Visit Swansea Places

Welcome to Visit Swansea Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Swansea

  

Swansea Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Swansea

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Swansea history

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Ancient history

The area around Swansea has a unique archaeological history dating back to the Palaeolithic . Finds at Long Hole Cave on the Gower Peninsula have been interpreted as that of the first modern humans in Britain . The area also has many Bronze Age and Iron Age sites, such as the burial mound at Cillibion .

Medieval Swansea

The area that would become Swansea is located on the eastern edge of the cwmwd of Gwyr, in the Cantref Eginawc, the easternmost Cantref of Ystrad Tywi . During the Viking 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 . When the Normans took control of the settlement, they built Swansea Castle and minted coins bearing the names Swensi, Sweni and Svenshi .

Industrial Revolution

From the early 1700s to the late 1800s, Swansea was the world’s leading copper-smelting area . Numerous smelters along the River Tawe received copper and other metal ores shipped from Cornwall and Devon, as well as North and South America, Africa, and Australia . The port of Swansea initially traded in wine, hides, wool, cloth and later in coal .

20th century

In the Second World War, Swansea’s industrial importance made it a target of German bombing . Much of the town centre was destroyed during the Swansea Blitz on the 19, 20 and 21 February 1941 . In 1969 Swansea was granted city status to mark Prince Charles’s investiture as Prince of Wales .

Swansea culture & places

The Royal Institution of South Wales was founded in 1835 as the Swansea Literary and Philosophical Society. The society was founded as a result of a merger between Swansea and South Wales.

Performing arts

The Grand Theatre in the centre of the city is a Victorian theatre which celebrated its centenary in 1997 . Other theatres include the Dylan Thomas Theatre (formerly the Little Theatre) near the marina and one in Penyrheol Leisure Centre near Gorseinon . The Brangwyn Hall is a multi-use venue with events such as the graduation ceremonies for Swansea University .

Festivals

Swansea hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1863, 1891, 1907, 1926, 1964, 1982 and 2006 . The Beginning and Do Not Go Gentle are Festivals in the Uplands area of the city where Dylan Thomas was born and lived for 23 years .

Welsh language

Just over 1,600 secondary pupils were educated through the medium of Welsh in 2017 . 35% of parents across Swansea would select a Welsh education for their children if there was a local Welsh school available to them .

Food

Local produce includes cockles and laverbread sourced from the Loughor estuary . Salt marsh lamb, raised in the salt marshes of the estuary, is also a local speciality .

Listed buildings

The city has three Grade One listed buildings: Swansea Castle, the Tabernacle Chapel, Morriston and the Swansea Guildhall . In addition to these there are a number of Grade II* listed buildings; Ebenezer Baptist Chapel, the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery and the Midland Bank .

Swansea geography / climate

The most populated areas of Swansea are Morriston, Sketty and the city centre. The Gower Peninsula was the first area in the UK to be designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Apart from the southeast corner, the whole of the Gower peninsula is within the AONB.

Climate

Swansea has a temperate oceanic climate . As part of a coastal region, it experiences a milder climate than inland . Swansea is exposed to rain-bearing winds from the Atlantic .

You can visit Swansea places with Walkfo Swansea to hear history at Swansea’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Swansea has 105 places to visit in our interactive Swansea map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Swansea, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Swansea places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Swansea & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 105 audio facts unique to Swansea places in an interactive Swansea map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Swansea Places Map
105 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Swansea historic spots	Swansea tourist destinations	Swansea plaques	Swansea geographic features
Walkfo Swansea tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Swansea

  

Best Swansea places to visit

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Swansea has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Swansea’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Swansea’s information audio spots:

Swansea University F.C. Swansea University F.C. currently plays in the Cymru South. They play at Sketty Lane, Swansea. Swansea University currently play in the Welsh Premier League.

Sketty Hall Sketty Hall is a venue used for hosting social functions, business functions and conferences. The original building was built in the early 18th century as a private house.

Swansea University Students’ Union Swansea University Students’ Union (Welsh: Undeb Myfyrwyr Prifysgol Abertawe) is the students’ union for Swansea University. The Union aims to promote the interests of students at the University.

Clyne River The Clyne River (Welsh: Afon Clun) is a river in Swansea, south Wales. It has a total length of 6.5 miles (10.5 km) and flows through the Clyne Valley Country Park.

Singleton Abbey Singleton Abbey (Welsh: Abaty Singleton) is a large, mainly 19th-century mansion in Swansea, Wales. The nucleus of the house is a neo-classical villa, octagonal in plan, erected in 1784 under the name of Marino by Edward King, a customs official. In 1817 this was bought by industrialist John Henry Vivian, who added rectangular one-bay extensions to either side.

St. Helen’s Rugby and Cricket Ground St Helen’s Rugby and Cricket Ground is a sports venue in Swansea, Wales. It has been the home ground of Swansea RFC and Swansea Cricket Club since it opened in 1873. In rugby union, it was the venue for the first ever home match of the Wales national team in 1882. The ground has also staged international matches in rugby league and rugby union.

Uplands (electoral ward) Uplands is name of an electoral ward (and a suburb) in Swansea, Wales. It is in the parliamentary constituency of Swansea West. The ward is bounded by the Sketty ward to the west, Townhill to the north, Castle to the east and the sea (Swansea Bay) to the south.

Mansion House, Swansea Mansion House is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of Swansea. Located in the Ffynone area of Swansea, it is used for a variety of public and private functions.

Cwmbwrla Cwmbwrla (English: Bwrla valley) is a residential area and community of Swansea in Wales. Located on rising ground about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the city centre, it takes its name from the valley of the Burlais Brook (now culverted) The neighbouring districts are Manselton, Greenhill, Mayhill, Townhill, and Cwmdu.

Libanus Chapel, Swansea Libanus Chapel was a grade II listed building in Cwmbwrla, Swansea. The original building was built in 1867 to replace an earlier chapel dating from the mid-18th century. After a decline in membership, the chapel shut in 2000.

Visit Swansea plaques