Gorseinon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gorseinon |
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 Gorseinon
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| Population | Town: 8,696 Urban Area: 20,581 |
| OS grid reference | SS585985 |
| Principal area | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SWANSEA |
| Postcode district | SA4 |
| Dialling code | 01792 |
| Police | South Wales |
| Fire | Mid and West Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| EU Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament |
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| Welsh Assembly |
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Gorseinon is a town located in the City and County of Swansea, Wales. It's close to the Loughor estuary. For a long time, Gorseinon was just a small village. But in the late 1800s, it grew much bigger because of the coal mining and tinplate industries.
The town is about 6 miles (10 km) northwest of Swansea City Centre. Gorseinon is a local government area called a community. It has its own elected town council. In 2011, about 8,693 people lived in the Gorseinon town council area. However, a larger area, including Gorseinon, Loughor, Garden Village, and Penllergaer, has a population of 20,581. This is known as the Gorseinon Urban Area.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The name Gorseinon means "Einon's marsh." It comes from the Welsh word cors, which means "marsh," and the male name Einon. We don't know for sure who Einon was. The shorter Welsh name for the village is Y Gors, meaning "the marsh."
A Look Back in Time
Churches and Chapels
In 1840, Gorseinon was very small, with only about 250 people. There were two main places of worship. One was St Teilo's Church, known as the "Church on the Marsh." This church was later moved and rebuilt at the St Fagans National History Museum in Cardiff. The other was Brynteg Chapel, built in 1815, which was the only non-conformist chapel around for many miles. It is still standing today.
As Gorseinon grew, more churches and chapels were built in the 1880s. Holy Trinity Church was the first church in the town, built in 1882. Seion Baptist Church opened in 1886. Bethel English Congregational Church was built in 1894, and Ebenezer Welsh Congregational Chapel opened in 1887.
Later, St. Catherine's Church was built in 1913, and the Salvation Army church in 1910. A Roman Catholic church was built in 1932, and a new one in the 1960s. There is also a Christadelphian meeting hall in the town.
Farms and Factories
The name Gors Eynon first appeared on a map in 1813. By 1830, it was spelled Gorseinon, just like today.
Long ago, monks from Neath Abbey visited this area. They built several mills along the local rivers to help them. These mills were used to make flour and clothes. Wool from sheep in Gower was brought here to be processed. By the late 1200s, the monks owned a lot of land for sheep farming. They produced high-quality wool that was sold in other countries like Flanders and Italy.
Later, a family named Pryce (who later changed their name to Price) owned much of the land and mills.
Coal was very important to Gorseinon. A coal mine called "The Mountain Coal" opened in 1846. Coal was first sent by a small railway to Loughor, then by boats to Llanelli and around the world. This mine later became the Mountain Colliery. At its busiest, it produced over 200,000 tons of coal a year and employed more than 900 people. It closed in 1969.
In 1860, the L.N.W.R. wanted to extend their railway line. A local industrialist, William Lewis, sold them land for a station. Gorseinon Station opened in 1870. This made it easier to send coal from the Mountain Colliery to Swansea Docks.
The first day-school opened in 1880. As industries grew, so did Gorseinon, with new houses and streets like Mill Street and High Street. In 1886, the Grovesend Tin Works was built. The Grovesend Steelworks opened in 1890. These factories brought many jobs to the town.
Gorseinon also had several public houses, like the Gorseinon Hotel and the Station Hotel. These were places where workers could relax after a long day. The Gorseinon Hotel is now a restaurant. The Gorseinon Institute opened in 1904, and the Bryngwyn Sheetworks in 1908.
How Gorseinon is Governed
Local Government
Before 1996, Gorseinon was part of the Lliw Valley area. Since 1996, it has been governed by the City and County of Swansea council. Gorseinon is part of the Gorseinon and Penyrheol areas within Swansea.
Town Council
The Gorseinon Town Council started in 1998. It is made up of sixteen volunteers who are elected every four years. They choose a town mayor each year. The council meets regularly to discuss local issues and plans for the town.
Town's Economy
Gorseinon has a busy main street with many shops in the town centre. There are also several business parks nearby, like Garngoch Industrial Estate and Gorseinon Business Park, which provide jobs. In the past, large factories like Bryngwyn steel works were major employers, but they closed in the 1990s. To help the town, the National Assembly for Wales started a plan to invest in new projects.
A big Asda supermarket opened in Gorseinon in 2010.
The Canolfan Gorseinon Centre is a community hub built on the site of the old Bryngwyn Steel Works. It's run by a charity and hosts many local groups, including:
- Gorseinon Development Trust
- Gorseinon Food Bank
- Musicality – Academy of Performing Arts
- Gorseinon Food Festival
- Gorseinon Community Cinema
- Gorseinon Players
The Gorseinon Development Trust is a local charity that works to improve the town. They focus on things like car parking, local businesses, keeping the town clean, and looking after historic areas and parks.
Twin Town
Gorseinon is twinned with Ploërmel, a town in France. This means they have a special friendship and often share cultural exchanges.
What's in Gorseinon?
The town has a local hospital. It was given to the community by a local industrialist named (William) Rufus Lewis before the National Health Service was created. He also helped create Parc y Werin People's Park.
Gorseinon also has a library, a district housing office, and a post office.
Sports and Fun
Gorseinon has several sports teams:
- Gorseinon RFC plays Rugby Union.
- Garden Village FC plays football.
- Gorseinon Cricket Club plays cricket.
- Gower Riders is a cycling club that holds a cyclo-cross race each year.
- Swansea Sharks is a roller hockey club.
Gorseinon hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1980. This is a big festival of Welsh culture, music, and poetry.
For over 50 years, Gorseinon was home to 'La Charrette', which was known as the UK's smallest cinema. It was made from an old railway carriage! It opened in 1953 but closed in 2008. The cinema was then moved to the Gower Heritage Centre.
The Canolfan Gorseinon Centre, which recently opened, has a large hall for different uses, training rooms, offices for small businesses, a creche (childcare), and a cafe.
Learning in Gorseinon
Gorseinon Primary School provides education for younger children. There are plans to build a new primary school.
Most students aged 11 to 16 go to Penyrheol Comprehensive School. The school was rebuilt in 2009 after a fire in 2006.
One of the campuses of Gower College Swansea is in Gorseinon. It offers further education and adult learning courses.
Famous People from Gorseinon
Many notable people have connections to Gorseinon, including:
- Keith Allen, an actor and comedian.
- Aneirin Talfan Davies, a Welsh poet and broadcaster.
- Sir Alun Talfan Davies, a judge and publisher.
- Norman Gale, a Welsh rugby union captain.
- Leigh Halfpenny, a Welsh and British & Irish Lions rugby player.
- Michael Howard, a politician and former leader of the Conservative Party.
- Leighton James, a Welsh international footballer.
- Robbie James, a Welsh international footballer.
- Colin Jones, a welterweight boxer.
- Lewis Jones, a Welsh international rugby player.
- Richard Moriarty, a Welsh rugby union captain.
- Jessica Sula, an actress.
- Imogen Thomas, a model.
Getting Around
Gorseinon has a bus station in the town centre. Buses connect Gorseinon to nearby villages, Llanelli, and Swansea city centre. The town used to have a train service, but it stopped in 1964. The closest train station now is Gowerton railway station, about 1.8 miles (2.9 km) away.
The main road through Gorseinon is the A4240 road. It goes through the town centre as High Street and Alexandra Road. This road connects Gorseinon to Llanelli in the west and to Penllergaer and the M4 Motorway (Junction 47) in the east.
See also
In Spanish: Gorseinon para niños
