Loughor
Encyclopedia
Loughor is a town
in the City and County of Swansea
, Wales
, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan
, Wales
. It lies on the estuary
of the River Loughor
. The town has a community
council called Llwchwr
.
The town was home to the Roman
fort
of Leucarum
, over which the Norman
Loughor Castle
was built in 1099. There is said to be a hidden tunnel under the castle which contains many treasures. Loughor developed around the castle.
The town has a Independent Lifeboat station situated near the road bridge which has been in existence since 1969. The current Lifeboat is a state of the art Ribcraft 5.85 metre Rib.
It later grew as a port
, while in the early twentieth century large tin
and steel
works were the main industries. Loughor town can be divided into two areas defined by the present day electoral wards Lower Loughor
and Upper Loughor
which have separate histories. Lower Loughor lies nearer the sea and set on low ground whilst Upper Loughor lies on higher ground. Loughor initially developed around the Norman castle in what is now the Lower Loughor ward. Upper Loughor began as a distinct settlement, initially around what is now the Glebe Road area. Upper Loughor Town was well established as a separate town by the mid 19th Century. Loughor is now mostly a commuter town
for Swansea
and Llanelli
via the Loughor bridge
and has merged with the neighbouring town of Gorseinon
.
Local schools in the town include Tre Uchaf Primary School and the Casllwchwr Primary School. Sited opposite the Tre Uchaf Primary is one of the sites of Gower College Swansea
.
The local rugby union
team of the town is Loughor RFC
.
James Henry Govier
(1910- 1974) the British painter, etcher and engraver of the Swansea School, produced a number of images of Loughor, he lived at Gorseinon and has work in the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery at Swansea, the National Museum of Wales, the National Library of Wales, and in several other national collections. See Gorseinon
and Oakley for more details.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the City and County of Swansea
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...
, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
, 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...
. It lies on the estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
of the River Loughor
River Loughor
The River Loughor in Carmarthenshire, Wales has its source at an underground lake at the Black Mountain. It flows past settlements like Ammanford and Hendy in Carmarthenshire and Pontarddulais in Swansea. The river divides Carmarthenshire from Swansea for much of its course and it separates Hendy...
. The town has a community
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
council called Llwchwr
Llwchwr
Llwchwr is a community at the far western edge of the City and County of Swansea, Wales, UK. Llwchwr comprises the town of Loughor and the village and district of Kingsbridge...
.
The town was home to the Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
fort
Castra
The Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military defensive position. The word appears in both Oscan and Umbrian as well as in Latin. It may have descended from Indo-European to Italic...
of Leucarum
Leucarum
Leucarum was a coastal auxiliary fort in the Roman province of Britannia. Its remains are located beneath the town of Loughor in the Welsh county of West Glamorgan....
, over which the Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
Loughor Castle
Loughor Castle
Loughor Castle is located in the town of Loughor, Wales. Only a small ruin now remains on top of a moundoverlooking the Loughor bridge. Rumour has it, there's a secret tunnel running under it where buried treasure remains.-External links:*...
was built in 1099. There is said to be a hidden tunnel under the castle which contains many treasures. Loughor developed around the castle.
The town has a Independent Lifeboat station situated near the road bridge which has been in existence since 1969. The current Lifeboat is a state of the art Ribcraft 5.85 metre Rib.
It later grew as a port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
, while in the early twentieth century large tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
and steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
works were the main industries. Loughor town can be divided into two areas defined by the present day electoral wards Lower Loughor
Lower Loughor
Lower Loughor is an electoral ward in the City and County of Swansea, Wales. The ward covers the western part of the town of Loughor in the parliamentary constituency of Gower....
and Upper Loughor
Upper Loughor
Upper Loughor is an electoral ward in the City and County of Swansea, Wales. The ward covers the eastern part of the town of Loughor in the parliamentary constituency of Gower....
which have separate histories. Lower Loughor lies nearer the sea and set on low ground whilst Upper Loughor lies on higher ground. Loughor initially developed around the Norman castle in what is now the Lower Loughor ward. Upper Loughor began as a distinct settlement, initially around what is now the Glebe Road area. Upper Loughor Town was well established as a separate town by the mid 19th Century. Loughor is now mostly a commuter town
Commuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
for Swansea
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...
and Llanelli
Llanelli
Llanelli , the largest town in both the county of Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed , Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately west-north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby...
via the Loughor bridge
Loughor bridge
The Loughor bridge is a road bridge crossing over the River Loughor, providing a convenient link between much of western Swansea and Llanelli, west Wales. The bridge is part of the A484 road. The road bridge is adjacent to the Loughor railway viaduct. A permanent bridge linking Loughor and...
and has merged with the neighbouring town of Gorseinon
Gorseinon
Gorseinon is a town in southwest Wales, near the Loughor estuary. It was a small village until the late 19th century when it grew around the coal mining and tinplate industries. It is situated in the north west of Swansea, around north west of the city centre...
.
Local schools in the town include Tre Uchaf Primary School and the Casllwchwr Primary School. Sited opposite the Tre Uchaf Primary is one of the sites of Gower College Swansea
Gower College Swansea
Gower College Swansea is the name of the further education college in Swansea, Wales, which was formed on 20th August 2010 from the merger of Gorseinon College and Swansea College Nick Bennett, the current principal of Gorseinon College, has been offered the post of principal at the new...
.
The local rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
team of the town is Loughor RFC
Loughor RFC
Loughor Rugby Football Club is a rugby union Club representing the town of Loughor, Swansea, South Wales. Loughor RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Ospreys. Rugby was first played in Loughor in 1882, with evidence of two distinct teams forming in the upper and...
.
James Henry Govier
James Henry Govier
James Henry Govier was an English painter born at Oakley, Buckinghamshire.He was the only son of Henry Govier and Mary Ann Measey. In 1914 the family moved to the small town of Gorseinon in Gower near Swansea, where James was educated at the local school. At the age of fourteen he left school to...
(1910- 1974) the British painter, etcher and engraver of the Swansea School, produced a number of images of Loughor, he lived at Gorseinon and has work in the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery at Swansea, the National Museum of Wales, the National Library of Wales, and in several other national collections. See Gorseinon
Gorseinon
Gorseinon is a town in southwest Wales, near the Loughor estuary. It was a small village until the late 19th century when it grew around the coal mining and tinplate industries. It is situated in the north west of Swansea, around north west of the city centre...
and Oakley for more details.
Sources
- Swansea Art Gallery Catalogue 1936.
- The Gower Journal.
- Who's Who in Art.
- Dictionary of British Artists 1900-1950, by Grant M Waters 1975.