TheWelsh name,Abertawe, translates asmouth/estuary of theTawe 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 formAper Tyui.[8]
The nameSwansea, pronounced/ˈswɒnzi/ (Swans-ee, not Swan-sea), is derived from theOld Norse name of the originalViking trading post that was founded by KingSweyn Forkbeard (c. 960–1014).[9][10][11] 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.[12] However, the Norse termination-ey can mean "inlet", and the name may simply refer to the mouth of the river.[13]
The area that would become Swansea was known as theCantref Eginog in ancient times, located on the eastern edge of thecwmwd (commote) of Gwyr, the easternmost cantref ofYstrad Tywi. This area was noted for its valuable land and was highly contested by the early Welsh kingdoms. During theViking 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.
In the following years, Henry builtSwansea Castlec. 1106, and minted coins bearing the namesSwensi,Sweni andSvenshic. 1140.[17] Swansea was designated chief town of the lordship and received its firstborough charter sometime between 1158 and 1184 from William de Newburgh, 3rdEarl of Warwick.[18] This charter contains the earliest reference in English toSweynesse and gave it the status of aborough, granting the townsmen (calledburgesses) certain rights to develop the area. In 1215King John granted a second charter, in which the name appears asSweyneshe. A town seal which is believed to date from this period names the town asSweyse.[19][20] Another charter was granted in 1304.
Temple street, Swansea, showing the bank, theatre and post office (1865)Docks and railway bridge (1850)A romanticised depiction of early copper smelting works in the Lower Swansea Valleyc. 1800
From the early 1700s to the late 1800s, Swansea was the world's leadingcopper-smelting area.[21] 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.[18] After the invention of thereverbatory 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 was more economical to ship the copper ore to Wales rather than sending the coal to Cornwall.[22]
The first copper smelter at Swansea was established in 1717, followed by many more.[23] Once smelting was established, the smelters began receiving high-grade ore and ore concentrates from around the world. Morecoal mines opened to meet demand from northeast Gower to[clarification needed]Clyne andLlangyfelach. 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.[24]
Smelters also processed arsenic, zinc, tin, and other metals. Nearby factories producedtinplate 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.[25]
The city expanded rapidly in the 18th and 19th centuries, and was termed "Copperopolis".[18] 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 thanGlamorgan's county town,Cardiff, and was the second most populous town in Wales behindMerthyr 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.[18] 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.[26]
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.[24]TheSwansea and Mumbles Railway was built in 1804 to move limestone from the quarries of Mumbles and coal from theClyne 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 the 20th century, heavy industries in the town declined, leaving theLower 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 presentEnterprise Zone was the result and, of the many original docks, only those outside the city continue to work as docks; North Dock is nowParc Tawe and South Dock became theMarina.
High Street (1915)
In theSecond World War, Swansea's industrial importance made it a target of German bombing; much of the town centre was destroyed during theSwansea Blitz on the 19, 20 and 21 February 1941 (theThree Nights Blitz).[27])
Within the city centre are the ruins of thecastle, the Marina, theGlynn Vivian Art Gallery,Swansea Museum, theDylan Thomas Centre, theEnvironment Centre, and theMarket, which is the largest covered market in Wales.[31]It backs onto theQuadrant Shopping Centre, which opened in 1978, and the adjoiningSt 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.
TheCity and County of Swansea local authority area is bordered by unitary authorities ofCarmarthenshire to the north, andNeath Port Talbot 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 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.[32]
In 1887, Swansea was a township at the mouth of the river Tawe, covering 4,562 acres (1,846 hectares) in the county ofGlamorgan.[33] There were three major extensions to the boundaries of the borough: the first in 1835, whenMorriston,St Thomas,Landore, St John-juxta-Swansea and part ofLlansamlet parish were added; again in 1889, when areas aroundCwmbwrla and Trewyddfa were included; and when the borough 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.[34][35]
Swansea was once a staunch stronghold of theLabour Party which, until 2004, had overall control of the council for 24 years.[39] TheLiberal Democrats were the largest group in the administration that took control of Swansea Council in the 2004 local elections until the2012 council elections saw the council return to Labour control. For 2009/2010, theLord Mayor of Swansea was Councillor Alan Lloyd, and in 2010/2011 Richard Lewis was the Lord Mayor.[needs update] The Lord Mayor changes in May each year.
Swansea may be divided into four physical areas. The geology is complex, providing diverse scenery. TheGower Peninsula was the first area in the United Kingdom to be designated as anArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Apart from the southeast corner, the whole of the Gower Peninsula is within the AONB.[41] Swansea has numerous urban and country parklands.[42] The region has featured regularly in the Wales in Bloom awards.[43]
The geology of the Gower Peninsula ranges fromCarboniferous Limestone cliffs along its southern edge from Mumbles toWorm's Head and the salt-marshes and dune systems of theLoughor 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. TheSouth 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 bysandstoneheathridges including the prominentCefn 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 richdeciduouswoodland.[41]
Much of Swansea is hilly, with the main area of upland being located in the council ward ofMawr. Areas up to 185 metres (607 ft) in elevation range across the central section:Kilvey Hill,Townhill andLlwynmawr separate 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 andLlanmadoc Hill are up to 193 metres (633 ft) high. The highest point is locatedPenlle'r Castell at 374 metres (1,227 ft) on the northern border withCarmarthenshire.
Swansea has atemperateoceanic climate (Cfb). As part of a coastal region, it experiences a milderclimate than inland. Swansea is exposed to rain-bearing winds from theAtlantic, also cooling summer temperatures.
Climate data for Swansea/Mumbles Head (1991–2020 normals), extremes since 1973
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 during the second half of 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.[46] However, by the 2021 census, this population growth has reversed its trend very slightly with the population declining by 0.2%[47] Around 82% of the population were born in Wales and 13% born in England;[48] 13.4% wereWelsh speakers.[49]
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.[50]
The widerurban area, including most ofSwansea Bay, has a total population of 300,352, making it the third largest urban area in Wales and the27th largest urban area in the United Kingdom.[51] Over 218,000 individuals arewhite; 1,106 are ofmixed race; 2,215 areAsian – mainlyBangladeshi (1,015); 300 areblack; and 1,195 belong toother ethnic groups.[52]The Office for National Statistics 2010 mid-year population estimate for the City & County of Swansea is 232,500.[53]
In 2001, 158,457 people in the local authority area (71 per cent) stated their religion to beChristian, 44,286 (20 per cent)no religion, 16,800 (7.5 per cent) did not state a religion and 2,167 wereMuslim There are small communities of other religions, each making up a little under 1 per cent of the total population.[54] Since 2001, there has been a significant shift in religious affiliation. According to the 2021 census, the proportion of Christians has declined to 41 per cent, while nearly half of residents (47 per cent) report no religious affiliation.[55]
Swansea, like Wales in general, has seen manyNon-conformist religiousrevivals. In 1904,Evan Roberts, a miner fromLoughor (Llwchwr), just outside Swansea, was the leader of what has been called one of the world's greatestProtestant 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 theSwansea and Gower Methodist Circuit.
TheEbenezer 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 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.[57] The church has an organ byHarrison & Harrison.[58]
TheNorwegian Church is a Grade IIlisted building in thedocklands area of the city. The church building was originally located atNewport Docks. The building consists of aSeaman'sMission to the west end and a singlegothic church to the east end. It was originally built as a place of worshipfor Norwegian sailors when they visited the UK. It was relocated to Swansea in 1910 at a site directly opposite theSainsbury's supermarket on the River Tawe.
The city is home to 10% of the total WelshMuslim population;[59] Swansea's Muslim community is raising money toopen 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).[60]
Swansea is represented inBuddhism with the Dharmavajra Kadampa Buddhist Centre, Pulpung Changchub Dargyeling (Kagyu Tradition) and a branch of the international Dzogchen Community (Nyingma Tradition). Swansea Synagogue andJehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall are both located in theUplands area. Around 160 people in Swansea indicated they were Jewish in the 2011 census.[61]
The following table shows the religious identity of residents residing in Swansea according to the 2001, 2011 and the 2021 censuses:
TheM4 motorway, with junctions 44 to 47,bypasses Swansea, replacing theA48 as the main east–west route. Both the M4 and the A48 connect withNeath,Port Talbot andCardiff to the east andCarmarthen to the west. TheA483dual 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 atChester. TheA4067 connectingMumbles with the city centre and continuing up theSwansea Valley towardsBrecon is also a dual carriageway for much of its route through Swansea. Other notable local roads include theA484, which provides a link fromFforestfach west toLlanelli, and theA4118, the main route westwards from the city centre across Gower toPort Eynon.
Bus routes in the area are operated predominantly byFirst Cymru, with smaller operators such asAdventure Travel, South Wales Transport and DANSA also operate some routes in the city, most of which serveSwansea bus station.
Park and ride services are operated from car parks atLandore andFabian Way.[72] During busy periods of the year, additional services are operated from theBrynmill recreation ground.Subsidised services toFforestfach were cut in 2015 due to local authority financial constraints.[73]
Swansea Airport is a minor aerodrome situated in theGower providing recreational flights only. Further development of the airport is strongly resisted by the local communities and environmental groups.[74]
Cardiff Airport, 44 miles (71 km) to the east in theVale of Glamorgan, provides scheduled domestic and international flights. It is approximately 40 minutes away by road or 70 minutes by rail.
Pembrey Airport, 17 miles (27 km) to the west, is available for private flights.
Swansea Marina to the south of the city centre has berths for 410 leisure boats.[75] An addition 200 berths for leisure boats are located near the mouth of the River Tawe.[76] Further leisure boating berths are being constructed at the Prince of Wales Dock in theSwansea Docks 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.[77] Swansea Docks consists of three floating docks and a ferry terminal.
Fastnet Line operated aSwansea Cork Ferryroll-on/roll-off service until November 2011, when the service was ended.[78] A proposal for a catamaran-based passenger ferry service fromIlfracombe to Swansea, scheduled 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.[79]
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 NCN route 4 cycleway. The leaf-shaped bridge was shortlisted for the 2008British Constructional Steelwork Association Structural Steel Design Awards.[83]
TheGrand 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 singerAdelina Patti 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. TheTaliesin 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 nearGorseinon. In the summer, outdoor Shakespeare performances are a regular feature atOystermouth Castle;Singleton Park is the venue for a number of parties and concerts, from dance music to outdoorProms. A folk festival is held on Gower.[84] Standing near Victoria Park on the coast road is thePatti Pavilion; 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. TheBrangwyn Hall is a multi-use venue, with events such as the graduation ceremonies forSwansea University. 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.[85]
Swansea is home to thePalace 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 thePavilion. 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' featuringEd Sheeran,Taylor Swift,Sam Smith,Florence + The Machine 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.[86]
Red fountain water during the celebration of St David's Day
Swansea hosted theNational Eisteddfod in 1863, 1891, 1907, 1926, 1964, 1982 and 2006. The 2006 event occupied the site of the formerFelindre tinplate works to the north of the city and featured a strikingly pink main tent. In 2009 Swansea Council launched Wales's only week longSt David's Week festival in venues throughout the city.The Beginning andDo 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 ofBeaujolais 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.[87] HistorianPeter Stead argues that its rise in popularity there can be traced to the city'sNo Sign Bar' , owned in the 1960s by formerWales rugby union captainClem Thomas, 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.[88]
There are manyWelsh language 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 wardMawr are able to speakWelsh, as can 38% of the ward ofPontarddulais.Clydach,Kingsbridge andUpper Loughor all have levels of more than 20%. By contrast, the urbanSt. Thomas has one of the lowest figures in Wales, at 6.4%, a figure only barely lower thanPenderry andTownhill wards.[89]
The city has threeGrade One listed buildings:Swansea Castle, theTabernacle Chapel, Morriston and theSwansea Guildhall.[91] 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.[92] 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".[93] The Guildhall is one of the main office buildings in the centre of the city and was designed byPercy Thomas and opened in 1934. It is faced in whitePortland stone and includes a tall clock-tower which makes it a landmark. The building comprises the City Hall, theBrangwyn Hall concert venue and the County Law Courts. It is considered "the most important building in Wales of its period".[94]
Wind Street
In addition to these, there are a number of Grade II* listed buildings; Ebenezer Baptist Chapel and its Hall in Ebenezer Street; theGlynn Vivian Art Gallery; 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, nowSwansea Museum in Victoria Road; and the Old Guildhall in Somerset Place.[95]
The Swansea.com Stadium, formerly known as the Liberty Stadium
Swansea City A.F.C. was founded in 1912 and is the city's main football association team. Originally playing at theVetch Field, they moved to theSwansea.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 theEnglish Championship, after spending seven seasons in the EnglishPremier League. The Football Association of Wales had decided that for the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, Wales would play all of their home ties at either theCardiff City Stadium or the Liberty Stadium.
Swansea is home to Swansea Rugby Football Club (Swansea RFC), a founder member of theWelsh Rugby Union and one of the most important teams in the early history of Welshrugby union. Playing out ofSt Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground the club not only produced several of the greatest Welsh rugby superstars, includingBilly Bancroft andBilly Trew, they also hosted national touring sides from Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. Known as theAll 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 theAll Blacks.
In 2003, Swansea RFC merged withNeath RFC to form theOspreys. 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 theCeltic League 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.
Swansea'srugby league side plays 13 miles (21 kilometres) from Swansea in the small town ofYstalyfera. They are known as theSwansea Valley Miners, but were formed as theSwansea Bulls in 2002.
TheSwansea 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.
Swansea city centre is undergoing a £1 billion transformation scheme.[99] A large area of the city is earmarked for redevelopment. A new city-centre retail precinct is planned involving demolition of the dilapidatedSt. David's Shopping Centre which has three or four traders, about 13% of the retail space in the centre and theQuadrant Shopping Centre. Including relocation of theTesco Superstore near to the city'sSainsbury's store inParc Tawe, 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.[100]
At the sea front,The Tower, Meridian Quay is now Wales's tallest building at a height of 107 metres (351 ft) with a restaurant on the top (29th) floor. It was under construction adjacentSwansea Marina until 2010.[101]
The Technium centre, one of the first of the new buildings built as part of the SA1 development scheme at Swansea DocksPart of the Swansea Waterfront developments
Swansea originally developed as centre formetals 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 theLower Swansea valley.[102] However, by the end of theSecond World War 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.[103]
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) inpublic administration, education & health andbanking, finance & insurance,[104] 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.[104]
Economic activity and employment rates in Swansea were slightly above the Welsh average in October 2008, but lower than the UK average.[104] In 2005,GVA per head in Swansea was £14,302 – nearly 4% above the Welsh average but 20% below the UK average.[104] Median full-time earnings in Swansea were £21,577 in 2007, almost identical to the Welsh average.[104]
Swansea University has a campus inSingleton Park overlooking Swansea Bay. Its engineering department is recognised as a centre of excellence with pioneering work on computational techniques for solving engineering design problems.[105] 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 and German have been awarded "excellent" inspection ratings. In 2015,Swansea University opened a new Bay Campus situated in the Jersey Marine area of Swansea. The university was awardedThe Times Higher Education Supplement Award for the UK's "best student experience" in 2005.[106] In 2017,Swansea University Medical School was ranked as the third best medical school in the United Kingdom, behind Oxford and Cambridge universities.[107]
Other establishments for further and higher education in the city includeUniversity of Wales Trinity Saint David,Gower College Swansea 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.[citation needed] Trinity Saint David also took over theSwansea Business School, 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 changed its name to Swansea College in 2021.
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 areWelsh-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. In addition, there are six special schools.[108]
The local newspaper is the Swansea edition of theSouth Wales Evening Post. TheSwansea 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.[110] The Cardiff edition of the free daily paperMetro 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.
Since 1924, theBBC has maintained a studio in the city;[18]Dylan Thomas worked here in the interwar years, when the studio was used for theBBC Regional Programme.[112] Currently it has facilities to broadcast live radio and television and is listed as a BBC regional studio.[113]
In mid-2008, the BBC included Swansea in itsBig Screen project and a large live permanent television screen has been sited in Castle Square.[114]
Independent filmmakersUndercurrents and Studio8 are based in Swansea, and the city plays host to the BeyondTV Film Festival. Swansea has also hosted the annual Swansea Bay Film Festival, where past-winning directors have included Gareth Evans, Anthony James, Alun D Pughe andAndrew Jones.[citation needed]
Swansea was the first city in Wales to feature in its own version of the board gameMonopoly. The Swansea edition of Monopoly features 33 local landmarks, including theMumbles Pier and theNational Waterfront Museum; the game has been produced in both English and Welsh.[117]
Swansea was also featured in a television documentary, titledSwansea Love Story, as part of the Rule Britannia series onVBS.tv. 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.[118]
Swansea was featured in severalYes Minister 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 gameAssassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. This is becauseMatt Ryan, the voice actor of Edward, is from Swansea.[119]
There was a high rate of car crime during the 1990s. In 2002, the BBC described Swansea as a "black spot for car crime".[121] Car crime is a central theme in the filmTwin Town, 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,[122] so much so that it is described in the media as "tribal".
A number of beaches around Swansea Bay are promoted to visitors.[123] Surfing is possible atLangland Bay,Caswell Bay andLlangennith, with the latter winning accolades from two national newspapers for the quality of its waves.[124] The five-mile (eight-kilometre) promenade from the Marina to Mumbles offers views across Swansea Bay.[125] The seaside village ofMumbles has aVictorianpier, small independent shops and boutiques, restaurants and cafes.[126] 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 toRhossili.[127]
The National Waterfront Museum
On the waterfront, Swansea Bay has a five-mile (eight-kilometre) sweep of coastline[128] which features a beach, promenade, children's lido, leisure pool, marina and maritime quarter featuring the museums theNational Waterfront Museum andSwansea Museum, the oldest museum in Wales.[129] Also situated in the maritime quarter is theDylan Thomas Centre, which celebrates the life and work of the author with its permanent exhibition 'Dylan Thomas – Man and Myth',[130] andMission Gallery, a uniqueart gallery 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.[131] The Dylan Thomas Centre is the focal point for the annual Dylan Thomas Festival (27 October – 9 November). There is a permanent exhibition at theDylan 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. TheSA1 Waterfront area is the latest development for living, dining and leisure.[132]
Sunset over Swansea Bay
Swansea Bay, Mumbles and Gower are home to various parks and gardens and almost 20 nature reserves.[133]Clyne Gardens is home to a collection of plants set in parkland and host to 'Clyne in Bloom' in May.Singleton Park has acres of parkland, a botanical garden, a boating lake with pedal boats, and crazy golf.Plantasia 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 includeCwmdonkin Park, where Dylan Thomas played as a child, andVictoria Park which is close to the promenade on the seafront.[134]
Oxwich Bay on theGower Peninsula was named the most beautiful beach in the United Kingdom 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".[135] It has over three miles (5 km) of sand andThe Guardian named it one of Britain's blue-riband top 10 category beaches (2007).[136]The Independent newspaper hailedRhossili Bay as "the British supermodel of beaches" (2006) and the best beach in Britain for breathtaking cliffs (2007),[137] whilstThe Sunday Times listed it as one of the 25 best beaches in the world (2006).[138] 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 (Country Living magazine 2005)[138] and one of the top romantic spots in the country (The Guardian 2007).[139]
Llangennith Beach, with its soft sands, consistent beach break and great facilities, was listed as the best place to learn how to surf in Britain byThe Observer (2006)[140] and one of the 10 'classic surfing beaches byThe Guardian (2007).[141] Gower also claims Britain's Best Beach,Three Cliffs Bay. The Gower landmark topped the BBC Holiday Hit Squad nationwide competition (2006)[142] and was voted Britain's best camping beach byThe Independent thanks to its superb setting and quiet location (2007).[143]Three Cliffs Bay also made the final of theITV seriesBritain's Favourite View – the only nomination in Wales and backed by singerKatherine Jenkins.[144] NearbyBrandy Cove came sixth in an online poll to find the UK's top beach for the baby boomer generation (2006).[145] Beaches which won 2006Blue Flag Beach Awards are:Bracelet Bay,Caswell Bay,Langland Bay,Port Eynon Bay and Swansea Marina (one of the few Blue Flag Marinas in Wales). All of these beaches also won aSeaside Award 2006.Limeslade was awarded the Rural Seaside Award and theGreen Coast Award. Other Green Coast Awards went to Pwll Du,Rhossili Bay andTor Bay.
Prior to closure in 2003,Swansea Leisure Centre was one of the top ten visitor attractions in the Wales; it has been redeveloped as an indoor waterpark, rebranded theLC,[152] and was officially opened by QueenElizabeth II on 7 March 2008.[153] TheWales National Pool is in Swansea.[154]
Swansea has a number of pubs, bars, clubs, restaurants and a casino.[155] Swansea had two casinos until 30 August 2012 when Aspers closed. The majority of city centre bars are situated onWind Street. Some venues feature live music.[156] TheMumbles Mile, described by the BBC as "one of Wales's best-knownpub crawls", declined in the early 21st century and a number of local pubs were converted into flats or restaurants.[157]
The poetDylan 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. He produced two-thirds of his published work from his tiny bedroom, which has been faithfully recreated as it may have been in 1934; it is open for house tours, events, Edwardian dinner parties and overnight stays. There is a memorial to him in the nearbyCwmdonkin 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 asThe Kardomah Gang, which met in theKardomah Café which was in Castle Street, Swansea until bombed during the Second World War.[163]
Catherine Zeta-Jones was born and raised in Swansea and still owns a home in Mumbles.
Swansea is the home town ofNon Stanford, the 2013 ITU Triathlon World Champion.
The thriller writer,Mark Ellis, was educated in Swansea.
The American-born philosopher of Welsh descentRush Rhees taught at Swansea University from 1940 to 1966 and is buried atOystermouth Cemetery inMumbles.
ActorMatt Ryan (Assassin's CreedBlack Flag/Constantine) is from Swansea. When Ubisoft was castingEdward Kenway for Assassin's Creed Black Flag, he was originally written to be from London. Matt auditioned with a London accent and got the part. When he went to record, they asked him where he was from and liked his actual accent so much they rewrote Edward Kenway to be from Swansea as well.
People from Swansea are known locally as "Swansea Jacks", or just "Jacks"; the source of this nickname is not clear. Some attribute it toSwansea Jack, the life-saving dog.[164][165]
^"A hoard of coins found atRhiwbina in the north ofCardiff in 1980 contained ... minted at Swanseac. 1140 and bore abbreviated forms of the name: SWENSI, SWENS, SVEN, SWENI, SVENSHI." Quoted fromPlace-names in Glamorgan, Gwynedd O. Pierce, 2002.ISBN1-898937-57-5; pg. 182
^abcdeThe Welsh Academy Encyclopedia of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press 2008.
^Church in Wales church viewed across Oystermouth Road. The foundation stone was laid on 28 June 1871. Because of the shape of the restricted site, the church is unusual in having its altar on the north side, instead of the customary east side. The original bell turret was dismantled long ago because its weight made the walls bulge. The single bell seen here was erected in 1932. It is rung before every main service to call people to worship.
^"10 Romantic Settings".The Guardian. London. 14 July 2007.Archived from the original on 5 October 2014. Retrieved27 June 2008.
^Taylor, Demi; Nelson, Chris (13 August 2006)."Learning to surf".The Observer. London.Archived from the original on 25 September 2014. Retrieved27 June 2008.
^Alderson, Alf (11 October 2007)."Top 10 UK surf spots".The Guardian. London.Archived from the original on 27 August 2013. Retrieved27 June 2008.
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