Dunvant
Encyclopedia
Dunvant is a suburban district in the City and County of Swansea
, Wales
, and falls within the Dunvant ward
. It is situated in a valley some 4.5 miles west of Swansea city centre
.
. The area between Dunvant and Gowerton
was once quite heavily industrialised. with four nearby collieries Killan, Bishwell, Bryn Mawr and Dunvant. Bishwell and Bryn Mawr to the south of Gowerton
were short-lived and closed in the 1870s. However, the collieries in Dunvant have a longer history. Dunvant closed again in 1914. Killan ceased operations in 1925 following the disaster of 1924 in which five men were killed. At its peak it employed 900 men. Other industry included the Penlan (Dunvant) Brickworks
and Quarry
which although long since derelict
is now an area of conservation
and ecological diversity.
Development of this part of the South Wales Coalfield
was due to the proximity of the Central Wales Line
, which first opened to passengers in 1867 taking people from Swansea Victoria station via Blackpill
through to Gowerton
and beyond. At its peak, the railway carried up to 80 trains a day including express trains to Shrewsbury
.
Houses in the area sprung up in the form of ribbon development
along the roads leading to the area in the early 1920s and 1930s.
However, it was in the 1960s that larger housing estates appeared, creating the sub-urban area forming Dunvant today.
. As the school expanded, the original buildings were insufficient and a number of temporary buildings were provided. The infants school originally operated from a corrugated iron building known as the Tin Shack until a new building was built in 1966 to the north of the junior school. The Tin Shack survived as part of the junior school until it was demolished in the mid 1980s.
In 1969, the new Olchfa School
opened and many of the staff and older pupils transferred to the new school, with buildings belonging to the Dunvant Secondary School being transferred to the junior school.
Even with the new infants school and secondary school, accommodation at Dunvant became overcrowded due to the continued expansion of the large housing estates at Derlwyn and Broadmead. The overcrowding was alleviated in 1976 by the opening of the new Hendrefoilan
Primary School in Killay.
In 2006, Dunvant Infant and Dunvant Junior Schools merged to form Dunvant Primary School. Many of the temporary buildings on the junior school site have now been removed, and a programme of building works is under way to bring the remaining buildings up to a modern standard.
Rugby union club Dunvant RFC
is based in the village.
Dunvant is home to Dunvant Male Choir which is currently directed by Jonathan Rogers.
The Clyne Valley Cycle Track part of National Cycle Network
Route 4 runs through this village.
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, and falls within the Dunvant ward
Dunvant (electoral ward)
Dunvant is an electoral ward coterminous with a community of the same name in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, UK. The community does not have a community council. It is named after the village of Dunvant which lies within the ward....
. It is situated in a valley some 4.5 miles west of Swansea city centre
Swansea city centre
Swansea city centre in Swansea, Wales, contains the main shopping, leisure and nightlife district in Swansea. The city centre covers much of the Castle ward including the area around Oxford Street, Castle Square, and the Quadrant Shopping Centre; Alexandra Road, High Street, Wind Street and the...
.
History
Dunvant started out as a small village based around the coal industryHistory of coal mining
Due to its abundance, coal has been mined in various parts of the world throughout history and continues to be an important economic activity today. Compared to wood fuels, coal yields a higher amount of energy per mass and could be obtained in areas where wood is not readily available...
. The area between Dunvant and Gowerton
Gowerton
The village of Gowerton is situated about 4 miles north west of Swansea city centre, Wales. Gowerton is often known as the gateway to Gower. Gowerton's original name was Ffosfelin...
was once quite heavily industrialised. with four nearby collieries Killan, Bishwell, Bryn Mawr and Dunvant. Bishwell and Bryn Mawr to the south of Gowerton
Gowerton
The village of Gowerton is situated about 4 miles north west of Swansea city centre, Wales. Gowerton is often known as the gateway to Gower. Gowerton's original name was Ffosfelin...
were short-lived and closed in the 1870s. However, the collieries in Dunvant have a longer history. Dunvant closed again in 1914. Killan ceased operations in 1925 following the disaster of 1924 in which five men were killed. At its peak it employed 900 men. Other industry included the Penlan (Dunvant) Brickworks
Brickworks
A brickworks also known as a brick factory, is a factory for the manufacturing of bricks, from clay or shale. Usually a brickworks is located on a clay bedrock often with a quarry for clay on site....
and Quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
which although long since derelict
Derelict
Derelict or dereliction commonly refers to:* Abandonment of property, then referred to as a 'derelict'* Derelict , property which has been abandoned and deserted at sea by those who were in charge without any hope of recovering it...
is now an area of conservation
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
and ecological diversity.
Development of this part of the South Wales Coalfield
South Wales Coalfield
The South Wales Coalfield is a large region of south Wales that is rich with coal deposits, especially the South Wales Valleys.-The coalfield area:...
was due to the proximity of the Central Wales Line
Heart of Wales Line
The Heart of Wales Line is a railway line running from Craven Arms in Shropshire to Llanelli in South Wales. It runs, as the name suggests, through some of the heartlands of Wales. It serves a number of rural centres en route, including several once fashionable spa towns, including Llandrindod Wells...
, which first opened to passengers in 1867 taking people from Swansea Victoria station via Blackpill
Blackpill
Blackpill is a suburban area of Swansea, Wales. It is located beside Swansea Bay, about south west of the city centre.Blackpill falls into the Mayals ward....
through to Gowerton
Gowerton
The village of Gowerton is situated about 4 miles north west of Swansea city centre, Wales. Gowerton is often known as the gateway to Gower. Gowerton's original name was Ffosfelin...
and beyond. At its peak, the railway carried up to 80 trains a day including express trains to Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
.
Houses in the area sprung up in the form of ribbon development
Ribbon development
Ribbon development means building houses along the routes of communications radiating from a human settlement. Such development generated great concern in the United Kingdom during the 1920s and the 1930s, as well as in numerous other countries....
along the roads leading to the area in the early 1920s and 1930s.
However, it was in the 1960s that larger housing estates appeared, creating the sub-urban area forming Dunvant today.
Education
Dunvant has two Primary Schools, Pen-y-Fro Primary situated on Priors Crescent (formerly named Dyfnant Primary) and Dunvant School. Dunvant School opened to primary and secondary pupils in 1877 under the headship of Mr John Roach. The school replaced an earlier school in KillayKillay
Killay is the name of a suburb and local government community in Swansea, Wales. Killay has its own community council. The village is set high above sea level, about 3.5 miles west of Swansea city centre....
. As the school expanded, the original buildings were insufficient and a number of temporary buildings were provided. The infants school originally operated from a corrugated iron building known as the Tin Shack until a new building was built in 1966 to the north of the junior school. The Tin Shack survived as part of the junior school until it was demolished in the mid 1980s.
In 1969, the new Olchfa School
Olchfa School
Olchfa School is the largest comprehensive school in Swansea, South Wales, with approximately 2000 pupils. It provides secondary education for GCSE and tertiary education leading to A-Level qualifications...
opened and many of the staff and older pupils transferred to the new school, with buildings belonging to the Dunvant Secondary School being transferred to the junior school.
Even with the new infants school and secondary school, accommodation at Dunvant became overcrowded due to the continued expansion of the large housing estates at Derlwyn and Broadmead. The overcrowding was alleviated in 1976 by the opening of the new Hendrefoilan
Hendrefoilan
Hendrefoilan is an area in Swansea, south Wales. The area overlaps the Northwest of Sketty and eastern Killay communities.The western part is often known as Student Village. The Student Village is on the West bank of the Olchfa stream, so is in fact in Killay. It is part of a Satellite Campus of...
Primary School in Killay.
In 2006, Dunvant Infant and Dunvant Junior Schools merged to form Dunvant Primary School. Many of the temporary buildings on the junior school site have now been removed, and a programme of building works is under way to bring the remaining buildings up to a modern standard.
Sport and leisure
Dunvant RFC
| teamname = Dunvant RFC | fullname = Dunvant Rugby Football Club | nickname = "The Vant", "Green & Red Hoops" | location = Dunvant, Wales | countryflag = Wales | founded = 1888 | ground = Broadacre | capacity = 3000...
is based in the village.
Dunvant is home to Dunvant Male Choir which is currently directed by Jonathan Rogers.
The Clyne Valley Cycle Track part of National Cycle Network
National Cycle Network
The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom.The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans , and aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. In 2005 it was used for over 230 million trips.Many routes hope to minimise contact with motor...
Route 4 runs through this village.
Notable residents
- Sir Granville Beynon (1914-1996), Internationally-renowned scientist.
- John OrmondJohn OrmondJohn Ormond , was a Welsh poet and filmmaker.Ormond was born in Dunvant, near Swansea, and was educated at Swansea University.He joined the staff of Picture Post in 1945. He returned to Swansea in 1949 and, in 1957, began what was to be a distinguished career with BBC Wales as a director and...
(1923-90), poet and film-maker. - Heather NicholsonHeather NicholsonHeather Nicholson , also known as Heather James, is a British animal rights activist. She is best known for having co-founded three pivotal animal rights campaigns in the UK in the 1990s. In 1997, Consort Kennels in Hereford, which bred beagles for animal-testing labs, was closed after a ten-month...
(1967- ), animal rights activist - Ceri RichardsCeri Richards-Biography:Richards was born in the village of Dunvant, near Swansea, the son of Thomas Coslett Richards and Sarah Richards . He and his younger brother and sister, Owen and Esther, were brought up in a highly cultured, working-class environment...
(1903-1971), Artist, acknowledged as Wales’ most important artist of the mid-twentieth century, went to Dunvant infants and junior school. - David John ThomasDavid John ThomasDavid John Thomas was a Welsh international forward who played club rugby for Swansea Rugby Club. He won ten caps for Wales and is most notable for scoring the only try in Swansea's win over South Africa in 1912....
(1879-1925), Wales international rugby player
External links
Churches in Dunvant
- St Martin's
- Ebenezer
- St. Joachim and St. Anne Catholic Church
- Dunvant Gospel Hall