What to See in Swansea - Top Sights and Attractions

Swansea War Memorial, also known as Swansea Cenotaph, is a war memorial on the promenade beside Mumbles Road, the A4067, near Brynmill to the southwest of Swansea city centre, overlooking Swansea Beach and Swansea Bay.

It was designed by the borough architect, Ernest Morgan, and closely resembles Edwin Lutyens' Cenotaph in London. The memorial cost £3,000, raised by public subscription: over £9,000 was donated, and £3,000 of the excess was directed to assist the children of the fallen. A foundation stone was laid by Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig on 1 July 1922. The competed memorial was unveiled by Admiral of the Fleet Sir Doveton Sturdee a year later, on 21 July 1923, with a dedication by the vicar of Swansea, Prebendary Cecil Wilson.

The memorial comprises a tall rectangular Portland stone pylon, about 2 m × 4 m (6 ft 7 in × 13 ft 1 in) in section and 9 m (30 ft) high, standing on three steps, topped by a stone chest (the symbolically empty tomb or "cenotaph"). The sides of the pylon bear bronze low reliefs: on both short sides are bronze wreaths and the dates "1914-1918" and "1939-1945"; the long side facing the sea bears a bronze anchor within a wreath; and the long side facing the land bears the coat of arms of the City of Swansea and the Latin inscription "Pro Deo Rege et Patria" ("For God, King and Country"). The foundation stone bears an inscription which records it was laid by Earl Haig in 1922 over a King's shilling placed by Mrs Fewings, representing war widows. A separate inscription records the unveiling in 1923.

The pylon is surrounded by an octagonal paved precinct with four entrances, once gated. Stone benches are built into the inside faces of precinct walls. The walls also carry bronze memorial plaques listing the names of over 2,200 of Swansea's war dead from the First World War, 400 from the Second World War, and several from later conflicts. The corners of the plaques are decorated with swastikas as symbols of good luck.

The memorial suffered shrapnel damage in the Second World War, and the damaged gates to the precinct were removed. It became a Grade II listed building in 1994.

A short distance along the promenade to the east is the memorial to Swansea Jack, and a memorial to the Second Boer War erected in 1904 opposite St. Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground. A separate memorial to the Merchant Navy was erected at SA1 Swansea Waterfront in 2005.^[2]

Stadium in Plasmarl, Wales. The Swansea.com Stadium is an all-seated sports stadium and conferencing venue located in the Landore area of Swansea, Wales. The stadium opened in 2005 and was named the Liberty Stadium. It had an opening capacity of 20,750, making it the largest purpose-built venue in Swansea; minor layout changes have since increased this to 21,088.

It is the home stadium of EFL Championship club Swansea City, who took full operational control of the stadium in 2018, and the Ospreys rugby team. As a result of Swansea City's promotion in 2011, the stadium became the first Premier League ground in Wales. It is the third largest stadium in Wales – after the Millennium Stadium and the Cardiff City Stadium. In European competitions, the stadium is known as Swansea Stadium due to advertising rules.^[5]

Sports venue in Brynmill, Wales. St Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground is a sports venue in Swansea, Wales, owned and operated by the City and County of Swansea Council. Used mainly for rugby union and cricket, it has been the home ground of Swansea RFC and Swansea Cricket Club since it opened in 1873.

In rugby union, St Helen's was the venue for the first ever home match of the Wales national team in 1882. It continued to be used regularly by Wales, often for the Five Nations Championship, until 1954, but has staged only one full international since, in 1997. More recently, the ground has been used by the Wales women's team.

Glamorgan County Cricket Club have regularly used St Helen's as an outground since 1921. The ground has staged two One Day Internationals: England against New Zealand in 1973, and a 1983 World Cup match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. St. Helen's was the location of Sir Garfield Sobers's six sixes in a single over in first-class cricket, the maximum possible runs in a single over, and the first time it had been done.

St Helen's has also staged international matches in two other sports. In rugby league, Wales played thirteen matches at the ground between 1945 and 1978, two of which were part of the 1975 World Cup tournament. A football international between Wales and Ireland took place at St Helen's in 1894.^[9]

Castle in Loughor, Wales. Loughor Castle is a ruined, medieval fortification located in the town of Loughor, Wales. The castle was built around 1106 by the Anglo-Norman lord Henry de Beaumont, during the Norman invasion of Wales. The site overlooked the River Loughor and controlled a strategic road and ford running across the Gower Peninsula. The castle was designed as an oval ringwork, probably topped by wicker fence defences, and reused the remains of the former Roman fort of Leucarum.

Over the next two centuries, the castle was involved in many conflicts. It was attacked and burnt, probably in the Welsh uprising of 1151, and was captured by the forces of Llywelyn the Great in 1215. John de Braose acquired the castle in 1220 and repaired it, constructing a stone curtain wall to replace the older defences. Attacked again in 1251, the castle was reinforced with a stone tower in the second half of the 13th century. It declined in importance during the late-medieval period, and by the 19th century, the castle was ruinous and overgrown with ivy.

In the 21st century, Loughor Castle is controlled by the Welsh heritage agency Cadw and operated as a tourist attraction. The ruined tower and fragments of the curtain wall still survive on top of the ringwork's earthwork defences, which now resemble a motte, or mound, and are part of the Loughor Castle Park.^[12]

Church in Wales. The Church of St Illtyd is Grade II* Listed Building in the city and county of Swansea in south Wales. It is 1 km from Oxwich village, on a site overlooking Oxwich Bay and reached by the Wales Coast Path. It has a square churchyard with a stone wall and a modern gate. The church was originally listed on 6 March 1964. The church was originally dedicated to Hylledd, and no reason is known as to why it was changed.

Illtud is venerated as the founder-abbot and teacher of the divinity school known as Cor Tewdws, located in Llanilltud Fawr (Llantwit Major) in the county of Glamorgan. He founded the monastery and college in the 6th century, and the school is believed to be Britain's earliest centre of learning. His feast day and commemoration is celebrated on 6 November. There are many churches throughout Wales and Brittany dedicated to St Illtyd.

A Celtic Church stood on this site before it was demolished and a wooden, Christian church was built in the first half of the 5th century. The first written reference to this church, however, only dates back to the 9th or 10th century. The round church yard is indicative of this early Celtic period.

The Church was rebuilt by the sheep farming Cistercian monks in the late 12th century, and most of what we can see today dates back to this period. In 1957 the church was closed due to opencast coal working in the vicinity.^[13]

Art gallery in Swansea, Wales. Mission Gallery is a contemporary visual and applied arts gallery based in Swansea.

The gallery hosts contemporary art, painting, installation, photography and craft. Formerly St Nicholas Church for seamen, Mission Gallery was designed by Benjamin Bucknall and built in 1886. The building became an art gallery in 1977, named Swansea Arts Workshop Gallery. An arts initiative, it was managed and run by a group of artists and volunteers as part of the Association of Artists and Designers in Wales, linked with Swansea Studios. Since the dissolution of the Association of Artists and Designers in Wales in 1992, Mission Gallery and Swansea Studios are now separate organisations, with Mission Gallery receiving grant funding from the Arts Council of Wales. In 2003 Mission Gallery became a revenue client of the Arts Council of Wales, resulting in its first full-time paid member of staff.

Mission Gallery is divided into three areas, an exhibition space, a shop and an education space.^[14]

Anglican church in Swansea, Wales. St Mary's Collegiate and Parish Church is an Anglican church in the centre of Swansea, Wales, UK. It is considered the Civic Church of Swansea.

There was a church on the site of St Mary's since circa 1328, erected by Henry de Gower, Bishop of Saint David's. One Sunday morning, in 1739, the roof of the nave collapsed into the church while the congregation was waiting to enter the building. The whole structure was re-built apart from the tower. 1822 saw the church being lit by gas for the first time with thirty six lamps. The church underwent complete renovation between 1879 and 1882 by Vicar Dr Morgan. In 1896, the church was flattened and rebuilt again under the designs of Arthur Blomfield by Dean Allan Smith, though some parts of the old church survived the re-development. In February 1941 the church was extensively damaged by Bombing during the Blitz. It was not rebuilt until the 1950s.

From the 1890s the Swansea Devil stood on a set of buildings facing the west side of the church, constructed by a disgruntled rival of Blomfield's, angry at the commissioning of Blomfield's designs over his own.^[15]

Lighthouse on Mumbles, Wales. Mumbles Lighthouse, completed in 1794, is a lighthouse located in Mumbles, near Swansea. The structure, which sits on the outer of two islands off Mumbles Head, is clearly visible from any point along the five mile sweep of Swansea Bay. Along with the nearby lifeboat station, it is the most photographed landmark in the village.

The tower has two tiers and initially two open coal fire lights were displayed. These open coal fire lights were difficult to maintain and were soon replaced by a single oil-powered light within a cast-iron lantern.

In 1860, the oil-powered light was upgraded to a dioptric light and the Mumbles Battery, a fort that surrounds the tower, was built by the War Department.

In 1905, an occulting mechanism, where the light was made to flash, was fitted. This was partially automated in 1934.

By 1977, the cast-iron lantern had deteriorated beyond repair and was removed. A different lantern was added in 1987.

In 1995, the main light was replaced and an array of solar panels and emergency monitoring equipment were added.^[20]

Tower in Swansea, Wales. The Marina Towers Observatory is located in the Maritime Quarter of Swansea, on the coast of southern Wales. It was previously home to Wales's largest optical astronomical telescope. The building was designed by Robin Campbell in 1989 and consists of two towers, it was built with part funding from a European Heritage Grant. From 1993 to Feb 2010 it was loaned to the Swansea Astronomical Society but it is now back in the hands of Swansea City Council.

The top of the tower has a stained glass feature designed by David Pearl. Observational facilities previously included a 20-inch Shafer-Maksutov telescope - the second largest of its kind in the world. But this has since been removed after Swansea Astronomical Society vacated the site.^[25]

Building in Swansea, Wales. The Castle Cinema is a former cinema building located adjacent to the grounds of Swansea Castle in Swansea, south Wales. According to Kinematograph year book of 1914 the Castle opened in October 1913.

It was the only building left standing in Swansea's Castle Street vicinity after the Nazi German Luftwaffe bombing raids during the Second World War. It is a grade II listed structure.

In 1963 the Castle Cinema changed its manager (Mr. Harry Williams who had previously managed The Plaza on Swanseas Kingsway. Mr Williams retired October 1981 age 79). The cinema was in a terrible state and he had the cinema totally refurbished. New wall coverings and screen tabs were installed along with a cinemascope screen. Two hundred seats were lost from the back of the stalls to create a foyer, this meant the small circle had no overhang. Double seats (kissing seats) formed the last few rows of the stalls.

During the 1970s the cinema was famous for showing soft core porn films. By the end of the 1970s Swansea had only two other cinemas (the ODEON on The Kingsway and a small independent operating in a chapel). In 1982 the lease of the Castle was acquired by Circle Cinemas of Cardiff who renamed it the FILMCENTA and installed new projection equipment and Dolby Stereo and started to exhibit Hollywood Blockbusters once again on a First Release basis. The cinema basically showed what had not been secured by the Rank Organisation for its Odeon Chain. This was known as the ABC release stream, E.T. Back to the Future, Basic Instinct, Raiders of the Lost Ark..... filled the house. Monty Pythons Life of Brian was banned by the city council.

Circa 1988 UCI opened a 10 screen multiplex in the town next door to the Filmcenta, this meant that it no longer showed a film exclusively and its audience chose to go to the multiplex with its modern facilities. The Filmcenta soldiered on for nearly two more years before eventually closing, its last film being "Doc Hollywood" with Michael J Fox.

The building was converted to use as a laser gun combat-game zone and assault course called the Lazerzone.^[29]

Mosque. Swansea Mosque is located in two former terraced commercial buildings on St. Helen's Road in Swansea, Wales. It has served the Muslim community in Swansea since the 1980s.

In order to cater for the needs of Swansea's growing Muslim community, a project is underway to redevelop a disused church building nearby on St. Helen's Road just yards away from the existing mosque. The new mosque building was founded in 1862 as St. Andrew's Church. Built in 1864 by Scottish immigrants working in the drapery trade, St. Andrew's was at that time Swansea's only Presbyterian Church.

Designed by John Dickson, the façade has decorative twin towers and is located on St. Helen's Road. St. Andrew's later became the property of the United Reformed Church before falling into dereliction. After fire damage in 1964, the rear hall was redesigned and rebuilt.

A Muslim charity (Kafel Fund UK) bought the building from a private owner in 1997. In 2004 following the merger of the charity with the mosque, the current restoration and renovation plans commenced.

The new mosque project attracted controversy in 2004 when the British National Party circulated a leaflet in opposition to it.^[32]