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 (1 available)
- 7 photos on Swansea appear in 2 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
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".
The Grand has recently undergone a complete refurbishment and modernization, so this photograph reveals a little of its former tarnished glory following its heyday in the 1930s.
An extract from from"Wales Living Memories".
The St Mary’s we see here was only a few years old, and is possibly the sixth church on the site. The 1898 version was completely destroyed in a wartime air raid, along with much of the town centre. This was in 1941 when most of Swansea – the ‘ugly lovely’ town of Dylan Thomas, was damaged beyond repair, including its historic ‘Old Town’. The new building was re-opened by the Queen Mother on 28 May 1959.
An extract from from"Wales Living Memories".