Morriston

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Morriston
Welsh: Treforys
OS grid reference SS6698
Principal area Swansea
Ceremonial county West Glamorgan
Constituent country Wales
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town SWANSEA
Postcode district SA5/SA6
Dialling code 01792
Police South Wales
Fire Mid and West Wales
Ambulance Welsh
European Parliament Wales
UK Parliament Swansea
Welsh Assembly Swansea East
List of places: UK • Wales • Swansea

Morriston (Welsh: Treforys) is a town in the City and County of Swansea, South Wales and falls within the Morriston ward. Originally separate and distinct, Morriston is now part of the continuous urban area around Swansea, the centre of which lies three miles to the south-west. Morriston is the most populous of all Swansea's electoral divisions [1].

The town is centred around the main Woodfield Street, a busy and congested shopping street during the day. Woodfield Street runs in a north-south axis. The terrain slopes gently downwards to the east and steeply upwards to the west. To the south of the main shopping area of Woodfield Street lies a curious roundabout formed by a church - the Church of St. John, a famous landmark of Morriston, although the town's most notable structure is Tabernacle, a Grade I listed building[2] designed by the architect John Humphrey and built between 1870 and 1872. The chapel has sometimes been called "the cathedral of Welsh non-conformity".[3]

Morriston Hospital, the largest in the Swansea area, is located at Cwmrhydyceirw, approximately one mile north of Morriston town centre. All British driver registration is handled by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) which is located in Clase, a suburb west of Morriston town. The DVLA is a major local employer.

The Morriston Orpheus Choir has an international reputation as a male voice choir.

Contents

[edit] Industrial heritage

Morriston was constructed as a new town on a grid pattern and was named after its founder, Sir John Morris, Bt. The grid pattern remains in evidence today. Morris originally named the town "Morris Town", but this was shortened into the single word "Morriston". The Welsh language translation of the name, Treforys, will also often be seen.

Sir John Morris was also responsible for the construction between 1768 and 1774 known as Morris Castle, widely considered to have been the world's first accommodation built specifically for workers by their employer. Little of the structure remains today, although its ruins are visible on high ground above the nearby Landore district.

Morriston was initially constructed for the workers of the tinplate and copper industries that built up along the banks of the River Tawe in the 18th Century, and by the 19th Century it was the tin-plate capital of the world. However, this industry went into decline with the invention of the strip mill, which required massive investment. Tin-plating had almost vanished from the area by the end of the Second World War, with modern works being situated north-west at Felindre and further east in Port Talbot.

Metalworking in Morriston came to an end in 1980 with the closure of the last tin-plate works.

[edit] Listed Buildings

Grade II listed buildings:[4]

  • Former Annealing Building in George Cohen's Works, off Beaufort Road
  • Morydd Street Bridge & Boundary Wall to Davies Street
  • Seion Chapel on Clase Road
  • Philadelphia Chapel incl. Attached Chapel House & Sunday School on Globe Street
  • Former Police Station & House on Martin Street
  • 'Danbert Hall', (former Employment Exchange) on Morfydd Street
  • War Memorial in Morriston Park
  • Church of St. John on Woodfield Street

Grade I listed buildings:

  • Capel Tabernacle on Woodfield Street

[edit] Famous Morristonians

[edit] References

  1. ^ City and County of Swansea - 2001 Census: Electoral Divisions
  2. ^ City and County of Swansea - Listed Building Index
  3. ^ Chapels_cover
  4. ^ City and County of Swansea - Listed Building Index

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 51.66475° N 3.93890° W

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