peninsula. Rhossili Down, Hardings Down and Llanmadoc Hill are up to 193 metres (633 ft) high. The highest point is located Penlle'r Castell at 374 metres (1,227 ft) on the northern border with Carmarthenshire . Swansea has a temperate oceanic climate ( Cfb ). As part of
4080-679: The city centre area. Walter Road is the main route from the city centre to the west, including the Uplands district. Most of the road is lined with substantial three-storey town houses, many of which have been converted for use by small professional practices like accountants, solicitors, estate agents, civil engineers and surveyors. A few properties are still residential, nearly all divided into flats and bedsits. The side streets around Walter Road are mainly residential, with mostly three bedroomed properties, mainly occupied by families. A number of properties have been converted into bedsits for use by students of Swansea University south of Walter Road and
4165-572: The city centre as a largely retail centre with only limited office accommodation and housing. In recent years, a greater mix of uses has been encouraged in the city centre with the regeneration of the Maritime Quarter, Wind Street and Salubrious Place, the opening of the National Waterfront Museum and the refurbishment of Swansea Leisure Centre . Swansea city centre provides about 24,000 jobs, or about 18% of jobs in
4250-469: The city centre towards the north, south and west; along the coast of Swansea Bay to Mumbles ; up the Swansea Valley past Landore and Morriston to Clydach ; over Townhill and Mayhill to Cwmbwrla , Penlan , Treboeth and Fforestfach ; through Uplands , Sketty, Killay to Dunvant ; and east of the river from St. Thomas to Bonymaen , Llansamlet and Birchgrove . A second urbanised area
4335-407: The city, most of which serve Swansea bus station . Local bus routes run throughout the city, including to Morriston Hospital , Singleton Hospital and Swansea University . Regional routes connect the area with Brecon, Bridgend, Mumbles and Cardiff. SA1 Swansea Waterfront SA1 Swansea Waterfront ( colloquially : SA1 ) is the marketing name given to the brownfield development area in
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#17327810451954420-426: The commercial district by railway viaducts and roads. With the old shopping centre on High Street flattened, Swansea's main shopping district was rebuilt around the new Kingsway. Redevelopment continued into the 1980s, including the construction of the Quadrant Shopping Centre , St. David's Shopping Centre , County Hall , Parc Tawe and the demolition of railway viaducts at Victoria Road. These developments reinforced
4505-415: The contract in May 2009, with work starting soon after. The project was planned to take around 15 months to complete. The new bus station duly opened on 6 December 2010, though with many finishing touches not added until early 2011. The city centre is served by buses at the Swansea bus station and by trains at Swansea railway station at the northern end of High Street. Additional bus stops are located on
4590-502: The development of today's city centre. However, the heart of the city centre was bombed severely in 1941 in what is now termed the "Three Nights Blitz". Forty one acres of the city centre and 857 premises were destroyed beyond repair. Many local businesses had to be relocated just outside the area of devastation. The small area of Georgian streets around the Old Town Hall (now the Dylan Thomas Centre ) and later buildings including
4675-457: The earliest reference in English to Sweynesse and gave it the status of a borough , granting the townsmen (called burgesses ) 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 . Another charter was granted in 1304. From the early 1700s to
4760-595: The early Welsh kingdoms. During the Viking Age , 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. The settlement remained under Welsh control until the Norman Invasion of Wales , when Iestyn ap Gwrgant ceded the settlement as part of the new Lordship of Gower to Henry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Warwick in the early 1100s. The Lordship included land around Swansea Bay as far as
4845-479: The east and Carmarthen to the west. The A483 dual carriageway 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 Chester . The A4067 connecting Mumbles with the city centre and continuing up the Swansea Valley towards Brecon
4930-401: 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 378 square kilometres (146 sq mi) in size, about 2% of the area of Wales. It includes a large amount of open countryside and a central urban and suburban belt. In 1887, Swansea
5015-474: The foothills of the Black Mountain range. To the east is the coastal strip around Swansea Bay . Cutting through the middle from the south-east to the north-west is the urban and suburban zone stretching from the Swansea city centre to the towns of Gorseinon and Pontarddulais . The most populated areas of Swansea are Morriston , Sketty and the city centre . The chief urbanised area radiates from
5100-476: The former Head Post Office on Wind Street, Swansea Harbour Trust Office (now Morgans Hotel ), the Castle cinema and the Carlton Cinema on Oxford Street (now a Waterstone's bookshop) are rare survivors of the former streets and buildings. The bombing necessitated the complete rebuilding of the city centre, a task which fell upon the county borough of Swansea. Preliminary plans were drawn up in 1943,
5185-658: 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 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 Kingdom Hall are both located in
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#17327810451955270-426: The highest concentration of listed buildings in Swansea. During the Second World War, the pubs of Wind Street saw the visit of a young star-to-be. A group of American GIs stationed in Swansea entered the Adelphi pub. An Australian soldier also stationed in Swansea saw this and proceeded to taunt the young GI, who was drinking milk, that he was not strong enough to drink alcohol. Unfortunately for him he had picked on
5355-466: The invention of the reverbatory furnace in the late 1600s, copper smelting could use coal rather than the 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
5440-503: The largest night clubs in Swansea are still found here. Apart from the nightlife venues, The Kingsway has a number of banks, shops, fast food outlets and a branch of the YMCA . Swansea's former main Post Office was on this road too but moved to WH Smith inside the Quadrant Shopping Centre about 250 yards (230 m) away. In 2006, the Kingsway was re-engineered to become a one-way street for cars. The southern traffic lanes are now dedicated tw- way bus lanes developed in conjunction with
5525-429: 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 are now active. The port of Swansea initially traded in wine, hides, wool, cloth and later in coal. After
5610-546: The lower-grade ore could not support transportation to Swansea. The Swansea and Mumbles Railway 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 same 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. Through
5695-439: The middle of the square. It is fronted by the Quadrant Centre to the east; a clothes shop to the north; and offices and shops to the south. Parc Tawe is an area on the west bank of the River Tawe in the Lower Swansea valley . The area includes several "out-of-town" style stores and entertainment units. There are car parking spaces in this area, but at peak periods it is subject to traffic congestion. A highly visible building
5780-453: The mouth of the river. The area around Swansea has a unique archaeological history dating back to the Palaeolithic . Finds at Long Hole Cave on the Gower Peninsula have been interpreted as those 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 in 1823 and dated to 22,000 BC. The area also has many Bronze Age and Iron Age sites, such as
5865-424: The north; and Swansea Docks and the SA1 Swansea Waterfront development to the south. It continues through Crymlyn Burrows where it connects with the M4 Motorway at the Earlswood junction (M4 Junction 42). This is considered as the main gateway to the city centre from the east, because of the connection to the M4 and Neath Port Talbot . In January 2007, developers Hammerson and Urban Splash were chosen for
5950-681: The northern part of Swansea Docks , Wales . The area lies directly to the southeast of Swansea city centre . It is bordered by the Fabian Way to the north, and includes the Prince of Wales Dock. The development will be a commercial and residential mix. The forecast outputs are 2,900 new jobs, about 2,000+ new apartments and houses, 65,000 m (700,000 sq ft) of business/offices; 29,000 m (312,000 sq ft) of commercial leisure; 26,400 m (284,200 sq ft) of hotel development; 23,200 m (249,700 sq ft) of institutional facilities; 1,015 m (10,930 sq ft) of onshore marina facilities. As of June 2020, completed projects include: Projects under construction or in
6035-434: The now demolished Woolworth Building, the Elysium Cinema building, the New Castle Buildings and smaller stores to the northern end including the historic Bush Inn (demolished in 2013). The High Street has a large indoor arcade filled with small local businesses. Swansea Castle is to be found at the southern end of the street, and opposite the castle is Castle Square. Towards the northern end are Swansea railway station and
6120-469: The prominent Cefn Bryn . 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 woodland . Much of Swansea is hilly, with the main area of upland being located in the council ward of Mawr . Areas up to 185 metres (607 ft) in elevation range across the central section: Kilvey Hill , Townhill and Llwynmawr separate
6205-410: The retail core. Relatively low rents, generally less than £86 per m (£8 per sq. ft), underline the weakness of the city centre office market. However, an additional 65,000 m (700,000 sq ft) is planned at SA1 Swansea Waterfront , adjacent to the city centre, and rents of £140 per m (£13 per sq. ft) have been achieved here. The City Centre Strategic Framework notes that this demonstrates that
6290-525: The street has a number of solicitors and health centres. The road continues past the Guildhall and connects with Oystermouth Road. Oystermouth Road begins near the Leisure Centre and separates the shopping area of the city centre with the Maritime Quarter . It continues along the coast of Swansea Bay towards Mumbles . The north of the road has a number of bed and breakfast establishments near
6375-482: The two languages. The local English pronunciation has shifted from / ˈ w ɪ n d / Street (i.e. with a meaning matching the Welsh name) to / ˈ w aɪ n d / Street (which doesn't). Wind Street was once a haunt of the poet Dylan Thomas and location of the covered alleyway 'Salubrious Passage'. It became a backwater in the second half of the 20th century when the commercial centre of Swansea shifted. It boasts
6460-489: The west end and a single gothic 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 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
6545-736: The wider urban area. This is a low figure when compared to many other British cities, which often have around a quarter, a third or even more of their employment in the city centre. Retail, hotel and restaurant jobs are strongly represented in Swansea city centre, and there is a growing finance and business services sector, but much of the employment that would normally be found in a city centre has instead been located in outer areas of Swansea. The city centre currently features 89,650 m (965,000 sq ft) of comparison goods floorspace (clothing, furniture, electrical goods etc.) and 22,950 m (247,000 sq ft) of convenience goods floorspace (food and groceries). According to an analysis cited in
6630-403: The young Rocky Marciano who went on to become one of the world's greatest heavyweight boxers. Rocky floored him with one punch. Marciano himself confirmed this story. Following redevelopment at the beginning of the 21st century, the area is now known for its pubs, bars, clubs and restaurant. The street developed a reputation for drunkenness and bad behaviour, leading to the council introducing
6715-404: Was a township at the mouth of the river Tawe, covering 4,562 acres (1,846 hectares) in the county of Glamorgan . There were three major extensions to the boundaries of the borough: the first in 1835, when Morriston , St Thomas , Landore , St John-juxta-Swansea and part of Llansamlet parish were added; again in 1889, when areas around Cwmbwrla and Trewyddfa were included; and when the borough
6800-579: 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
6885-480: Was enlarged in 1918 to include the whole of the ancient parish of Swansea, the southern part of Llangyfelach parish, all of Llansamlet parish, Oystermouth Urban District and Brynau parish. In 1889, Swansea attained county borough status and it was granted 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 with
6970-446: Was more economical to ship the copper ore to Wales rather than sending 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 opened to meet demand from northeast Gower to Clyne and Llangyfelach . In the 1850s Swansea had more than 600 furnaces, and
7055-402: 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 . The Norwegian Church is a Grade II listed building in the docklands area of the city. The church building was originally located at Newport Docks . The building consists of a Seaman 's Mission to
7140-486: Was the key centre of the copper-smelting industry, earning the nickname Copperopolis . The Welsh name , Abertawe , translates as mouth/estuary of the Tawe and this name was likely 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 /ˈswɒnzi/ (Swans-ee, not Swan-sea),
7225-457: 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; 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
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