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The city of Swansea is located in South Wales, part of Great Britain. Some people (even English people) incorrectly consider Wales to be part of England. This is not the case as there are cultural differences between Wales and the rest of Britain, in particular the Welsh language which is still spoken by a significant minority of the Welsh population.
Swansea is a city of about 230,000 people. Included within its administrative boundaries are residential, commercial and industrial areas, together with varied coastlines and Britain’s first designated ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ – the Gower peninsula.
The city is linked to the rest of South Wales, London and Bristol by the M4 motorway. There is an hourly train service to London with a journey time of less than three hours. In addition there is a regular car and passenger ferry to Cork in Ireland.
There is evidence of prehistoric and Roman occupation of parts of the Swansea area, but it is thought that the Vikings were the first people to settle near the River Tawe, close to the present city centre. The Vikings also gave the city the origins of its name – Sweyn’s Ey.
The development of Swansea as a small market town and port really began in earnest with the arrival of the Normans, their early settlement being close to the 12th century castle.
The next period of rapid expansion occurred during the 18th century with the exploitation of coal reserves in and around the area and the export of coal through the port. Further industrial development occurred during the late 19th and early 20th century with the rise of copper and zinc smelting and the manufacture of tinplate.
The centre of Swansea was bombed during the second world war. This destruction, together with the major decline of heavy industry in the latter part of the 20th century has provided an opportunity for extensive redevelopment of many parts of the Swansea area.
Swansea first became a tourist destination during the 18th century when it was known as ‘Brighton of the West’. The city’s redeveloped Maritime Quarter recaptures a flavour of that era. With the expansion of the railway network during the 19th century, tourism grew rapidly. The fishing village of Mumbles, at the western end of Swansea Bay, became an important South Wales resort. This area is still popular with visitors today. Mumbles has a large number of pleasant pubs (the ‘Mumbles Mile’), a varied selection of restaurants and interesting shops. It is also a convenient base for visiting the unspoilt beaches of nearby Gower.
Museums
Swansea Museum is the oldest museum in Wales. It houses a diverse collection of artefacts relating to local history and natural history.
Swansea Maritime & Industrial Museum has been set up as part of the redevelopment of the Maritime Quarter and Swansea Marina. Its contents reflect the city’s industrial and maritime heritage. There are plans to develop the museum further to become the Maritime & Industrial Museum for the whole of Wales.
The Glynn Vivian Art Gallery has a varied permanent art collection and regularly hosts touring exhibitions. In addition it has an unsurpassed collection of Swansea and Nantgarw pottery and porcelain on display.
Dylan Thomas, author of ‘Under Milk Wood’ and ‘Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog’ was born in Swansea in 1914. The Dylan Thomas Centre, located in the refurbished 18th century Assembly Rooms in the Maritime Quarter, houses a permanent exhibition about the life and works of Dylan Thomas. Performances of the author’s works are held throughout the year and there is an annual Dylan Thomas Festival.
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