Swansea city centre
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Swansea city centre, in the City and County of Swansea, Wales and became a city in 1969 by Prince Charles. It lies slightly inland from the River Tawe and Swansea Bay.
History
The heart of the city centre was bombed severely in 1941 in what is now termed the "Three Nights Blitz". Forty one acres of the City Centre and 857 premises were destroyed beyond repair. Many local businesses had to be re-located just outside of the area of devastation. It took Swansea many years to recover and re-build. With the old shopping centre around High Street flattened, Swansea's main shopping district was re-built around the new Kingsway.Shopping
At the heart of the City Centre lies Swansea Market and the Quadrant centre. Oxford Street is Swansea's main shopping street. The east end of Oxford Street is dominated by a number of major national high-street chains, whilst the west end of the street consists mainly of shops run by local businesses.The Quadrant shopping centre is a modern shopping mall that opened in the late 1970s. Major chain stores such as Debenhams dominate the mall. On the south side of the shopping mall is a large mult-storey car park. Located on the west side of the mall is the Quadrant bus station which serves as Swansea's main passenger road transport hub, for local and national busses and local taxis.
Beside the Quadrant centre, to the south east is the Tesco superstore. The store is located on the site of a large former gasworks.
Street markets are held in the city centre during the Christmas season. They are usually sited on Oxford Street, Princess Way and Castle Square.
Streets
High Street
High street was once the main shopping street in Swansea and formed the central axis of the shopping centre. It was completely destroyed in WW2 and the only building left standing was the Castle Cinema.Swansea Castle is to be found at the southern end of the street. Opposite the castle is the Castle Square. Towards the northern end is Swansea railway station and the Swansea Grand Hotel. The stretch between the castle and railway station is dominated by local retailers, discount retailers and a few pubs, restaurants and fast-food outlets. The street becomes mainly residential, north of the raiway station. In this residential stretch, there is one curious wedged shaped building on the corner with Prince of Wales Street. This was once a department store. It was once used as a nightclub but is now mostly derelict.
The Kingsway
Until the development of Wind Street as a night-life zone, the Kingsway was the centre of night life in Swansea. While many of the bars are shutting down due to competition from Wind Street bars, the largest night-clubs in Swansea are still located here.Apart from the night life venues, The Kingsway has a number of banks, shops and fast food outlets. Swansea's main post office is located on this road too.
Oxford Street
Oxford street is now the main shopping street in Swansea. The street is dominated by multi national chain stores. It belongs to a pedestrianised zone around Swansea Market and the Quadrant Centre. Oxford street actually stretches from Castle Square to the east all the way to the far west of the Sandfields area. The Sandfields stretch of Oxford street is mainly residential.Wind Street
Wind Street is a historic street located in central Swansea. It was once a busy street, a haunt of the poet Dylan Thomas and location of the well-known covered alleyway 'Salubrious Passage'. It became a backwater in the second half of the 20th century when the commercial centre of Swansea shifted. However, following redevelopment at the beginning of the 21st century it is now known for its unusually high density of pubs and clubs, including the long-established No-Sign Wine Bar and the The Olde Cross Keys Pub.It is also significant because its name has an unusual pronunciation. It is pronounced not to rhyme with 'finned' or 'rescind', but rather with 'kind' or 'blind'. There is also a street in the nearby town of Neath with same name and pronunciation. It seems there is no definitive explanation for this pronunciation. The street does curve towards one end but not in any significant way. Nor is it clear that it is related to a word or pronunciation from the Welsh language.
St Helen's road
St Helens road is the main street for entering and leaving the city centre from the west of Swanesa. The south side of the street is dominated by fast food outlets, restaurants and foreign grocery stores. Many people go here for a keebab and pizza after a good night out on the town, as they go home. The north side of the street has a number of solicitors and health centres.Car parking
There are few streets without double yellow lines in the city centre. Car parking in paid car parks is not a problem in rush hours due to the abundance of car parking spaces. However, to avoid paying for a parking space, many shoppers park in the Sandfields residential area to the annoyance of the local residents there.See also
External links
- [Swansea City Centre] (official City and County of Swansea site)
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