Swansea
Swansea The city of Swansea is located in South Wales. Within its administrative boundaries are residential, commercial and industrial areas, together with varied coastlines and Britain’s first designated ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ - the Gower peninsula. The city is linked to the rest of South Wales, London and Bristol by the M4 motorway. There is an hourly train service to London with a journey time of less than three hours. In addition there is a regular car and passenger ferry to Cork in Ireland. History The Vikings were the first to settle permanently here, and named it Sweyn’s Ey. The development of Swansea as a small market town and port really began in earnest with the arrival of the Normans, who settled close to the 12th century castle. The 18th century saw the exploitation of coal reserves in and around the area and the export of coal through the port. The centre of Swansea was bombed during World War II, and this together with the decline of heavy industry in the late 20th century has provided an opportunity for extensive redevelopment of many parts of the Swansea area. Swansea first became a tourist destination during the 18th century when it was known as ‘Brighton of the West’. What to See & Do in Swansea