A Forgotten History

“A lovely ugly town” was the chosen words from the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas who is one of Swansea’s most famous children, he grew up in this vibrant city during the beginning of the 20th century when industry was at its highest point, still today I believe Swansea is exactly that, it certainly isn’t one of the most attractive modern cities in the world but its defiantly not the worst, I do believe Swansea does have a promising future with plans for development connecting the city centre with its pictureistique coastline and bringing in investment from major companies; the reason why the local council are spending so much on redeveloping Swansea is because of its troubled past, between the dates of the 19th to the 21st of February 1941 most of Swansea was almost obliterated and flattened by the falling bombs of the Luftwafe causing Swansea centre and its residential areas to be engulfed by flames late into the night, the whole town had disappeared amongst the rubble and smoke with hardly any buildings standing, Swansea was literally wiped off the map.

Swansea once had exquisite architectural buildings which would of looked like the cities of Bath and Oxford in England today but because of those dark nights during the war Swansea had nothing, the local council and government needed to rebuild Swansea as cheaply and as fast as possible, the country was deep in dept after a second world war within the same century which meant the buildings in the new Swansea were going to be tacky and unattractive, but the city grew just like a phoenix from the ashes but this time an ugly phoenix, so today more attractive modern buildings are coming to this small South Wales city and as time carries on, the town that once was is nearly forgotten as well as its fascinating tales of history.

This blog isn’t really about my personal experience but more of a guided trail through some of Swansea’s past, I will not only show the hidden gems of Swansea Georgian and Victorian buildings hidden amongst the more modern fast paced city but also the tales and stories that come along with them, from folklore to real experiences.

The landscape of Swansea in the later 1800s, full of wonderful buildings with architectural designs .

An artist impression of what Oxford Street once looked like before it was wiped out from the Blitz - 1917

Swansea after the blitz, buildings crumbled to the floor and in some parts totally gone, in the backgroun of this picture is St Mary's Church which can be found near Primark today. 1941

Captain Cat Statue

The fictional character ‘Captain Cat’ was from the radio drama Under Milk Wood (1954) which was written by Swansea’s famous poet Dylan Thomas: The old blind sea captain who dreams of his deceased shipmates and lost lover Rosie Probert. He is one of the most important characters in the play, as he often acts as a narrator. He observes and comments on the goings on of the village from his window, he also gazes out towards the vast sea he sailed long ago when his eyes were blue and bright.

A statue of the fictional character 'Captain Cat' from Under Milk Wood

Dylan Thomas Square

Found in the quiet part of the city, it holds a small grey statue of the famous poet himself Dylan Thomas sitting on a chair gazing off into the distance, for many sections of this blog you would read his name as he had such an influence on Swansea’s history, next to the square you could also find the Dylan Thomas Theatre, the theatre itself officially opened under its present name in 1983 but was known as Swansea Little Theatre from 1979, it was the first Little Theatre in Wales.

Me standing outside the Dylan Thomas Theatre with Dylan Thomas.

Dylan Thomas statue gazing across the Marina in Dylan Thomas Square.

Gloucester Place

If you walk down Gloucester Place you would notice seven white town houses, they are of Georgian era which were of typical style back in the day, if you look through the black railings you would see a basement room, interesting character from this very street was ‘Tom Jeffreys who during the ‘First World War’ was determined to head for France to fight the Germans in the trenches, like many men during that time they were caught up in their first rush for the war, Tom Jeffreys soon became disenchanted with the sheer tedium of army life as he didn’t like the idea of his uniform being bloodied and torn, his job was mostly to guard a storeroom in Penally which was rather boring!

Tom was desperate to get to France, and wishing to by-pass the boredom of army training he resolved another idea on how to get abroad: desert the army and join the navy. Tom labored under the misconception that it was permissible to jump from the army to the ‘senior service’. The Naval Discipline Act made it very clear that deserting the army will not be tolerated; the person would be sent back to their unit to face court martial.

According to Tom’s own account, the police were looking for him in his home town of Llanelli, so at that point he decided he had no choice but to get out of the town. He arrived in Swansea and headed straight for the docks were he saw an advert naval recruits wanted. He walked in, more than likely the naval office would have been in Gloucester Place.

Tom was very fortunate to get to serve aboard a ship, most naval recruits were placed with land based units, and became subject to army discipline. He was even more fortunate not to have faced a court martial, resulting in imprisonment or even worse, death! Instead, Tom survived the war and lived up to his old age dying sometime in the 1980s.

The Georgian Town Houses on Gloucester Place.

Tom Jeffreys and the recruiting office on Gloucester Place.

Cambrian Place

Cambrian Place is one of Swansea’s oldest streets, its architecture dating from 1821, running from the Royal Institution now Swansea Museum, to the River Tawe close proximity to the town’s original proper dock (The South Dock) which was much later disused but later reborn in the 1980s as the City’s Marina Quarter. During the Swansea Blitz of 1941 the street was hit by bombing, the building adjacent to Pembroke Building was completely destroyed, in the 1960s the area was in a dyer state and was known as a dump!

Pembroke Building was a former council office, now restored as flats.

Cambrian Place and Pembroke Building on the left, present time (2016).

Cambrian Place and the old houses at the bottom of the street, present time (2016).

Cambrian Place 1840.

Cambrian Place bombed during the Swansea Blitz of 1941.

The Exchange Building

On the very corner of Adelaide Street you would see the magnificent white bricked building of the old Exchange Building built in 1912, it was handy during the time when Swansea was trading with the rest of the world you could imagine all the busy workers in their offices as you gaze through those large glassed windows looking in, but much later on in the decades during the buzz of the 70s & 80s, the basement was used as a nightclub which goes by the name of Doras, also known as 'Dirty Doras', 'Pandoras', 'Circles', 'Marinas Nightspot' and most infamously 'The Pit'; you could only just imagine standing there that the street had gone from a time of busy tradesmen to woman stumbling home in their high heels after a heavy night on the beer.

The Exchange Building stands tall and proud on the corner of Adelaide Street, once the busy hub of Swansea's trading past.

Swansea Museum

The museum first open its large wooden doors to the public in 1841 by the Royal Institution of South Wales which makes it the oldest museum in Wales, Dylan Thomas once said "the museum belongs in a museum" because of its age; once threatened with closure, Swansea City Council saved the building and all its collections in 1996, the museum now offeres members of the public six galleries with a variety of exhibits from an ancient mummy's tomb to temporary exhibitions on current issues and modern interests.

The oldest museum in Wales 'Swansea Museum' is a iconic building for the city standing on the edges of the Martime Quay in 2016.

Morgans Hotel (The Old Harbour Office)

Morgans hotel is one of the grandest styled buildings in the whole of the county, its red bricked walls is neetly decorated with fine architecture which makes the building stand out as you pass the busy Oystermouth road.

The original Harbour Office was on Mount Street but sadely burnt down in October 1858. After the fire, the Harbour Trust commissioned its first purpose built Harbour Office building, an imposing edifice errected on the corner of Mount Street and Victoria Road, next to the Swansea Sailors' Home as seen below.

Picture from 1865 shows the Sailors Home & Shipping Office on the left, and Swansea's Harbour Trust Office on the right.

Photograph of the Harbour Office and Sailors' Home taken in 1960 (Swansea museum can be seen in the distance on the left).

The original Harbour Office was owned by Swansea Harbour Trust until 1903, when the prestigious new office building in Adelaide Streetwas complete (the Morgan Hotel). The old Harbour Office was demolished in 1964, the next picture shown was taken from the clock tower of the new Harbour Office in Adelaide Street, the building in the foreground is Coleridge House which was located on the corner of Adelaide street and Prospects Place.

The demolishment of the old Harbour Office from the new office clock; Mount Street and Victoria Road don't exist anymore and have been replaced for the hotels car park and an open green area.

Located in Adelaide Street, alongside the offices of the Evening Post, is Morgans Hotel, an impressive art-nouveau building that arose from an architectural competition held in the early 1900's to design new office accommodation for the Swansea Harbour Trust. Ninety-seven architects submitted designs from all over the UK, with the sum of 100 guineas as the prize which is only 105 Pounds in today's money. The commission was won by Edwin Seward, a partner in the Cardiff firms James Seward & Thomas who had built some of Cardiff's most notable buildings ofthe late 19th century.

The foundation stone for the new building was laid on the 18th February 1902 by the Mayor of Swansea, Griffith Thomas, who was also Chairman of the Swansea Harbour Trust.

Construction of red Cattybrook brick and Portland stone, the richy-ornate building has many outstanding features such as a large ornamental clock tower high above the building, the building also has a very impressive dome over the main staircase with leaded lights highlighting the points of the compass, and the fine stained glass window portraying various maritime and industrial themes.

The building was occupied by the Swansea Harbour Trust and its successors, the Great Western Railway, the British Transport Commission, the British Transport Docks Board and Associated British Ports for a period of 88 years until 1991, when a new Harbour Office was built near the lock head at Kings Dock on the outskirts of Swansea. The new owners Martin and Louisa Morgan bought the hotel and gave the building a transformation making it one of Wales most grandest hotel's with a magnificent luxury service.

The grand Morgan's Hotel

The entrancce to the Morgan Hotel heading into the very well lit up restaurant and bar.

The old Clock Tower standing tall on top of the Morgan's Hotel just as it has done since 1903.

Somerset Place

Somerset Place was a street that was home to many small businesses dotted on either side of the street, from opticians to small hotels.

Somerset Hotel which was located behind the old Harbour Office (Morgan's Hotel). This photo was taken in the later 1800s.

Here is another photo looking from the Morgan Hotel on the right down to the Dylan Thomas Centre in the 1800s.

Somerset Place looking down towards the Dylan Thomas Centre with Somerset Hotel and the now today Morgan's Hotel on the right, late 1800s.

Some of the old buildings today looking from the hotel car park, the small white premesis on the right of the picture was the old 'Felix Martin Opticians.'

Dylan Thomas Centre (Old Guild Hall)

The Dylan Thomas Centre, formally known as the city's Guildhall was built in 1825, the building was restored and refurbished to host the UK Year of Literature and Writing 1995. It was opened by American ex-President Jimmy Carter, and now houses a permanent exhibition on the life and work of Dylan Thomas as well as a book shop and a cafe.

Here is the picture of Swansea's old Guild Hall in the year 1912.

US ex-President Jimmy Carter on his visit to the Dylan Thomas Centre in 1995, I guess he is a big fan of the works of Dylan Centre.

The main entrance into the Dylan Thomas Centre. (2016)

The side of the Dylan Thomas Centre with its majestic windows looking down towards Somerset Place. (2016)

Wind Street

Wind Street is another street that has been many centuries, the original Wind Street only went from the Castle to as far down as where Salubrius Passage is today, during the medieval era it was home to the town's market which would of been the central point of Medieval Swansea, where Salubrious Passage sits historians are not entirely sure what was on that site, some historians say it was where the town walls were located and the passage used to be a long ditch that went around the castle wall for dumping, the bottom half of the street in medieval time were known as the sand dunes which gave Swansea a good defence from the south, most of the city centre of Swansea today is built on top of sand dunes including the the Marina and Maritime Quay districts.

Later on as Swansea grew Wind Street was still known as the busy hub of Swansea, during the 1800s & 1900s many banks and other businesses were dotted up and down this street as you walk down the street you would notice the old architectural designs on the buildings. An interesting event happened on this very street d uring the Second World War the pubs of Wind Street saw the visit of a yound star-to-be. A group of American GIs stationed in Swansea entered the Adelphi pub. An Australian soldier also stationed in Swansea saw this and proceeded to taunt the young GI, who was drinking milk, that he was not strong enough to drink alcohol. Unfortunately for him he had picked on the young Rocky Marciano who went on to become one of the world's greatest heavyweight boxers. Rocky floored him wit one punch.

Nowadays Swansea is a street full of entertainment with many pubs, bars, nightclubs and restaurants, Wind Street as certainly kept up with its livlieness even in are moder times, during the evenening the street is lit up in many different colours with a viarity of music blasting off into the night, the steet is covered by late night ramblers who love to dance the night away, more restaurants are opening their doors on Wind Street so it doesn't look like this popular street will be loosing its buzz any time soon.

Wind Street in the Medieval era 1200s - 1500s, known as the bustling town's market place.

Wind Street in the later 1800s with the vintage and the Duke Hotel.

Wind Street today with its many bars, pubs, nightclubs and restaurant (2016).

Revolution - Wind Street

The bar Revolution, one of the streets most popular of establishments was once the location of the Lloyd's Bank. Date unknown.

Idols - Wind Street

Green Dragon Lane

Green Dragon Lane is one of the last medieval alleyways left in the city, this would of been the time when Swansea's streets were narrow and dark, the name 'Green Dragon' comes from the 'The Green Dragon Inn' at its lower intersection with the strand, it was first used to bring cargo up from the River Tawe to Swansea's medieval market, if you were to walk down this very lane during the Medieval era you would of been met by a bustling port and the River Tawe as it onced flowed through what we call today 'The Strand'.

A grusome murder story as embraced this narrow alley, during the year 1906 a woman called Eliza Keast was murdered not far away from the bottom of this ally back when the strand had little inns of its own; William Mitchel who was a 24 year old collier from Deptford who moved to Abercrave was down in Swansea for the weekend, staying in Vaughan's Lodging House, he started drinking at 9a.m on Saturday 12 May 1906, he drank about eight pints of beer during the day after taking a break during the day to buy some trousers he only had a few scraps of change left. Eliza, the daughter of respectable parents was described as having followed a 'base and immoral life', Eliza had moved from her parents home to the Vaughan's Lodging House on the strand,where she was drinking heavily, she had previous convictions for indecency, though she 'was singularly quiet for one of her class when sober. William and Eliza met with each other at around 10pm on the Strand, "Hello ducky," she said "Give me a match", "I haven't got one on me, my old darling" William replied, a young 17 year old man who goes by the name of Patrick Long, saw them meet at the bottom of Green Dragon Lane, he heard Mitchell make a suggestion to Keast, and then they started bargaining.

She said "come down this way" and they went into Padley's Yard together which wasn't that far from the bottom of this lane, it was often a place used for immoral purposes. They were both very drunk, shortly afterwards, Long, the curious 17 year old peered through the crack of a door in Gough's Lodging House, which backed onto the yard. He saw Mitchell apparently sitting on top of Eliza, he had his left hand round her throat and was striking her with his right, Long could hear a gurgling noise, he rushed around and raised the alarm, he shouted "Let the woman alone!", having no effect at all he went off for help and came back with a woman called Kate Hughes, they found the couple lying quite still, Kate thought they were both dead, suddenly Mitchell jumped up and ran, knocking Kate over the shafts of a cart.

A man called Yates pursued Mitchell and there was a fight, Mitchell was draged back to the scene where he was roughly treated, by a number of bystanders, Mitchell was pinned against the wall whilst they waited for the police to arrive, he cried out, "let me have her again!" He seemed rather angry, he did calm down though when he was told Eliza was dead.

"I am to blame," he told, "I suppose I shall swing for it." He also said that the crowd around him were so hostile that if the police hadn't turned up "I will have been dead to". The reason why Mitchell did this garsily crime was self defence, Eliza was having sex for money but Mitchell tried to explain that he didn't have enough but Eliza didn't listen, after they had sex Eliza wasn't happy with the amount Mitchell tried to pay her, she grabbed him in his gentleman area and gripped on tight not letting go, only to squeeze harder until his testicles were to pop, out of self defence to get her off he grabbed her around the throat, the judge let Mitchell go saying that where Eliza had grabbed him is a very sensitive area and that he tried to do anything to get her off, even though he was guilty of the crime he didn't swing for it, instead he had 6 months imprisoment with hard labour. Even though many people applaused the judges decision we must remember a young woman had died whilst being drapped in the evil torment of alcohol.

The Bank Statement and the No Sign Bar

Once the old Barclays Bank, you can tell what the building history is by just reading the name of the bar 'Bank Statement'.

The No Sign Bar was one of Dylan Thomas favourite pubs and one of Swansea's oldest pub's.

Salubrious Passage

This alley leads to a street which has been known as Salubrious Place for centurie. 'Salubrious' means pleasant or luxurious, but here it may have been used ironically to describe a feature with the opposite qualities. Colonel William Llewelyn Morgan was a Swansea historian in the late 19th century and early 20th century, he suggested that the town ditch outside the medeieval walls passed through this vicinity, he suggested that the ditch, originally part of the defences, eventually became a convenient tip for waste, however not all historians agree.

Salubrious Place and Passage were narrow, almost straight and flanked continuously by buildings in the 19th century, arches through buildings marked both ends. In the 1950s, Dylan Thomas paid homage to Salubrious Passage in a short story which mentions a "Paradise Alley". On Salubrious Place right next to the passage you could find a small little building with books pinned up on the wall, this was once Dylan Thomas original book shop with words inscribed on them from his poem 'Fern Hill'. One of Dylan's eccentric friends, Alban Leyshon, was an inventor, goldsmith and craftsman who had a workshop high above the passage. Alban and Dylan would heat-up pennies on a Bunsen burner, drop them onto the street and watch unsuspecting pedestrians burn their fingers on them.

The entrance to Salubrious Passage from Wind Street.

The back entrance to Salubrious Passage; Dylan Thomas book shop was the yellow building on the left, the alley also holds a gas light which would of been used back in the day.

Salubrious Place is now a narrow passage way to get you from Wind Street to Princess Way but back in the late but back in time from 1800s to mid 1900s it containd small cottages and access to a small 'Courts' that were eventually demolished in a slum clearance programme.

Salubrious Place facing towards Salubrious Passage early 1900s, showing the narrow passage not far away from the slums.

The Griffin

The Griffin bar had recently changed its name from Varsity which was a lively bar, before that the building was used as a bank in the late 1800s to the mid 1900s.

Swansea Castle

The castle sits in the heart of the modern day city engulfed by an influx of modern buildings slowly being squashed by new developments almost forgotten by every day passing people, but it was never always like this, its hard to ever imagine the castle's original surroundings or its original form, the castle stands on top of a clifftop, once below the castle was the original location were the River Tawe flowed with large cargo ships bringing in goods from France such as wine.

What is visible today is the latest castle on the site, which in its heyday in the late 13th century would of stretched from Welcome Lane near the Highstreet in the North to Caer Street in the South, and from clifftop in the East, almost to Princess Way in the West. There has been a castle standing at this location since 1106 by Henry de Beaumont, the first Norman Lord of Gower which was a moat & bailey castle just slightly North of the present day castle on the grassy embankement near today's Laserzone, this was the start of a 200 year battle for control of Swansea and Gower between the Marcher Lords and the Welsh princes, the castle was used as a prison up into the late 19th century with the three vaulted chambers below the great hall where the air is still grim, it has also been used as a town hall, poor house, a newe market, store cellars, a blacksmith's and other shops and a Roman Catholic chapel (in the hall).

The castle wall with its still standing tower and arrow slits, this wall would of been part of the outer bailey of the castle, the inner bailey was located near the path that leads you to Parc Tawe.

Close up shot of the arrow slits preserved as if they were still in use.

Picture of the old 'Grand Hall' of the castle which was located upstairs, many people including the Beaumont family would of dined here for large feasts.

The 13th century dungeons of the castle with a viewing platform still present on top to keep a watchful eye of the river and the valley on the other side.

An early view of the Castle and the River Tawe in today's Strand from St Thomas.

Swansea Castle in the 60s, notice that even then the castle is squashed and forgotten by more modern buildings.

With the castle being so old it will obviously hold many wonderful and intriguing stories in this blog I will concentrate on the story of the Welsh rebel, William Cragh.

Life after death - William Cragh

William Cragh was a local Welsh man from the village of Llanrhidian on the northern coastline of Gower, between 1282 and 1283 King Edward I of England waged a military campaign in Wales and concluded with his annexation of that country. One of Edward's allies, Rhys ap Maredudd, found the post war settlement unsatisfactory and launched a rebellion against the king in 1287. Edward vastly superior forces soon crushed the uprising, but Rhys ap Maredudd remained at liberty until his capture and execution in 1292. Cragh took part in this uprising were he was accused of killing 13 men and held at the castle's dungeons awaiting execution.

William Cragh would of been held at the dungeon located in the above picture which was located in Swansea's New Castle before he was led to Gibbet Hill to be hanged, while in the dungeons, he tells us he had a vision of a man robed in white, whom he believed to be St Thomas de Cantilupe. He also saw a vision of the Virgin Mary, who gave him a sign that he would be saved. While in the dungeon, Cragh 'bent a penny of St Thomas' - a way of asking for the saint's help and promising to honour him if he was spared.

On the autumn day in the year 1290, William Cragh was hanged on Gibbet Hill by William de Briouze, the Anglo-Norman lord of Gower. Cragh was hanged as a rebel and criminal, together with another Welshman, Trahaearn ap Hywel. In an act of particular cruelty, Lord William forced Cragh's own friends and family to perform the hanging. Cragh was lifted onto the gibbet first, and then Trahaearn was pulled up by a rope slung over the crossbeam. But one medieval witness at the execution tells us that Trahaearn was 'big and heavy', and this caused the gibbet to break. Cragh and Trahaearn were hanged for a second time and seemed to be dead, but was that really the case?

After William Cragh was hanged, his friends carried his apparently lifeless body to the Chapel of St John. This may have been because the Chapel had a long-standing association with the Welsh community, and it was located outside the town walls. Lady Mary de Briouze tells us that Cragh’s body was transported on a kind of wooden wheel, which in itself would have caused great injury. The different medieval witnesses don’t agree on what happened when Cragh’s body arrived at the Chapel of St John. It seems likely that the Chapel was closed, and Cragh’s body was then carried to the nearby house of Thomas Mathews. St Matthew's church is on the site of the medieval Chapel of St John, which can be found on the Northern section of the High Street.

After he was hanged, the body of William Cragh was carried to the house of Thomas Mathews also on today's High Street, a burgess (townsman) of Swansea.

His body lay here, bloody and disfigured, with his eyes hanging from their sockets and the tongue swollen out of his mouth. Adam of Loughor, aged around 13 at the time, tells us he was too scared to look at the body. And yet, to everyone’s amazement, William Cragh began to come back to life. Many witnesses came to see this and Lady Mary de Briouze – wife of Lord William who had ordered the execution – sent a maidservant with nourishing almond milk to help Cragh recover. Was it a miracle?

When the Welshman William Cragh was hanged in 1290, the New Castle was the Swansea home of the de Briouze family. Lord William de Briouze, the son of the Lord William who ordered the hanging, tells us in his witness testimony that he (and his guests) watched the hanging from the windows of the Castle hall. They were able to see the broken crossbeam of the gibbet and William Cragh hanged for a second time. Lady Mary de Briouze tells us that she and her maidservants and other companions were in the Castle praying to St Thomas de Cantilupe for Wililam Cragh’s life to be spared. We don’t know why Mary was so keen for Cragh to be saved.

The parish church for medieval Swansea, St Mary’s benefited from the patronage of the de Briouze family. We know that Lady Mary de Briouze – wife of the Lord William who ordered the hanging of the Welshman William Cragh – was a religious and devout woman, and we can imagine her visiting St Mary’s for services and prayer. While the medieval structure of St Mary’s doesn’t survive today, the story of William Cragh also gives us other clues about what might have been there. For example, while Cragh is in the dungeons of Swansea Castle before his hanging, he reports seeing a vision of the Virgin Mary. But he says that she wasn’t holding her son, the Christ child, ‘as material images concerning her represent’. It’s possible that Cragh was thinking of pictures of Mary which he had seen in Swansea’s parish church, itself dedicated to her. Wall paintings and statues of Mary were very common in Wales at this time.

Cragh went on to claim that as he was hanging from the gallows a bishop dressed all in white appeared, and saved him either by supporting his feet or by replacing his tongue in his mouth, once he was sufficiently recovered Cragh undertook a pilgrimage to Hereford, accompanied by Lord and Lady Briouze, to thank Cantilupe for restoring his life. He walked barefoot on the three-day trip, wearing the rope he had been hanged with around his neck.

The rope was left at Cantilupe's shrine, after which Cragh said that he would make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, although there is some doubt as to whether he subsequently even left Wales.

Looking towards the hill from Swansea High Street station this was the location of the execution - the site of the medieval gibbet.

Laserzone (The Old Castle Cinema)

Next to the castle down a tight back lane called Worcester Place you would find a grade II listed building, if you face the front of the building small designs are sculpted which included an image of a castle gate, if you happen to be walking down the Strand looking at the back of this building you would see a high red bricked wall with windows which are now boarded up followed with a brightly yellow painted writing saying 'CASTLE CINEMA'.

It was the only building standing in Swansea Castle Street vicinity that hadn't been damaged by the falling bombs of the Nazi German Luftwafe raids during the Second World War, in 1963 the cinema chaned its manager (Mr Harry Williams who ad previously managed The Plaza on Swanseas Kingsway. Mr Williams retireed 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.

The old Castle Cinema building, you can still see the sculpted designs today, many people just walk past this building from Parc Tawe to the city centre and never look up at the magnificent designs above the door.

The front glittering doors of the old Castle Cinema which first opened its doors on the 14th December 1913.

Castle Street

There is a magnificent white bricked building on Castle Street that has been shown in many photos over the years, I can't find a lot of information about the building but it has been in paintings in the 1800s with horse & carts and the tram line passing by with lots of little businesses, to the dreadful year of 1941 showing the building's businesses whiped out from bomb blasts to the now modern times with new businesses opened up from small shops to cafes.

The magnificent white bricked building still housing many businesses on the ground floor whilst providing accommodation with flats on the upper floors. (2016)

Below are pictures of the past with this building in them.

Castle Street in the 1800s with the white building on the left showing little businesses in operation, this photo is as if you are standing looking towards the direction of the castle.

The building is on the right hand side in the early 1900s, a vintage tram is passing the street, businesses is still in operation there, this photo is as if you are standing closer to the castle looking down Castle Street.

The same white bricked building stained with black as fire swepped up the side of the building after the falling bombs of the blitz in 1941.

The white building is towards the top right of the photo, this was taken in 1965 when Castle Garden which onced housed many buildings before the blitz is turned into a beautiful garden with a passage that takes you under the city streets.

The Cross Key's Inn (The Old St David's Hospital)

Apart from the medieval Norman castle, the Cross Key's Inn is the only other surviving medieval building in the city centre today, other medieval buildings and some of the medieval streets have been lost from the three nights blitz in 1941; founded in 1332 this building housed St David's Hospital, but nowadays its incorporated into an inn, it housed elderly and infirm clergy and laymen, and included residential areas, a communal hall and a garden.

St David’s Hospital is one of Swansea’s most important standing medieval buildings. The present Cross Keys pub incorporates parts of a 14th century building that was the hospital of the Blessed David of Swegnar, founded in 1332. Medieval hospitals were religious institutions, and St David’s was staffed by six chaplains to provide a home and care for sick and infirm clergy and laymen. The hospital stood in a prominent and important location in the medieval town and the surviving buildings show it was well appointed with residential areas and a communal hall. It had a garden for growing food. From the remains of rubbish disposed there, archaeologists have shown that residents lived very comfortably, enjoying fine imported wines and goods from France, reflecting the wealth and status of the hospital.

The Cross Key's Inn one of the last medieval standing buildings in Swansea (2016).

The Cross Key's Inn still has some medieval features such as the small windows (2016).

Here is a drawing that would of shown what St David's Hospital would of looked like.

Below is the Seal of the Hospital of St David's Title.

St Mary's Church

St Mary’s was the parish church of medieval Swansea. The church was probably first built in the 12th century, and remodelled in 1739 (though the tower and side chapel of the older church were retained). In the 19th century, the local writer Samuel Gamwell – a keen historian and conservationist – bemoaned the jumbled architectural style of the church. In a verse, he writes: The Vicar he vowed, as he peeped round his pulpit: ‘Throughout the broad land you may carefully search, But you nowhere will find so consummately ugly, So rickety, ramshackle, wretched a Church, As this pitiful patchwork, St Mary’s of Swansea…’ However, St Mary’s was almost completely destroyed in the Swansea Blitz and the present building dates from the 1950s. little is known about its appearance in the Middle Ages.

St Mary’s was badly damaged in the Second World War, destroying the remaining medieval fabric. The new church was built between 1954-59, with only the stone effigy of a priest and the 15th century tomb brass to Sir Hugh Johnys and his wife as a link to its medieval past.

St Mary's Church, the clock tower standing tall, occasionally throughout the day you could hear the bells ring which echo Swansea's city's streets.

(2016)

One of the church's side doors, gives off the medieval feel.

The entrance to St Mary's on the pedestrian pathway heading towards St David's square.

The Swansea Devil (Ol'Nick)

Here is another story that will get you scratching your head about a certain wooden statue of a devil and a dark curse fortelling the destruction of St Mary's church itself. The Swansea Devil was built by a angry architecture to put a curse on the city and its proud church, he later vanished after World War Two.

This carved wooden figure built in the 19th century gazes out of the window from the Quadrant shopping centre quite close to its original spot in the 19th and 20th century, but it had disappeared from Swansea following post war regeneration, the amazing coincidence that enable it to return to its home city has been revealed by a 71 year old retired telecommunications engineer, Glyn Lewis.

Mr Lewis said "I remember the Swansea Devil well. It was directly opposite St Mary's Church, on top of an old antique shop in a terraced row of shops."

“When I was 15, in 1956, I used to pass it every day on my way to work at John Bayley’s motorcycle shop."

“Years later, in 1964, I was working in telecommunications at Hereford telephone exchange and I became friendly with another young man, Phillip Rees, and was invited around for tea."

“His parents had run the antique shop but had sold up and bought a coal business in Creddenhill, near Hereford."

The history of the Swansea Devil

The history of the Swansea Devil dates back to the 1890s when it was decided that St Mary’s Church in the city centre would be rebuilt. The task of designing the new church was put to tender and among those who applied were a local architect and Sir Arthur Blomfield. (Sir Arthur Blomfield is the gentleman in the photo).

The committee accepted Blomfield’s design and the church was built but the local man took the rejection as a slight against his talent.When, after several years, a row of cottages adjacent to the church became available for purchase the offended architect bought them and tore them down.In their place he erected a red brick building to house the brewery offices on which he placed a carving of Satan facing the church.

The local man is reputed to have prophesied: “When your church is destroyed and burnt to the ground my devil will remain laughing.”

In February 1941, when Swansea was heavily bombed, St Mary’s Church was destroyed.

But the building on which Old Nick was mounted remained standing, as the architect had predicted.In 1962 the brewery offices were torn down, while St Mary’s was rebuilt to its original designs.

The devil ended up in Hereford until it was unveiled to Mr Lewis.

But although he never acted on it then, he did years later when he read a newspaper article.The pensioner said: “In 1982 I was working in Germany and just decided on the spur of the moment to come home for a break.

“I read an appeal in the newspaper from local historian Rowley Davies asking for information about the whereabouts of Old Nick.

“I was probably the only person in Swansea who actually knew where he was and I got in touch and told him.”

Mr Lewis said that the Rees family were happy to let the Devil return for £300, with the money raised by C&A, the store which then occupied the unit in the Quadrant, where Old Nick sits today, again overlooking St Mary’s Church.

Mr Lewis added: “I have a letter dated February 12, 1982, from Rowley Davies to my parents ‘in appreciation of your son Glyn’s assistance in locating the famous Swansea Devil’ and inviting me to an illustrated talk.

“Rowley Davies was a gentleman and a hard-working historian who did a lot for the people of Swansea.

“I know it’s quite a controversial subject and some people don’t like it but to me the Swansea Devil is part of the city’s history and a lot of us oldies remember Old Nick.”

Ian Kirkpatrick, manager of the Quadrant, said: “It’s a fascinating story about how the Swansea Devil was returned.

“It was an amazing coincidence that Mr Lewis just happened to be home from abroad and saw the article in the newspaper otherwise its whereabouts would probably still be a mystery.”

“Phillip said he had something to show me and took me into the yard and pulled back a tarpaulin sheet and there was Old Nick with a big crack in him.”

St Mary's Church is in the distance with the roof completely caved in after the Blitz, the building where the Devil sits is stills standing unscaved by the intense bombing of the city (1941).

Inside St Mary's Church, only the wall structure remains but the beautifully coloured stained glass windows and the roof are totally gone.

St David's Priory

Another little church can be found around the corner from the more popular St Mary's Church, it goes by the name of St David's Priory, it is a little hidden away behind a multi story car park, a Traveloge hotel and St David's shopping centre, it to has had interesting tales of its own.

The frequent potato famines and the industrial expansion of South Wales led to successive waves of Irish immigrants moving to Swansea, and in turn led to a significant increase in the Catholic population. As a result a new church and school were needed. The Catholic Church across Britain was reluctant to trust the government on educational matters and preferred to organise their own schools and system of education. The aim of the Catholic Schools system was to aid Catholic parents in the academic, physical, spiritual, moral and religious education of their children in accordance with the teaching of the Catholic Church. The government’s proposal of an Education Bill in 1869 caused concern among the Catholic Church and community of government interference in the religious teachings and school management of the Catholic Schools in Britain.

St. David’s Roman Catholic School was built to “save the Irish and Belgian children of the district from the risk of being brought up in ignorance of their religion, if not losing it altogether”. The school was built in 1851 and cost a total of £325. Funding for the construction of the school was collected from the following sources, £100 was borrowed from the Bishop, £90 was provided by the Poor School Committee and the remainder was paid for by the congregation. The school had a difficulty establishing itself in its early years and had even more difficulty in obtaining a good teacher and had to be satisfied for several years with untrained persons. The poverty of the district led to the school being under-staffed and under-equipped. Due to these unfortunate circumstances many parents removed their children from St. David’s School and sent them to schools which employed qualified teachers. The school saw a constant increase in attendance throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and by 1893 the school had a total of 450 pupils. This continued growth in the school population led to one head mistress in 1912 apologising to the Local Education Authority (LEA) for not keeping the attendance down during the year and for having exceeded the schools accommodation limit, even though they had not admitted any non-catholic children for at least 18 months.

As a result of this continued growth the school needed to be enlarged and extended. The first recorded redevelopment began in 1876. The aim of this redevelopment was to enlarge the school room and add an additional classroom for the infants, as all pupils had been taught in one room prior to this. The school also felt pressure to improve and modernise in order to meet the ever changing standards and requirements of the LEA. In 1903 the LEA introduced the ‘Rules for Planning and fitting up Public Elementary Schools’. These regulations provided guidance and regulations for the design and planning of corridors, class rooms, lighting, staircases, ventilation, warming and sanitary arrangements of every elementary school in Great Britain. These were all legal requirements and became a requirement for a school to qualify for a maintenance grant; therefore the school was regularly inspected to ensure that they met these standards. Despite the constant evolution of the education system in Great Britain throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries St David’s Roman Catholic School has survived to this day and is now located in West Cross, near the Mumbles.

A Rose for The Pope

In May 1980, the Pope paid a visit to Swansea and was greeted by huge crowds eager to receive his blessing, or to simply get a glimpse of the man. However, it was one woman in particular who caught the Pope’s attention – Mrs Mary Jane Cullen, 68, from Mount Pleasant in Swansea. The Evening Post reported that Mrs Cullen, widowed and mother to 15 children, four of whom were priests, deeply touched the pope with her ‘cheerful courage’.

Mrs Cullen told the pope how she had received fifteen red roses from each of her children, handing one to him.

As the evening post reported: ‘The pope took the rose and handed it to an aide. Then he gently cupped Mrs. Cullen’s head in his hand, looked closely at her and said: “This is so wonderful for me, you know.”Then he took her hands and clasped them adding: “God bless you.”

The Pope then gave a special Papal benediction in Latin for Mrs. Cullen and her family. It was always an ambition of Mrs Cullen’s to meet the Pope with her husband, who sadly passed away aged 67. She was therefore greatly moved by his gesture, describing it as ‘one of the most beautiful moments of my life. It was perfect. I shall never be able to describe it adequately.’

Mrs Cullen was not of good health herself, and decided to take a pilgrimage from Swansea to Lourdes, then to Rome before returning to Swansea. The entire family drove in two cars, a journey which took them eight days before their arrival in Rome. Although ill health affected her visit, when leaving the Italian capital Mrs. Cullen told the evening post “You can’t understand how happy I am and how wonderful in spirit I feel.” This touching story is but one of the small snippets of wonderful information located within the St David’s Collection, held at The Richard Burton Archives.

Poetry is the heart of Swansea

A bricked wall sign in St Davids Shopping Centre car park, really shows how important poetry is to the city of Swansea, where has gone the time when Swansea's streets were walked over by the feet of a poet.

Waterstones (The Old Carlton Cinema)

Just like in the 1800s, Oxford Street in Swansea is still bustling with with shoppers and businesses, a lot has changed since then, the tram line has gone as well as most of the streets appealing architecture, only few buildings stand which show Swansea's past, one of my favourite shops in Swansea still has the old designs of before, being protected by netting to stop the birds from building nests on its infrastructure, the shop is now a popular book shop chain company called Waterstones, but it was previously the Carlton Cinema.

The cinema was once next door to the Empire Theatre. The theatre opened as the Carlton Cinema de Luxe on 31st January 1914. The Carlton Cinema has a very beautiful facade with bay glass windows on the first and second floors. There are decorative freizes in Doultonware featuring dancing cherubs. Inside the foyer was a very ornate staircase. This leads to the Carlton cafe which was a very popular meeting place in its heyday. The facade has now been cleaned up and looks very impressive. All this is a shame now being that everything behind the stairwell has been demolished.The Carlton Cinema was closed by the Rank Organisation on 29th October 1977 and was converted into retail use as a record store. Later the auditorium was demolished and replaced by a large bookstore (Waterstone’s). During this time the building had been Listed Grade II and the retained facade still has this status.The opening of the bookstore saw the stairwell opened up to access the second floor shop, the first time the area had been seen since the 1950’s. During its last 10-15 years, the cinema was accessed by a narrow corridor with a small box office at the street then a kiosk halfway down. The circle area was unused for many years before the closure.

The Carlton Cinema still stands firm today on Oxford Street now a popular bookstore called Waterstones, a place were I once had the great plreasure of working. (2016).

When the premises was a record store in the 1970s.

The old interior design of the old Carlton Cinema.

The Grand Theatre

Swansea Grand Theatre was built in 1897, on the site of the old Drill Hall in Singleton Street, Swansea. It opened on 26th July 1897 and its opening ceremony was certainly grand. Baroness Adelina Nicolini(Patti) travelled down by train from her home at Craig Y Nos to open the theatre. She arrived at Midland Railway Station, and was then taken by horse drawn carriage over the bridge crossing the Tawe. Her journey continued up through Wind Street passing the then Star Theatre, up the hill past the castle then travelling left down into Temple Street, passing the empty Theatre Royal. The streets were lined with hundreds of well wishers hungry for a look at the Opera Diva. The equivalent today would probably be a visit by the Queen. Next the carriage took her along into Oxford Street. then into Singleton Street through to the theatre.

During the theatre's early years (1897 - 1930), the Grand established itself as a venue for the best touring companies and star names of the time, with visits by the likes of Jessie Mathews, Ivor Novello, Forbes Robertson and the first knight of theatre, Sir Henry Irving - whose signature can still be found in the theatre today. The Grand then entered a turbulent period in its history from 1933 to the early seventies with many successes and many failures including being turned into a Cinema for a fourteen year period, being sadly neglected, and having dwindling audiences mainly thanks to the popularity of television in the 1960's & 70's.

The then local authority (Swansea Corporation/City Council) came to the rescue and took out a long lease in May 1969 before buying the building outright in 1979. The City and County of Swansea continues to own, manage and fund the building today.

A multi-million-pound refurbishment programme from 1983 - 1987 turned the 1000 seat theatre into one of the most technically advanced and aesthetically pleasing venues in the UK at a cost of £6.5m. A further £1m in 1999 and the Grand became the proud 'owner' of a new Arts Wing (opened by Catherine Zeta Jones) that increased the space open to visitors by a third and has created a new studio performance area, three exhibition areas, and a rooftop restaurant and terrace.

The Grand Theatre today (2016)

The Grand Theatre in 1900

Dorothy and the Titanic

One actress, who saw her final act play out on the Titanic, was so fond of the art-space she haunts its corridors today, Dorothy was an actress who played many of her performances in the Grand Theatre, she was an actress who left this world going down with the Titanic that cold spring night in the middle of the Atlantic on the 15th April 1912, it says that still today her spirit is seen making her way through the grand corridoors of the theatre, she love this teatre as much in life as in death.

St Helens Road

Today St Helens Road gives a perfectly good example of modern Britain being a multi cultural nation, all down this street you will find many international businesses from Polish shops to Indian takeaways, Turkish kebab shops to Chinese restaurants as well as being home to the 'Swansea Mosque, it truly is a multi cultural street, but it hasn't always been like that, if you really keep your eyes open you can still see historial buildings with wonderful architecture which date back more than two hundred years old.

YMCA Building

The Young Men’s Christian Association was founded in 1844 by George Williams. In 1865 a Committee was set up to consider establishing a Swansea branch of the YMCA and right from the start James Livingstone, a prominent figure in Swansea became heavily involved. Swansea YMCA came to life in 1866. The work flourished from the outset and within a relatively short time, the new organisation became a reality and its headquarters were established in Herbert Place. However, after nearly fifteen years and increase in the number of members, the YMCA outgrew the building they were located in and moved to Dynevor Place in 1881.

With huge growth in the number of members, the YMCA outgrew its premises in Dynevor Place. In 1911 the Management Committee secured the freehold to Longlands Hotel, with a view to demolishing and replacing it with a new building which could meet the escalating demands being made upon the YMCA organisation. Longlands Hotel was situated on the corner of Page Street and St Helens Rd, where it still operates from today and was designed by local architect Glenn Moxham. Activities provided at this time included various educational classes, a debating society, shorthand tuition, and bible study groups, sports such as football, cricket and gymnastics. In the evenings the Llewelyn Hall was utilised for events which combined popular entertainment with learned lectures and presentations in cultural activities such as music and art.

YMCA Building on St Helens Road

Former Argyle Presbyterian Church of Wales

I don't know a lot about this building, all I do know is that the church was founded in 1873 by a local architecture Alfred Bucknell who was from the Sketty district of Swansea; the brick work gives of a yellow colour nowadays, it has beautifully tall pillars at the entrance of this two storey church. Really stands out amongst the modern buildings of St Helens Road.

The Former Swansea General Hospital

At the end of St Helens Road you would find the old General Hospital, the clock tower which would have witnessed many changes to the surrounding area over the decades, the building that you can see today was the old clock tower and administration block, the design of the building is truly typical of victorian design, would of been one of the most important buildings in the late 19th early 20th century building.

The clock tower and administration block of the old Swansea General Hospital. (2016).

The Swansea General Hospital at the end of St Helen Roads in 1901.

Swansea Guild Hall

The Guildhall is one of the main office buildings in the City and County of Swansea Council, the white bricked building that shines out brightly was designed by Percy Thomas and opened in 1934.

Before local government re-organisation in 1996 it was the headquaters for the former Swansea City Council. The Guildhall complex comprises the City Hall, Brangwyn Hall (concert hall) and the County Law Courts for Swansea. The Swansea Crown Court is now located in a building immediately opposite the Guildhall.

It was designed by architect Sir Percy Thomas and built on what was once part of Victoria Park. Construction began in 1930 and was completed in 1934, and the building was formally opened on 23 October of that year. At that time it was a somewhat controversial building, being representative of the modern movement in architecture, and was described as having a 'stripped classical' style. The building is finished in white Portland stone, and includes a tall art deco clock-tower, making it a landmark. Part of the clock-tower design features the prow of a Viking longboat, a reminder of Sweyn Forkbeard, thought to be the founder of Swansea.

The landmark building of the Guild Hall, the headquaters of the Swansea City and County Council.

The famous clock tower that shows Swansea's viking past is represented with the architecual design of the long boats sticking out of the tower.

Swansea's Viking Past.

Swansea was found by a viking that goes by the name of Sweyn Forkbeard, historians believe that Swansea name originates from Sweyn.

Swansea was once called Sweins eg or ey, which means Swein's island. The island stood in the mouth of the River Tawe. Who Swein was is not known for sure but he may have been a Norseman who built a fort on the island about 1000 AD and used it as a base for raiding the Welsh coast.

Nothing is left from the viking past of the city.

Swansea's Old Central Police Station

On the main road of Orchard Street you would find a typical victorian building which used to be the former Swansea Central Police Station, only a two minute walk from the current central police station the building is normally passed without a second glance, hidden behind the ugly Alexandar House tower which is a dull grey office building is this gem that has a truly interesting history with the police force, you could only just imagine the number of criminals that have walked through this door from everyday pickpockets to devilish murderers.

The old Central Police Station.

The police officers posing for a photo in the 1930s with the Central Police Station behind them.

Kings Arms Tavern

The Kings Arms Tavern is a beautifully designed tavern that could be found on the high street, its has a fascinating design of wooden framed structures running along the face of the building, just as popular as it was in the 19th century was a popular place to drink for Dylan Thomas, it has also brought great comfort to many weary travelers coming into Swansea, nowadays it is known as a gay bar as it is in the heart of Swansea gay nightlife community, the old medieval town walls and northern gate used to run right along the lane that is found next to the tavern.

The Kings Arms Tavern, one of the oldest buildings on the High Street in a dominated modern built city. (2016).

Palace Theatre

The Palace Theatre is a building located at the northern end of High Street, its another building that doesn't get a second glance and has been forgotten by many people passing by, but thankfully more and more people are starting to remember it and for the magnificent history this small entertainment theatre had it is a shame to see this building slowly crubling away over the passive of time, it is recognisable for its distinctive wedge shape. Originally built in 1888 as a traditional music hall, the building's original name was the 'Pavilion'. During its lifetime, the building has been used as a bingo hall as well as a nightclub.

The Grade II Listed building is one of just two purpose-built music halls left standing in the whole of the UK.

In the early years of the 20th century stars like Charlie Chaplin, Lilly Langtry, Marie Lloyd and Dan Leno filled the venue. Sir Anthony Hopkins made his first professional stage appearance there in 1960 with Swansea Little Theatre's production of 'Have A Cigarette'.

Also in the early 1960s, Morecambe and Wise were booked. Ken Dodd was the last stand-up comedian to appear there before it became nightclub in the 1970s.

It was also the first place in Wales to show a silent picture and remained undamaged by the blitz that destroyed much of Swansea city centre during the Second World War.

The ground floor bar and lounge was used as a licensed pub for many years before closing.

Eventually the theatre was sold for £300,000 to a property company, but in 2010 it was still derelict and actor Edward Fox joined a campaign to have it restored.

The Palace Theatre wedge into the edge of the northern end of the High Street. (2016).

So here I come to to the end of the blog, I haven't mentioned all the historical buildings found in Swansea but I have mentioned many important ones about my city that I call home, by doing this research I have found many fascinating stories that I didn't really know, from a visit by the Pope to a grusome murder down a alley way, this is truly a great city that has had a rough history, I do hope this blog will now help you open your eyes as you walk around Swansea, behind the modern scenery that blinds people from Swansea's past.