Swansea
Swansea maps (2 available)
Map of West Glamorgan
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
See this old map of West Glamorgan
Personalised maps
Create an historic map centred directly on any postcode!
Swansea books (2 available)
- 46 photos on Swansea appear in 5 Frith books - View photos of Swansea
- Read extracts and see photos from these books on Swansea and West Glamorgan
Swansea memories
Read and share memories of Swansea and West Glamorgan inspired by Frith photos
Swansea Deaf and Dumb School
I was born and bred in the Mount Pleasant area of Swansea, in which the D&D Institute was based. My schooling was Terrace Road infants & juniors. Lots of football in the street, Cwmdonkin Park and playing in and around the quarry off the Promenade, that overlooked the Institute. The quarry was wild, with steep drops and the cause of many mishaps. A lad of my age was the son of the caretaker at the Institute and a group of us kids frequently used to wander the corridors of the school, which was a dark, auspicious and sprawling affair, very much reminiscent of the Victorian building I subsequently learned it to be. Dropping out of the back of the Institute's grounds, ...read more here
Contributed by Niall O'Brien
One of my trips from London to the Mumbles to Auntie Connie's house
This looks exactly like the picture I took to prove to Mom I had been on my way to Auntie Connies' house. I took the train from Doncaster in England to Swansea - one of the train ticketers' kept bothering me, so I snuck past him when he got to Swansea and ran over to the Grand to book a room for the night.
I made my way to go to Auntiie Connie's in the morning, or so I thought. I was going to take the bus - everybody I asked knew who my Auntie Connie Thorpe was. So, they probably knew the young girl she raised, who would be my Mom, Robina. Anyway, being only 17, I got scared ...read more here
Contributed by Susie Somerville-Franz
West Glamorgan memories
Swansea Deaf and Dumb School
I was born and bred in the Mount Pleasant area of Swansea, in which the D&D Institute was based. My schooling was Terrace Road infants & juniors. Lots of football in the street, Cwmdonkin Park and playing in and around the quarry off the Promenade, that overlooked the Institute. The quarry was wild, with steep drops and the cause of many mishaps. A lad of my age was the son of the caretaker at the Institute and a group of us kids frequently used to wander the corridors of the school, which was a dark, auspicious and sprawling affair, very much reminiscent of the Victorian building I subsequently learned it to be. Dropping out of the back of the Institute's grounds, ...read more here
A memory of Swansea contributed by Niall O'Brien
One of my trips from London to the Mumbles to Auntie Connie's house
This looks exactly like the picture I took to prove to Mom I had been on my way to Auntie Connies' house. I took the train from Doncaster in England to Swansea - one of the train ticketers' kept bothering me, so I snuck past him when he got to Swansea and ran over to the Grand to book a room for the night.
I made my way to go to Auntiie Connie's in the morning, or so I thought. I was going to take the bus - everybody I asked knew who my Auntie Connie Thorpe was. So, they probably knew the young girl she raised, who would be my Mom, Robina. Anyway, being only 17, I got scared ...read more here
A memory of Swansea contributed by Susie Somerville-Franz
Extracts From Swansea & West Glamorgan books
This view looks out into the hills, which play such a part
in defining Swansea. Notice the factory chimneys and their
puff-ball smoky emissions. Sailing ships on the River Tawe
and the long lines of terraced workers’ cottages tell the tale of
Swansea in its heyday as a major industrial town.
An extract from from"Swansea Pocket Album".
Swansea's maritime tradition has always been vital to the town, and the various port extensions drove its economic development. Here we see the open-top trams of the High Street to Morriston and Cwmbwrla service. Horse-drawn until the turn of the century, the trams provided much manure for Swansea gardeners.
An extract from from"Welsh Address Book".
After morning service many church and chapel-goers would stroll along
this tree-lined avenue. The Memorial Baptist Chapel is on the left; it is
now completely rebuilt, very modern and very spire-less. In the distance
we can see the spire of the Congregational Church. Notice the horse-
drawn trap and the pedestrians in the road—the modern visitor would
risk life and limb to do the same.
An extract from from"Swansea Pocket Album".
What remains of the Castle buildings
is now overshadowed by a glass, steel
and concrete edifice to its rear. Built by
the unpopular Norman Lord Henry
de Beaufort in 1106, the Castle was
his defence against the ‘troublesome
Welsh’. It did not, however, stop
them from burning it to the ground in
1215 and 1217.
An extract from from"Swansea Pocket Album".
The present building is the fifth church of this name to occupy
the site. The nave collapsed in 1739, and was re-built on a much
grander scale. It was re-built once more in 1895 on a still grander
scale again.
An extract from from"Swansea Pocket Album".