Scenes from the Lower Swansea Valley in 1963; Where No Trees Grew
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- Опубліковано 21 вер 2024
- Scenes from the lower Swansea Valley were filmed in 1963 in colour showing the industrial dereliction being assessed by the Lower Swansea Valley Project at that time.
This brings back childhood memories of when I used to play here as a kid. Turning a corner and finding one half of a beutiful old stream train, bringing home one Sunday afternoon a huge chunk of glass bigger than my head, clambering up mountainous piles of butter yellow sulphur, racing along a train track on one of those old push handle carts.
Born in Swansea in 1962. Left to go to Uni in 1980, now live in Bristol. Every time I go back, Swansea seems like a new city. Most of those changes for the better, but not all. (Castle Gardens?)
fantastic should be shown in local schools THIS IS HISTORY
In the early 70s I remember my A level geography teacher being so excited.She announced that a tree , a single specimen, had survived on Kilvey Hill
Nice to see how parts of Swansea looked in the year I was born. Thanks.
I live in this area and have a keen interest in geology and I can confirm without a doubt in my mind that almost every inch of the ground in the Neath and Clydach valleys are still covered in slag and mine waste. The mountain/hilltops are the only places I don't constantly find it. We have lots of trees now, but they're not very healthy and quick to rot or blow over as almost every inch of the forest floors is absolutely full of the stuff. I bet these valleys used to be stunningly beautiful, I can almost see it now, but the destruction, industrial waste and ruin is hard to ignore and look past. You might think that living on top of all these useful minerals would have made the welsh people prosperous, but all I find is suffering, poverty and early death. Still they wont leave us alone, the air in these valleys is the most polluted in Europe, at least until a few years back when the local council changed how the air is tested and now it's the cleanest, so I suggest we all take our newborns to Portalbot and fill our lungs with all that wonderful clean air!
Authorities of Swansea have made fantastic job with this city. I couldn't believe how ugly the city was and how beautiful is now. Well done! I am proud I am Swansea Jack.
Thankyou for this film fascinating to see as it was before and now well put together piece thankyou again
I live in SWANSEA and enjoy learning about history about this little sea town.
nice image of the landore viaduct now by the Swansea Stadium, when i worked in the rear carpark of the stadium i would spend many a happy moment watching the HST going and coming from high street i can remember one night on a swans game trying to relay a message over the sound of twin paxman engines
I lived in Pentrecwyth in the mid-late 70' s and often rambled amongst those ruins and heaps.
Marvellous this.
My entire family are born and bred 'Grenfell town, Riflemans Row'. The Stevens family
Theres still a few slags on that hill
hard to believe just how contaminated and barren the lower swansea valley was however as a youngster it was beautiful to see our valley coming to life
I moved to Swansea 30 years ago and have seen the city transformed. I believe it must be one of the nicest places to live in the UK, not just because it's a nice town, but because of the beautiful places only a short drive distant.
Thanks for sharing this
Thank you for the upload. Interesting history.
Fascinating video. Thank you for uploading
My grandmother came from Coventry to Swansea on the train in 1917 - she said that it was like Dante's inferno as the train past that area!
Thanks for posting that. I don't remember it like that but my parents both grew up locally, in Brynhyfryd and Penlan respectively, and they will be thrilled to see that.
I was born in 1963 in South Wales. My family is from the head of the family in Ystradgynlais. I travelled up the valley from Cardiff for many years and am glad that the valley has been rehabilitated.
Inspired choice of music. 👏👏
It's astonishing, and a little melancholy, how the old industries and mines have just been bulldozed away. Their time was past but it's a pity there is so little left to explore.
Brilliant precis of a huge project that was published as a multi volume work. Well done all.
Remember going on a school trip (st thomas school ) , the slag heaps were a site to see , shame in a way so little has been preserved.
I was brought up in Morriston,and remember the area very well. We used to swim in the old,heavily polluted,Swansea Canal.
I do remember and thank all involved in the film and the people who did the work.
Great film. I notice that the Dinas Noddfa Baptist Chapel (Dinas St) is a focal point of so many shots (as is Morris Castle) so helping to locate many of the locations.
Of the old society of the Swansea/Amman Valleys all that remains are the hundreds of the once-magnificent chapels (capeli). All disused, some in very poor state, but still standing. There must be about ten just in Pontardawe.
Amazing how it's changed what a good job they did
I remember the seeing this landscape while travelling in the top of the double deckers going from Clydach to Swansea.
This is fascinating! And shows how the will was there to regenerate the lower Swansea valley. We must carry on in this spirit. vThe Kilvey volunteers are doing that. Thank you for sharing
A great pity the Swansea canal was filled in. It would have become a major attraction.
A friend who lives in Llansamlet told me he cannot eat any vegetables from his garden as the ground remains polluted with heavy metals.
fascinating, thanks for the upload.
Great video! Thank you!
A precious document.
Stephen Roberts, This "little" seaside town was as big as a city, before it became a city
my grampa always says when we drive through port talbot "all this was baron and youd have thought nothing could grow here". awesome watch, thanks for showing me what he meant!!
i remember some stacks being dropped in the mid 70s and planting a tree there with my classmates in the early 80s malove the history behind it
I would like to live in Swansea
Great shame that the Swansea Canal in this area wasn't saved
its weird and sad to see some steam trains being scrapped and others being in use at the same time
Absolutely fascinating, although I agree the remaining copper works should be at least maintained.
It is important we do not forget our history, and although nobody wants a wasteland....people should be able to see a glimmer of what once was.
I live in Manselton now, very near to where all this was filmed, and it makes you think that merely 50 years ago, this was all different.
What is the title of the accompanying video mentioned at the end of this film
i wish they would get the hafod chimneys restored asap before the plants make them to unstable to keep
Fascinating. Where exactly are these videos shot?
Thanks for your interest. Check out the two videos below on my channel "Lower Swansea Valley in 1963: Camera locations in the film Part 1.wmv" Also part 2. These show the locations of all the shots on Google Earth images and on the original aerial photos from ca1960. Also you will find recent (ca 2013) shots taken so far as possible from the same locations.
hi would you mind if use some of this for a music video?
No problem, but please give credit and send me the link when you have finished it.
Cheers - it's probably going to be quite a few months before the song's released.
I also found an unedited version so it may be a bit of both, or just one.
An ugly lovely town of which I have no desire to leave.
Are there any trees growing there now I wonder ?
Biggest iron works in the world 2 mins from my house!
once swansea was known has copperopalis
did any body ask dear FRED DIBNER he was good at dropping chimneys rip
Who are we? Jack army.
And nobody knows this !
he always sounds out of breath
It was tough walking on those tips.