Oyster fishing was once an important industry in Swansea Bay, employing 600 people at its height in the 1860s. However, overfishing, disease and pollution had all but wiped out the oyster population by 1920. In 2005 plans were announced to reintroduce the Oyster farming industry.
Beaches
The bay is lined with sandy beaches. Each stretch of beach within the bay has its own individual name:
Swansea Beach has a couple of named sections. The section of beach just outside Victoria park is known as "The Slip". Blackpill Beach is the section around the mouth of the Clyne River.
Tourism
In recent years, tourism has provided a boost to the local economy. Swansea Bay itself was popular in Victorian times and in the early part of the 20th century. However, despite having dunes and golden sands over a large section of the Bay all the way from the mouth of the River Neath to Blackpill, with the exception of the Swansea Docks breakwater, it now rarely hosts more than a few hundred visitors on even the best day, even in the height of summer and has seen little of the tourist boom. Ironically in the last ten years or so, with the reduction in pollution (see below) has come an increase in the amount of sand on the lower stretches of the Bay at low tide which were once almost pure mud flats.
The Swansea Bay area of Wales is located north of the sea area of Swansea Bay. The term Swansea Bay is used by the Welsh Assembly Government for policy planning purposes as well as by a number of other organisations.
The boundaries of Swansea Bay are defined in the Welsh Assembly Government's Spatial Plan Data Project. In the Wales Spatial Plan, Swansea Bay includes all of the unitary authorities of Swansea and Neath Port Talbot and parts of Carmarthenshire, Powys and Bridgend county borough. The area is also a Travel to Work Area, which was defined in 2007. The Wales Spatial Plan identifies twenty-one key settlements in the area:
The population in the region as of 2007 is approximately 561,900.
The whole of Swansea Bay was being touted as a future city region that would have the city of Swansea as its focus but also include the urban settlements contiguous to Swansea; these would be Llanelli, Neath, Port Talbot, Ystradgynlais and Ammanford. The predicted size of this new city region is around 700,000 people who would live within 30 minutes drive from the centre of Swansea.
Swansea (/ˈswɒnzi/SWON-zee; Welsh:Abertawe[abɛrˈtauɛ], "mouth of the Tawe"), officially known as the City and County of Swansea, is a coastal city and county in Wales. It is Wales's second largest city and the UK's twenty-fifth largest city. Swansea lies within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands. According to its local council, the City and County of Swansea had a population of 241,300 in 2014. The last official census stated that the city, metropolitan and urban areas combined concluded to be a total of 462,000 in 2011, making it the second most populous local authority area in Wales after Cardiff. During its 19th-century industrial heyday, Swansea was a key centre of the copper industry, earning the nickname 'Copperopolis'. Since 2011, Swansea has started to expand into a larger region known as the Swansea Bay City Region. After combining with other councils, it now includes Tenby and other parts of West Wales, its population including these areas an estimated 685,051. The chairman of the new region is Sir Terry Matthews
Swansea is a Victorian prison built between 1845 and 1861 to replace former prison accommodation at Swansea Castle. Both male and female inmates were incarcerated there until 1922, at which point all females were transferred to Cardiff Prison.
Execution site
A total of 15 judicial executions took place at Swansea prison between 1858 and 1958. All of the condemned prisoners were hanged for the crime of murder. Their names, ages and dates of execution are:
Panotis Alepis, 23 yrs & Manoeli Selapatana, 28 yrs, 20 March 1858 (executioner: William Calcraft) First public hanging, at the front of the prison
Robert Coe, 12 April 1866 (executioner: William Calcraft) Final public hanging at the prison
It inherited the city status of the county borough and so was styled as the "City of Swansea", and was governed by Swansea City Council. On March 22, 1982 the city was granted letters patent raising the mayor to the dignity of Lord Mayor.
The district was abolished in 1996, when it was merged with most of the Lliw Valley district to form the larger City and County of Swansea. The last leader of the council was Cllr Trevor Gordon Burtonshaw.
Swansea Council - Swansea Bay City Region Joint Committee 13 June 2024
published: 13 Jun 2024
Living in Swansea Bay - lifestyle, schools, buying a property
Swansea Bay offers the perfect work-life balance. Find out why in this video.
published: 08 Jul 2021
ARCH and the Swansea Bay City Region Deal
An overview of ARCH and the benefits of the Swansea Bay City Region Deal.
published: 13 Sep 2017
Our journey on CEIC - Swansea Bay Region Cohorts 6&7
Follow SBR 6 & 7 through their journey on the CEIC programme from their foundation day & residential through to the final workshop.
published: 31 Jul 2023
Swansea Bay - A great place to work and live ☀️
Tired of the daily urban slog? There is another way. Swansea Bay - a city by the sea.
published: 19 Jul 2021
Swansea Bay City Deal
Swansea Bay City Region submits ‘Internet Coast’ City Deal bid in excess of £500m to UK and Welsh Governments
published: 07 Apr 2016
Neath Port Talbot Innovation Exchange 2022 Swansea Bay talking about the region
South Wales manufacturing and engineering sector
published: 30 Nov 2022
Neath Port Talbot Innovation Exchange 2022 Swansea Bay talking about the region 2
South West Wales for manufacturing and engineering - part 2
published: 01 Dec 2022
Prime Minister visits Wales and signs Swansea Bay City deal
Ahead of triggering Article 50 to start the process to leave the EU, Prime Minister Theresa May visited Swansea to sign the Swansea Bay City Region deal and meet business people. Find out more: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-visits-wales-before-triggering-article-50
Prime Minister Theresa May said: "What we're looking to negotiate when we leave the European Union is a bright future for a stronger fairer Britain. That's about getting the right deal with the EU, but it's also about ensuring that we're getting a better deal for ordinary working people here across the UK, in Wales and other parts of the UK. That's about looking forward to a stronger economy for the future, it's part of our Plan for Britain. What we've announced today in terms of the £1.3 billion of investment, the over...
published: 20 Mar 2017
Swansea Bay City Region Joint Scrutiny Committee - 16 April 2024
Ahead of triggering Article 50 to start the process to leave the EU, Prime Minister Theresa May visited Swansea to sign the Swansea Bay City Region deal and mee...
Ahead of triggering Article 50 to start the process to leave the EU, Prime Minister Theresa May visited Swansea to sign the Swansea Bay City Region deal and meet business people. Find out more: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-visits-wales-before-triggering-article-50
Prime Minister Theresa May said: "What we're looking to negotiate when we leave the European Union is a bright future for a stronger fairer Britain. That's about getting the right deal with the EU, but it's also about ensuring that we're getting a better deal for ordinary working people here across the UK, in Wales and other parts of the UK. That's about looking forward to a stronger economy for the future, it's part of our Plan for Britain. What we've announced today in terms of the £1.3 billion of investment, the over 9,000 jobs, as part of the Swansea Bay City Region deal, is part of our Industrial Strategy, it's part of looking to the future, ensuring that growth, an economy that is working for everyone."
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Ahead of triggering Article 50 to start the process to leave the EU, Prime Minister Theresa May visited Swansea to sign the Swansea Bay City Region deal and meet business people. Find out more: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-visits-wales-before-triggering-article-50
Prime Minister Theresa May said: "What we're looking to negotiate when we leave the European Union is a bright future for a stronger fairer Britain. That's about getting the right deal with the EU, but it's also about ensuring that we're getting a better deal for ordinary working people here across the UK, in Wales and other parts of the UK. That's about looking forward to a stronger economy for the future, it's part of our Plan for Britain. What we've announced today in terms of the £1.3 billion of investment, the over 9,000 jobs, as part of the Swansea Bay City Region deal, is part of our Industrial Strategy, it's part of looking to the future, ensuring that growth, an economy that is working for everyone."
Follow us on:
www.gov.uk/number10
www.twitter.com/Number10gov
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Ahead of triggering Article 50 to start the process to leave the EU, Prime Minister Theresa May visited Swansea to sign the Swansea Bay City Region deal and meet business people. Find out more: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-visits-wales-before-triggering-article-50
Prime Minister Theresa May said: "What we're looking to negotiate when we leave the European Union is a bright future for a stronger fairer Britain. That's about getting the right deal with the EU, but it's also about ensuring that we're getting a better deal for ordinary working people here across the UK, in Wales and other parts of the UK. That's about looking forward to a stronger economy for the future, it's part of our Plan for Britain. What we've announced today in terms of the £1.3 billion of investment, the over 9,000 jobs, as part of the Swansea Bay City Region deal, is part of our Industrial Strategy, it's part of looking to the future, ensuring that growth, an economy that is working for everyone."
Follow us on:
www.gov.uk/number10
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Oyster fishing was once an important industry in Swansea Bay, employing 600 people at its height in the 1860s. However, overfishing, disease and pollution had all but wiped out the oyster population by 1920. In 2005 plans were announced to reintroduce the Oyster farming industry.
Beaches
The bay is lined with sandy beaches. Each stretch of beach within the bay has its own individual name:
Like any busy running event the curious sight of bobbing heads in front of you indicates the Swansea Bay parkrun is again under way ... We are talking after a parkrun in late October – a still morning framed by the bay with the sun low on the horizon.
Robin Hood’s Bay, North Yorkshire. Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire ... This sheltered route brings you out at Thorpe Lane, from where a right turn and a steep downhill ascent brings you into Robin Hood’s Bay ... Oxwich and Three Cliffs Bay, Swansea.
... where prices are 75% higher, serving as the gateway to the Gower Peninsula where multi-million-pound homes sit atop cliffs with dramatic views over Swansea Bay and the historic Oystermouth Castle.
Puzzles. Challenge yourself with today’s puzzles. Crossword. Polygon. Sudoku ... “Be like Dad, keep …” who? ... 9 Located on Swansea Bay, Mumbles marks the start of which peninsula’s coastline? ... .
Alternatively, just wonder at the danger posed by Morecambe Bay’s tidal sands - but do not cross them without a guide ... The 70 sq-mile peninsular, near Swansea, has everything from the vast sweep of Rhossili to pretty coves like Port Eynon and Tor Bay.
MAO JIANJUN/GETTY IMAGES. Noisy neighbours are not a problem for the owners of this house in the countryside near Otley, Yorkshire... A surfer enjoying the waves at Langland Bay on the Gower peninsula near Swansea as StormAshley begins to calm down ... UK ... .