A Part of Swansea's History

To start my site-specific project, we were asked to select a location of intereted within the Swansea area, but first before selecting an area I thought that It would be best to do some research into the history of the town.

 

Swansea or (Welsh: Abertawe) –In the 18th century, was local dignitaries attempted to establish it as a tourist resort. The town achieved great important with the Industrial Revolution. Between 1801 and 1851 Swansea's population rose from 6,000 to 17,000. The Industry grew throughout the 19th century, which drastically changed the shape of the town and the surrounding area. In the 20th century the industry declined but the town continued to grow, by 1969 Swansea officially gained a city status.

 

Image above is a found photo taken from the internet of the center of Swansea in the 1800s the photogarpher is unknown.

 

Hopefully my research is correct and the image was taking back in the 1940s. Today this ares have changed drastically. An of couse after almost 70 years or so you would expect it to.

 

The port and industrialisation

 

The South Wales Coalfield reaches the coast in this region, the coal was being exported by 1550, along with large quantities of limestone, which was quarried in the Mumbles area and the Gower. Swansea was already a significant port, and although it was small (perhaps 1000 people in 1560), it had one of the earliest town charters granted in Wales and a constant influx of migrants from the Welsh countryside. This influx of migrants pushed a protest from Swansea in 1603.

 

Image above is a found photo taken from the internet the photogarpher is unknown.

The population at this time was concentrated around the castle and river. Despite small-scale coal mining, the bulk of the area beyond the town was still largely farmland. Swansea Bay was considered an attractive region and in the 18th century some local notables wanted to direct future development into promoting it as a resort. Their plans came to an end by the rapid development in industry within the area.

As the Industrial Revolution took off, a series of works were built along the Tawe river from 1720 onwards and a series of mines were opened. Initially, the smelting works concentrated on copper. Coal was brought down to them by waggonways and tramways; copper ore was brought on ships which could sail right up to the works; and the resulting copper was exported out again. Swansea had become "Copperopolis", and the lower Tawe valley became a mass of industry.

 

Mumbles Railway

 

Image above is a found photo taken from the internet the photogarpher is unknown.

One of the most well-known pieces of Swansea's history began life at the Mumbles Railway. This started in the first decade of the 19th century as an industrial tramway, a horse pulling a cart along tramplates. It had a specific branch line into Clyne valley where Sir John Morris, one of the railway's owners, who also owned coal mines. Despite some early journeys made by tourists, it was not until the 1860s that the railway began to carry passengers regularly, by which time it had acquired rails instead of tram plates.

Originally travel between Swansea and other towns or had involved paying tolls. Now, travel around the town itself required a toll. This was naturally an unpopular development, and in 1843, Swansea inhabitants made their own contribution to the Rebecca Riots, burning the Ty Coch gate in St Thomas. In that same year, workers from all the copper works in Swansea went on strike after their wages were cut. They returned to work five weeks later, having failed to restore their wages. The strike must have been born of desperation. It was known that John Henry Vivian, one of the owners of the copperworks, was no supporter of workers' rights.

The workers were crammed along the banks of the Tawe and lived in poor conditions. The prevailing wind carried the smoke from the copper works to the east, towards St Thomas and Kilvey. A contemporary report written by a doctor describing Swansea Valley speaks of a nightmare landscape, "literally burnt" where few plants would grow, dotted with lifeless pools, slag heaps, mounds of scoriae and smoke from the works everywhere. George Borrow, later to write and publish his Wild Wales, visited the town in the same year, describing it slightly less emphatically as "a large, bustling, dirty, gloomy place". He was not convinced that Swansea people were in fact Welsh.

The contrast between the living conditions of workers and their employers the mineoweners and Ironmasters was stark, although entertainment interests sometimes overlapped: both workers and employers flocked to the Swansea horse races, for example, held at Crymlyn Burrows. In addition to the racing, this was also the scene of boxing, gambling, cock-fighting, shows and drinking—apparently the temperance movement had not yet taken hold.

Swansea also became a focus for literary and cultural life in south Wales. In 1835 a philosophical and literary society was established, which became the Royal Institution of South Wales in 1841, based in the first purpose-built museum building in Wales. Swansea hosted the annual meetings of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1848 and 1880.

Slums

In order for boats to dock without running aground at low tide and to remain afloat, the "Float" was constructed, the Tawe was diverted and a new docks with locks were created. Work began in 1852, and the result was New Dock in 1859. Further changes to the docks were proposed, but authorities realised the potential grave effect on

Image above is a found photo taken from the internet the photogarpher is unknown.

Public health, particular in the riverside St Thomas area. The Drinking water came from springs locally but clean water sources were increasingly rare. Cholera broke out in 1832; and again in 1849.

There was no sewerage system in Swansea until 1857 and the water supply in areas above the reservoir level was "in many cases of a questionable character" (contemporary report quoted by Dean). The Lliw reservoir of 1863 helped provide clean water, but drainage of dirty water was still a problem.

Sewage and pollution were also part of the cause of the decline of the oyster trade centred on Mumbles, also known as Oystermouth. Kilvert's diary described a thriving and ancient industry in 1872; within five years, it had almost completely collapsed.