Lower Swansea valley facts for kids

The Lower Swansea Valley is the bottom part of the River Tawe valley in south Wales. It stretches from near Clydach down to Swansea docks. Here, the river flows into Swansea Bay and the Bristol Channel. This small area became super important during the Industrial Revolution. It was a hub for new ideas and inventions. This changed the landscape a lot. Swansea's population and economy grew very quickly.

Today, this area is almost completely renewed. Modern buildings and homes have replaced the old, polluting factories. It's now home to Swansea City A.F.C., a Championship football club. The Ospreys, a Welsh Rugby Union team, also play here. Old railway lines are now nice walking and cycling paths. The River Tawe is used by canoeists, not barges carrying copper.

History of the Valley

For about 150 years, until the 1920s, the River Tawe valley became one of the most industrial places in the world. Many things helped industry grow so much here.

First, there was a lot of coal nearby. The South Wales coalfield had steam coal and anthracite close to the surface. Miners could easily dig it up using shallow drift mining or open cast mining. Smelting metals needed three times more coal than metal ore. So, having easy, high-quality coal was a huge advantage.

Second, Swansea had a great port and a safe place for ships to anchor. It was cheaper to bring metal ores to Swansea's coal than to take the coal to the ores. Also, the very high tides in Swansea allowed large, deep ships to enter the river. This meant huge amounts of raw materials could come in. Important finished products, like copper sheets, tinplate, and coal, could also be shipped out easily.

Third, the skills for making iron were already well-known. Many skilled workers were ready to help the new industries grow. Swansea was already a big town. It could provide all the workers needed. The growth of industry in the valley made Swansea's population grow a lot. Many rich business people, scientists, and engineers came to Swansea. This led to many new ideas in how things were made.

At first, factories focused on smelting copper. Coal came down on special waggonways and tramways. Copper ore arrived on ships that could sail right up to the factories. The finished copper was then shipped out the same way. Swansea became known as Copperopolis (meaning "Copper City"). The lower Tawe valley became a huge industrial area. After copper and coal, other industries followed. These included pottery-making, which also needed lots of coal. The alum industry, based on materials found with coal, also grew. Factories also made fire-clay, used to line furnaces.

Copper Production

The first copper smelter in the area was built at Landore in 1717. It was started by John Lane and John Pollard. Pollard later built another copper works at Llangyfelach. In 1720, the Cambrian Works opened near the river mouth. It made copper until 1745. (It later reopened as a pottery in 1764.) In 1737, the White Rock copper works opened at Pentrechwyth.

By 1780, there were three copper works on the east side of the river: White Rock, Middle, and Upper Bank. On the west side, there was one at Forest. By 1800, nine copper smelters were working in the valley. By 1860, the Lower Swansea Valley was smelting two-thirds of all the copper ores brought into Britain. Changes in Swansea's copper output affected global copper prices.

Environmental Impact

The huge amount of industry, at a time when there were almost no rules about pollution, caused big problems. The land and water became very dirty with many toxic and dangerous chemicals. The River Tawe was already polluted by coal mining.

Even worse was the Nant y Fendrod, a small stream in the valley. For over 100 years, most of its water was used by industries. Its channel became a dumping ground for liquid waste. Rainwater soaking through growing piles of waste added even more pollution.

Pictures from the industrial boom show a thick smog over the valleys and towns. This means the air quality was very bad. A local doctor, Thomas Williams, wrote a book in 1854 called The Effects of the Copper-Smoke. He described the polluted landscape, air, and the complaints of local farmers.

Even in the 1980s, long after the industries closed, the Nant y Fendrod was still very polluted. It contained high levels of copper, iron, nickel, and ammonia.

Modern Times

Today, only one working industry in the Lower Swansea Valley can trace its roots back to the industrial era. This is the INCO nickel factory at Clydach, known as The Mond. It still refines nickel using the nickel carbonyl process.

The Lower Swansea Valley Project started in the early 1960s. Its goal was to clean up and reuse the land. Over the next twenty years, the whole community helped restore the area. The redevelopment created the South Dock and Maritime Quarter. It also built the Liberty Stadium sports complex. The Swansea Enterprise Park is an industrial park with a large lake. This lake, in the course of the Nant y Fendrod, helps reduce metal pollution in the water. The lake itself is lined with limestone. Almost all the old factory buildings were removed. Only a few buildings of historical interest were saved.