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THIS IS SWANSEA
Swansea had the World's first passenger railway (1807) and the first purpose built museum in Wales (1841) The Gower Peninsula is the UK's first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (1956) Worm's Head is reputedly the 7th most photographed sunset in the world Swansea - the UK’s first tidal barrage across a river (1992) Bob Dylan reputedly changed his surname from Zimmerman to Dylan in admiration of the poet Dylan Thomas. Swansea has the 2nd largest tidal range in the world, the largest being at the head of the Bay of Fundy, between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, Canada. Swansea is home to the first Technium in the UK (2001) The Sail Bridge at SA1 Swansea Waterfront measures 142 metres long, weighs a total of 292 tonnes and features a vast 40 metre high mast. Country Life readers voted Three Cliffs Bay on the Gower Peninsula as the fourth best view in Britain. 3 of Swansea’s parks and gardens are holders of the prestigious Civic Trust ‘Green Flag Award’ Swansea people are referred to locally as ‘Jacks’. Swansea Jack was a flat-coated retriever who lived in the City during the 1940’s and was reputed to have saved 27 humans and 2 dogs from drowning! He was awarded the canine Victoria Cross for his efforts. Swansea is home to Wales’ National 50m pool and we are also just 45 mins from Wales’ Millennium Stadium. The oldest human burial was found on the Gower Peninsula. Centuries ago, Gower was covered in woodland from end to end! The Gower Peninsula is only 28km (18 miles) east to west, and less than 13km (8 miles) north to south and yet within there are nearly 640km (400 miles) of public rights of way and 23 nature reserves. Swansea has the largest traditional covered market in Wales. Gower’s Cefn Bryn is ‘one of the richest archaeological sites in South Wales’. Catherine Zeta Jones was born and grew up in Mumbles and now owns a home there. The first Particular Baptist church in Wales was formed in 1649 at Ilston, Gower. The Bury inlet provides nearly 1,000 hectares of salt mash – the largest continuous stretch in Wales.
Years ago, Swansea boasted one of the most remarkable places of worship in the world!
The Underground Chapel
A recent BBC Radio Wales programme entitled 'Chapel in Fossil Woods' marks the 75th anniversary of the final service held in the chapel, which was located hundreds of feet underground in the Mynydd Newydd colliery in Fforestfach. Back in 1843, the men at the colliery decided to establish the chapel following an explosion at the pit. Workers created a chamber from the solid coal, measuring 16 yards long by six yards wide. It was supported by a surrounding timber frame. With a whitewashed roof and sides, the chapel's seats were made from rough plank seats between the rows of timbers. Every Monday at 6am the chapel held a service before the men went to their working places. The weekly service continued for more than 80 years. In fact, the men cut three chapels into the rock as geological conditions changed and seams were worked out or flooded.
Services were conducted by the men themselves. Only occasionally were visiting clergy invited to address the meetings. 'Chapel in Fossil Woods' was broadcasted on August 25 and included eye-witness accounts of the spiritual secret that has been silent for 75 years. Producer Steve Groves said 'We know the hymns and at least one of the passages from the Bible read at that last service and people who were there recorded their thoughts as a tradition that went back for generations came to end. That's helped bring the story to life.
