Dylan Thomas Centre | |
---|---|
Former names | Swansea Guildhall |
General information | |
Architectural style | neo-classical style |
Location | Swansea, Wales |
Address | Somerset Place, Swansea SA1 1RR |
Coordinates | 51°37′09.00″N3°56′09.00″W / 51.6191667°N 3.9358333°W |
Completed | 1829 |
Renovated | 1995 |
Owner | City and County of Swansea Council |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | John Collingwood |
Main contractor | Thomas Bowen |
References | |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
Official name | The Old Guildhall (Former Annexe to Dynevor Comprehensive School) |
Designated | 30 March 1987 |
Reference no. | 11643 |
The Dylan Thomas Centre is an arts centre located in the Maritime Quarter in Swansea, Wales. It is a Grade II* listed building. [1]
The building was commissioned to replace a previous guildhall which had been located near Swansea Castle and dated back to the late 16th century. [2] The new building, which was designed by John Collingwood in the neo-classical style and built by Thomas Bowen, was completed in 1829. [1] It was remodelled to the plans of Thomas Taylor in 1852, using a design which was modelled on the Temple of Jupiter Stator in Rome. [1] The external design involved nine bays on each side with round-arched windows on the ground floor and tall round-arched windows flanked by Corinthian order columns on the first floor. [1]
It was converted for use as a juvenile employment centre after the civic leaders moved to the new Swansea Guildhall in 1934. [3] During the Second World War it was requisitioned by the army for use as a recruiting centre. [4] After reverting to use as a juvenile employment centre, it became a College of Further Education in 1960 and then became an annexe to Dynevor School in 1970 before closing in 1982. [4] [5]
The building was officially re-opened by the American former President Jimmy Carter and the last Leader of the Swansea City Council, Trevor Burtonshaw, as the Dylan Thomas Centre in 1995. [6] [7] In 2012 a large part of the Centre was leased by Swansea's council to the University of Wales with the purpose of using it as a business centre for creative industries. [8]
In October 2014, the Centre launched the permanent "Love the Words" exhibition which explores Dylan's life and work through a variety of media and including letters, books, worksheets and photographs. [9] It was made possible with support of nearly £1 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund. [10] [11]
The Dylan Thomas Centre is home to a year-round programme of literary events, including book launches, plays, poetry evenings, changing exhibitions and science talks. [12] It also hosts the annual Dylan Thomas Festival held between Dylan’s birth and death dates, 27 October to 9 November. [13]
Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" Under Milk Wood. He also wrote stories and radio broadcasts such as A Child's Christmas in Wales and Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog. He became widely popular in his lifetime; and remained so after his death at the age of 39 in New York City. By then, he had acquired a reputation, which he had encouraged, as a "roistering, drunken and doomed poet".
Swansea is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea.
St Davids Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral situated in St Davids, Britain's smallest city, in the county of Pembrokeshire, near the most westerly point of Wales.
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 Castle; Parc Tawe; and the Maritime Quarter extending down to the seafront.
Singleton Park is the largest urban park in the city of Swansea. It is located in Sketty and is listed on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.
Alfred George Janes was a Welsh artist, who worked in Swansea and Croydon. He experimented with many forms, but is best known for his meticulous still lifes and portraits.
The Swansea Museum in Swansea, Wales, UK is the oldest museum in Wales, created for and by the Royal Institution of South Wales in 1841 to house its collections and provide research and learning facilities.
Laugharne Castle is in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, Wales. The castle, located on the estuary of the River Tâf, was originally established in 1116. It was rebuilt as a Norman stronghold. There have been many alterations since then, including becoming a Tudor fortified manor house in the sixteenth century. It changed hands twice during the English Civil War, being eventually captured by Parliamentary forces in 1644.
Morriston Hospital is a 750-bed hospital located in Cwmrhydyceirw near Morriston in Swansea, Wales. It is managed by Swansea Bay University Health Board. Alongside its role as a district general hospital, Morriston is a teaching hospital for medical students of Swansea University Medical School.
The Guildhall is one of the main office buildings of the City and County of Swansea Council. The Guildhall complex, which includes the City Hall, Brangwyn Hall and the County Law Courts for Swansea, is a Grade I listed building.
Cwmdonkin Park is an urban park situated in the Uplands area of Swansea, Wales. It has a children's play area, water gardens, tennis courts, and a bowling green. The park is known for its associations with Dylan Thomas, and is listed on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.
Dyffryn Gardens, also spelt Duffryn Gardens, is a collection of botanical gardens located near the villages of Dyffryn and St. Nicholas in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. The gardens were selected by the British Tourist Authority as one of the Top 100 gardens in the UK and are in the care of the National Trust. They are designated at Grade I, the highest grade, on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.
Sandfields is a district in Swansea, Wales bounded by St. Helen's Road to the north, Oystermouth Road and Swansea Bay to the south and Dillwyn Street to the east. The area is adjacent to and immediately west of Swansea city centre. The district does not exist officially as a geographical area or a local authority community area. Sandfields also does not have a specific postcode.
Dinefwr Park National Nature Reserve is an 800 acres (320 ha) estate about a mile from the centre of Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire owned by the National Trust, with a mansion in the centre. The highest point is occupied by the ruined Dinefwr Castle, ancient castle of the Deheubarth kingdom. It is a grade I Historic Park and a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
The University of Wales Trinity Saint David is a multi-campus university with three main campuses in South West Wales, in Carmarthen, Lampeter and Swansea, a fourth campus in London, England, and learning centres in Cardiff, Wales, and Birmingham, England.
Browns Hotel is a guesthouse and pub in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is a grade II listed building and is known for being the favourite pub of the poet and writer, Dylan Thomas. He lived in Laugharne from 1938 to 1940 and from 1949 to 1953 in the Boathouse. Brown's Hotel is situated in King Street close to the 18th-century market house and town hall in the centre of Laugharne. The hotel was sold in 2020 and is owned by Martyn Ingram and his partner Melanie Hamilton-Searle, who bought it from Nigel Short.
In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical, or cultural significance; Grade I structures are those considered to be "buildings of exceptional interest". Listing was begun by a provision in the Town and Country Planning Act 1947. Once listed, strict limitations are imposed on the modifications allowed to a building's structure or fittings. In Wales, the authority for listing under the Planning Act 1990 rests with Cadw.
In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical, or cultural significance; Grade II* structures are those considered to be "particularly important buildings of more than special interest". Listing was begun by a provision in the Town and Country Planning Act 1947. Once listed, strict limitations are imposed on the modifications allowed to a building's structure or fittings. In Wales, the authority for listing under the Planning Act 1990 rests with Cadw.
Cowbridge Town Hall is a public building in the High Street of Cowbridge in South Wales. The town hall, which is the meeting place for Cowbridge with Llanblethian Town Council, and also houses the town clerk's office, the committee rooms and the Cowbridge Museum, is a Grade II* listed building.
Tenby Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street, Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales. The structure, which is used as an events venue, is a Grade II listed building.