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Swansea Leasing

Did You Know?

Did you know Swansea was once tiny, and its castle huge? And were you aware the River Tawe didn't always flow in the same direction as it does now?. These and many other facts are included in a new history of the city that's taken a whopping 12 years to write.

Published by Dinefwr Press, and written by historian Gerald Gabb, Swansea and its History Volume II is the follow-up to the first volume he published in 2007, which included 500 pages on the area up to the year 1100.

Where the railway station, Swansea Museum, the Quadrant and Mount Pleasant Chapel are today would all be outside the town. And the population probably did not rise above 2,000 before 1760.The only building in Swansea was an open shelter on pillars, built in the 1640s. Otherwise, it was a higgledy-piggledy assortment of stalls in the streets around there.

Earliest records of Swansea trade in the 16th Century show Devon and Somerset ports were of prime significance, and the Rector of Coychurch in Bridgend wrote in 1696 that those in the south of the peninsula 'did pronounce their words something like the West of England.

Swansea's population rose from 6,000 to 17,000 in the first half of the nineteenth century. And in 1830 there were eighty named pubs in the town centre. There was also much imported illegally.
In 1795 it was estimated  5,000 kegs had been smuggled in along the coast of Gower over the previous six months.

The first coach service from Swansea to London seems to date from 1781, and by 1786 it left from the brand new Mackworth at the top of Green Dragon Lane.

Even in 1790, when food prices were high, the master of the Poor House in the castle aimed 'to supply the poor with butchers' meat three times in the week. Livestock farming probably took primacy over arable in the Swansea area between 1600 and 1800.

Swansea was once called Sweins ey, which roughly translates as Swein’s island. It is not certain who Swein was, but legend has it that he was a Norseman who built a fort in Swansea in 100AD and used it as a base to raid the rest of Wales.

In 1823 the first ever human fossil was discovered near Swansea in the Gower Peninsula. The Red Lady of Paviland (who is actually a man) dates back over 33,000 years and was dyed by the red ochre in the surrounding rocks.

Swansea, located on the stunning coastline of South Wales, is a city steeped in history and natural beauty. With its rich maritime heritage and vibrant cultural scene, Swansea has become a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. From its breathtaking beaches to its fascinating museums and stunning architecture.