Swansea City Centre
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Swansea city centre | |
---|---|
Location within Swansea | |
OS grid reference | SS752904 |
Principal area | |
Preserved county | |
Country | Wales |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | SWANSEA |
Postcode district | SA1 |
Dialling code | 01792 |
Police | South Wales |
Fire | Mid and West Wales |
Ambulance | Welsh |
Swansea West | |
Swansea city centre in Swansea, Wales, contains the main shopping, leisure and nightlife district in Swansea. The city centre covers much of the Castle ward including the area around Oxford Street, Castle Square, and the Quadrant Shopping Centre; Alexandra Road, High Street, Wind Street and the Castle; Parc Tawe; and the Maritime Quarter extending down to the seafront.[1]
History
Swansea's early 18th century industrial development shaped the development of today's city centre.
The bombing necessitated the complete rebuilding of the city centre, a task which fell upon the county borough of Swansea. Preliminary plans were drawn up in 1943, a Compulsory Purchase order was obtained in 1946 and reconstruction work began in 1947. The reconstruction task took over thirty years to accomplish.[2]
The new centre was planned on a grid-pattern of roads including the main thoroughfares of Kingsway, Princess Way, West Way and Oystermouth Road. At the time of the initial post-war rebuilding, the River Tawe riverfront and the South Dock (now the Maritime Quarter) were still port and industrial areas, separated from the commercial district by railway viaducts and roads.[1] With the old shopping centre on High Street flattened, Swansea's main shopping district was rebuilt around the new Kingsway.
Redevelopment continued into the 1980s, including the construction of the
Economy
Swansea city centre provides about 24,000 jobs, or about 18% of jobs in the wider urban area.[1] This is a low figure when compared to many other British cities, which often have around a quarter, a third or even more of their employment in the city centre.[1] Retail, hotel and restaurant jobs are strongly represented in Swansea city centre, and there is a growing finance and business services sector, but much of the employment that would normally be found in a city centre has instead been located in outer areas of Swansea.[1]
Retail
The city centre currently features 89,650 m2 (965,000 sq ft) of comparison goods floorspace (clothing, furniture, electrical goods etc.) and 22,950 m2 (247,000 sq ft) of convenience goods floorspace (food and groceries).[1] According to an analysis cited in the City Centre Strategic Framework, Swansea is the eighteenth largest retail centre in the UK, relatively large for its population. However, the general quality, range and size of city centre shops is poor, so Swansea is usually ranked outside the top 50 retail centres in the UK on various industry listings.[1] The poor retail performance is believed to be the result of several factors, including poor urban design, lack of recent development and competition from out-of-town shops at Fforestfach and Morfa.[1]
Offices
Swansea city centre is not a major office location, although there are office premises including the
Areas
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Swansea_from_kilvey_hill.jpg/220px-Swansea_from_kilvey_hill.jpg)
Swansea Market/Quadrant Centre vicinity
High Street
High Street was once the main shopping street in Swansea and formed the central axis of the shopping centre. It was completely destroyed in World War II, leaving just a few buildings standing gutted, including half of the now demolished Woolworth Building, the Elysium Cinema building, the New Castle Buildings and smaller stores to the northern end including the historic Bush Inn (demolished in 2013). The High Street has a large indoor arcade filled with small local businesses.
Swansea Castle is to be found at the southern end of the street, and opposite the castle is Castle Square. Towards the northern end are Swansea railway station and the Swansea Grand Hotel. The stretch between the castle and railway station is dominated by local retailers, discount retailers and eating and drinking establishments. The street becomes mainly residential to the north of the railway station. In this residential stretch, there is one wedged-shaped building on the corner with Prince of Wales Street: this is the Palace Theatre, where Anthony Hopkins staged his first professional performance. It is the oldest theatre in Wales, one of only two remaining purpose-built music halls left in the United Kingdom, and the first place in Wales to screen a moving picture.[7] It was once used as a nightclub but is now mostly derelict.
The Kingsway
Until the development of Wind Street as a nightlife zone, the Kingsway was the centre of nightlife in Swansea. While many of the bars have shut down due to competition from Wind Street bars, the largest night clubs in Swansea are still found here. Apart from the nightlife venues, The Kingsway has a number of banks, shops, fast food outlets and a branch of the
In 2006, the Kingsway was re-engineered to become a one-way street for cars. The southern traffic lanes are now dedicated tw- way bus lanes developed in conjunction with the
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is the main shopping street in Swansea which has major retailers such as Marks and Spencer and Next. The eastern end of the street, close to Castle Square, is pedestrianised and dominated by chain stores. The western end features mass-market/down-market multiple stores and links to two arcades of very small independent retailers.[1] Further west, the street enters the Sandfields area and is mainly residential. Street markets are held on Oxford Street, Princess Way and Castle Square over Christmas.[8]
Wind Street/Salubrious Place
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/TheNewYorkPubSwansea.jpg/170px-TheNewYorkPubSwansea.jpg)
Wind Street (Welsh: Stryd y Gwynt) has a name which nowadays means different things in the two languages. The local English pronunciation has shifted from /ˈwɪnd/ Street (i.e. with a meaning matching the Welsh name) to /ˈwaɪnd/ Street (which doesn't). Wind Street was once a haunt of the poet Dylan Thomas and location of the covered alleyway 'Salubrious Passage'. It became a backwater in the second half of the 20th century when the commercial centre of Swansea shifted. It boasts the highest concentration of listed buildings in Swansea.[9]
During the Second World War, the pubs of Wind Street saw the visit of a young 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 with one punch. Marciano himself confirmed this story.[10]
Following redevelopment at the beginning of the 21st century, the area is now known for its pubs, bars, clubs and restaurant. The street developed a reputation for drunkenness and bad behaviour, leading to the council introducing a curb on new pub and club licences in the city centre.[11] In December 2010, Wind Street had the second highest number of reported crimes in the whole of England and Wales.[12]
In 2007 the development of the street's lower, south-eastern end was completed, as 'Salubrious Place',[citation needed] including an Aspers Casino, a Vue Cinema, a Premier Inn hotel, parking and additional eating and drinking venues. The casino closed in 2012 and Salubrious Place went into receivership in 2013,[13] though in 2014 new plans were announced to re-invent the area.[14]
Princess Way
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/be/Swansea_Castle_Square.jpg/220px-Swansea_Castle_Square.jpg)
Princess Way (
Castle Square links Princess Way with Castle Street. Castle Square is a concreted square that slopes upwards towards steps to
St. Mary's Square links Princess Way with Whitewalls.
Parc Tawe
Alexandra Road vicinity
Alexandra Road is in an area to the north of the city centre at the foot of Townhill. It is home to a campus
The old library is now part of Swansea College of Art and houses its
Entry and exit roads
St Helen's Road and Oystermouth Road
St Helens Road is the main route to the city centre from the south west of Swansea. The south side of the street is dominated by fast food outlets, restaurants, ethnic grocery stores and ethnic restaurants. Bryn-y-mor Road links to St. Helen's where many student bars and more restaurants can be found. The north side of the street has a number of solicitors and health centres. The road continues past the Guildhall and connects with Oystermouth Road. Oystermouth Road begins near the
Walter Road
Walter Road is the main route from the city centre to the west, including the Uplands district. Most of the road is lined with substantial three-storey town houses, many of which have been converted for use by small professional practices like accountants, solicitors, estate agents, civil engineers and surveyors. A few properties are still residential, nearly all divided into flats and bedsits.
The side streets around Walter Road are mainly residential, with mostly three bedroomed properties, mainly occupied by families. A number of properties have been converted into bedsits for use by students of Swansea University south of Walter Road and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David north of Walter Road.
Carmarthen Road
Carmarthen Road is a dual carriageway stretch of the A483 which runs NW from the Dyfatty traffic junction in the city centre. Carmarthen Road has a mix of developments including residential, retail and commercial parks and industrial units.
Fabian Way
Fabian Way, a stretch of the A483, departs the city centre to the east. It bypasses
Plans
In January 2007, developers Hammerson and Urban Splash were chosen for a £1 billion redevelopment of the city centre. The two developers previously collaborated on Birmingham's Bullring development. The plan by architects BDP,[16] includes more than 60,000 m2 (650,000 sq ft) of additional retail space; 1,000 homes; new leisure, office, hotel and conference facilities;[17] and a "European Boulevard" incorporating Oystermouth Road and Quay Parade.[18]
The former
In December 2008, the Council sought expressions of interest from contractors for the redevelopment of the
Transport
The city centre is served by buses at the
There are three
Park and Ride site | Car Spaces | Bus Number | Livery |
---|---|---|---|
Fabian Way, Port Tennant | 550 | 502 | Blue |
Fforestfach | 449 | 503 | Orange |
Landore | 550 | 501 | Aquamarine |
A fourth Park and Ride site is planned for the south of Swansea with the proposed site located in Blackpill serving both the city centre and Mumbles.[21]
Nearest Places
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Swansea city centre Strategic Framework
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7154-0714-1.
- ^ Davies, John. "The Blitz". SwanseaHeritage.net. Archived from the original on 5 September 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2008.
- ^ City and County of Swansea - Salubrious Place Archived 6 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ City and County of Swansea - Quadrant MSCP details
- ^ City and County of Swansea - Directions to the Grand
- ^ "Oldest theatre under hammer". BBC News. 26 November 2003. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
- ^ "Swansea Christmas home". City and County of Swansea. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
- ^ "Listed Building Index". City and County of Swansea. 2007. Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2007.
- ^ "Rocky's pub fight tribute". BBC News. 27 July 2003. Retrieved 18 May 2009.
- ^ "Swansea's 'debauched' Wind Street defended by businesses". BBC News. 2 August 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
- ^ "Swansea's Wind Street tops list of crime-hit areas in England and Wales". South Wales Evening Post. 1 February 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
- ^ Sion Barry (31 July 2013). "Swansea's Salubrious Place scheme in receivership". Wales Online. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
- ^ "'Continental' revamp submitted for Salubrious Place". South Wales Evening Post. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
- ^ BBC Press Office: Swansea gets Big Screen spectacular
- ^ "BDP's £1bn masterplan for Swansea wins". Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
- ^ "Developers chosen for £1bn revamp". BBC News. 7 January 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
- ^ Swansea City Centre Strategic Framework - European Boulevard Archived 6 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Re-development of the Former David Evans Department Store". Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
- ^ City and County of Swansea - Countdown to construction work on Quadrant Interchange begins
- ^ [permanent dead link] A028066rep[2]070627v1.indd[permanent dead link]
External links
- Swansea City Centre (official City and County of Swansea site)
- Inside Media Limited: Rediscovering Swansea
- Swansea CBD
- Welsh Assembly Government: £1 billion blueprint set to transform and revitalise Swansea City Centre
- icWales: £1bn makeover plan for Dylan’s ‘ugly town’
- BBC: South West Wales: Swansea City Centre Trail
- Swansea.com information guide to the city
- Hammerson and Urban Splash to give a new feel to Swansea’s city centre - Property Week
- Diorama video showing traffic on Oystermouth Road, Swansea