The whole of this walk commanded a boundless view of the ocean to the
west, whilst to the south the faint hues of the Somersetshire coast
skirted the horizon.
Swansea, or Abertawe, is a well-built sea-port town, on the river Tawe,
much resorted to during the summer months. The machines for bathing are
kept about half a mile from the town. The castle is supposed to have
been erected by Henry, Earl of Warwick, in the reign of King Henry I.;
and is at present the property of the Duke of Beaufort; the small arches
round the top of it are exactly similar to the building of Lantphey
castle, and King John’s Hall, St. David’s, Pembrokeshire. This castle is
now turned into a gaol and workhouse. The market-place is said to be
covered with the lead of St. David’s cathedral, given by Cromwell to a
gentleman of Swansea.
The clay used for the pottery, long carried on in this place, is brought
from Corfe, in Dorsetshire: having been mixed with finely-ground flint,
and dissolved in water, it is passed through sieves, till it has lost all
its coarser particles; then exposed to heat, which evaporates the water,
and leaves the clay of a consistency sufficient for working. The vessel
is first rudely formed by the hand, the clay being stuck to a circular
board, which has an horizontal rotation. The other operation consists in
the more perfect forming of the work by various processes, and the
colouring, glazing, painting, and stamping; drying and baking kilns
complete the work.
The harbour of Swansea, which is large, has had great sums expended upon
it, without much judgment having been evinced in the expenditure: the
piers, which are extensive, are already frequently wanting considerable
repairs, and will always be a source of emolument to those who know how
to make the most of a good job. Swansea Bay is beautiful, and the sail
from Swansea to Ilfracombe, one of the pleasantest and cheapest I ever
enjoyed. The entrance into the latter harbour is grand and terrific; the
stupendous rocks by which it is sheltered and enclosed, impressing the
mind, on a temperate day, with that pleasing awe, which in a more
tempestuous time, “when the raging billows roar,” would amount to horror
and dismay. Ilfracombe affords comfortable accommodation to remain at;
but to remove inland, you have to send to Barnstaple for a conveyance: it
is a most romantic situation. Swansea is seen to great advantage from
the bay, its best front being towards the Channel; it is a mixture of
good and bad, of old streets and new, wide and narrow, pride and poverty,
much show and little wealth. The market, which is on a Saturday, is
greatly improved of late years, and not only affords comforts but
luxuries; yet Swansea, except to those who are acquainted with it, is a
more expensive place to reside at for a short time than an English
watering place: still those lodgings, which are so highly rated during
the season, are comfortable retreats to half-pay officers during the
winter months; and from the mildness of the climate, and many families
taking up their residence at it during that period, Swansea, were it not
for the faults and greediness or mismanagement of some of its
inhabitants, would rise to wealth and respectability. The playhouse is
respectable, and the performers generally good, but badly repaid for
their exertions. The post-office is here very regular, and conveyances
to Bristol, Gloster, or London, although expensive, regular and safe. A
walk may be comfortably enjoyed in five minutes after a shower, or
between showers, without wet feet; and both drives and rides in the
vicinity are numerous and beautiful. The libraries are good,
well-supplied, and civil, and the shops accommodating, and plentifully
stocked: still I should think the traveller would take more money at
Merthyr than Swansea, and four times as much at that little high-spirited
place, Caermarthen, as at either; such at least must be the case, if any
criterion is to be formed from the quantum of circulating medium
required, as gained from the requisitions for the exchange of the new for
the old coinage, Caermarthen having wanted upwards of 20,000_l._ and
Swansea not having required 4,000_l._ The mail road to Caermarthen is by
Pontarddylais, nine miles; Llanon, four miles; Caermarthen, thirteen.
Swansea is about two hundred and five miles from London. Its population
consists of 10,255 inhabitants. It has some trade to the Baltic; and
more than 100,000 chaldrons of coals are annually exported.