Maritime Quarter

Last updated

Former South Dock Swansea-marina2.jpg
Former South Dock

The Maritime Quarter (including Swansea Marina) is a residential area of Swansea, Wales, immediately south of the city centre shopping core. It falls within Swansea's Castle ward. The area is bounded by Brynmill to the west, Swansea Bay to the South, the River Tawe to the east and the A4067 to the north.

Contents

The area comprises a mixture of housing ranging from 1980s low-rise apartment blocks around the old South Dock to town houses arranged in quadrangles in the south-eastern part of the area, which were built in the 2000s decade. Planning approval for the marina was given on condition that a significant proportion of the development be sold to housing associations for social housing. The tallest building in Wales, the Meridian Quay Tower, is in the area.

History

The South Dock area underwent significant brownfield re-development in the early 1980s, with the building of many low-rise apartment blocks around the former dock. On the site of the Sainsbury's superstore, once stood the six-storey Weaver building. Built in 1897 by the French architect François Hennebique, it was used for corn storage and was the first steel reinforced concrete building built in Europe. [1]

Originally the city council decided to fill in the South Dock. This was done by a developer whose brother was a councillor at the local council. Later on, the same company was paid to dig out the South Dock again to create the marina. The developer is now imprisoned in Swansea Prison.

The re-excavated South Dock was laid out into the award-winning Maritime Quarter by architect Robin Campbell, then head of Environmental Design at Swansea Council. The brief was to make the area an extension of Swansea city centre, and not a separate suburb, and to create walkways through the overall development being created by several building companies. However, due to the busy thoroughfare of Quay Parade/Oystermouth Road, the Marina area remains separate from the city centre. Campbell also worked in partnership with the developers to incorporate art designed by local artists into the buildings, [2] and the creation of an observatory.

Marina

New marina just behind the River Tawe barrage River Tawe estuary marina.JPG
New marina just behind the River Tawe barrage

The South Dock itself now serves as marina, part of the Swansea Marina complex providing berths for privately owned leisure boats. Sailing and sea angling schools are based in the area.

In addition to the Quay Parade road bridge just to the north, two pedestrian bridges link this area to the main Swansea docks area – the Sail bridge and the lock bridge. The Sail bridge, as its name suggests, is designed to look like a sail. The lock bridge is a steel structure built over the Tawe barrage. The western section of the lock bridge is a swing bridge over the lock which allows vessels to pass through the Tawe barrage.

The water areas are not fully protected by railings. Local residents have often expressed concerns over the safety of the lack of railings and indeed, over the years, the marina has seen a number of people drown after falling into the waters by accident.

Amenities

The headquarters of the local South Wales Evening Post newspaper is here. Beside the Evening Post building is the Associated British Ports building, now used as a five-star hotel. Just west of the marina is a four-star Marriott hotel. A waterside walkway to the north-east of the marina is home to a few cafes, pubs and arcades. On the far western end of the Maritime Quarter is the Civic Centre which houses government offices of the City and County of Swansea Council.

Within the area are:

The square surrounded by the National Waterfront Museum, the old Pump House and shopping area contains a statue of Dylan Thomas.

Nearby places

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swansea</span> City and county in Wales

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardiff Bay Barrage</span> Dam in Cardiff, Wales

Cardiff Bay Barrage lies across the mouth of Cardiff Bay, Wales between Queen Alexandra Dock and Penarth Head. It was one of the largest civil engineering projects in Europe during construction in the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardiff Bay</span> Area and lake in Cardiff, Wales

Cardiff Bay is an area and freshwater lake in Cardiff, Wales. The site of a former tidal bay and estuary, it is the river mouth of the River Taff and Ely. The body of water was converted into a 500-acre (2.0 km2) lake as part of a UK Government redevelopment project, involving the damming of the rivers by the Cardiff Bay Barrage in 1999. The barrage impounds the rivers from the Severn Estuary, providing flood defence and the creation of a permanent non-tidal high water lake with limited access to the sea, serving as a core feature of the redevelopment of the area in the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Harbour</span> Harbour in Bristol, England

Bristol Harbour is the harbour in the city of Bristol, England. The harbour covers an area of 70 acres. It is the former natural tidal river Avon through the city but was made into its current form in 1809 when the tide was prevented from going out permanently. A tidal by-pass was dug for 2 miles through the fields of Bedminster for the river, known as the "River Avon New Cut", "New Cut", or simply "The Cut". It is often called the Floating Harbour as the water level remains constant and it is not affected by the state of the tide on the river in the Avon Gorge, The New Cut or the natural river southeast of Temple Meads to its source.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marina Bay, Singapore</span> Place in Singapore

Marina Bay is a bay located in the Central Area of Singapore, surrounded by the perimeter of four other planning areas, the Downtown Core, Marina East, Marina South and Straits View. The area surrounding the bay itself, also called Marina Bay, is a 360 hectare extension to the adjacent Central Business District. It is also the new downtown of Singapore, built on Singapore's reclaimed land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Tawe</span> River in South Wales

The River Tawe is a 30 miles (48 km) long river in South Wales. Its headwaters flow initially east from its source below Llyn y Fan Fawr south of Moel Feity in the Black Mountains, the westernmost range of the Brecon Beacons National Park, before the river turns south and then southwest to its estuary at Swansea. Its main tributaries are the right bank Upper and Lower Clydach Rivers and the Afon Twrch. The total area of the catchment is some 246 km2 (95 sq mi). The Tawe passes through a number of towns and villages including Ystradgynlais, Ystalyfera, Pontardawe, and Clydach and meets the sea at Swansea Bay below Swansea. The Tawe Valley is more commonly known as the Swansea Valley.

The history of Swansea covers a period of continuous occupation stretching back a thousand years, while there is archaeological evidence of prehistoric human occupation of the surrounding area for thousands of years before that.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glasgow Harbour</span>

Glasgow Harbour in the following paragraphs is about a private sector urban regeneration scheme at Partick in the West End of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is not the history and development of the wider and internationally famous Glasgow Harbour from Glasgow Green to Clydebank which developed from the early 1800s and witnessed the birth and growth of modern shipbuilding and shipping.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swansea Canal</span>

The Swansea Canal was a canal constructed by the Swansea Canal Navigation Company between 1794 and 1798, running for 16.5 miles (26.6 km) from Swansea to Hen Neuadd, Abercraf in South Wales. It was steeply graded, and 36 locks were needed to enable it to rise 373 feet (114 m) over its length. The main cargos were coal, iron and steel, and the enterprise was profitable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swansea Marina</span> Marina in Swansea, Wales

Swansea Marina is a marina in Swansea, south Wales, behind the barrage at the mouth of the River Tawe. There is a boatyard for building and servicing boats, and a few shops selling boating equipment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swansea Museum</span> Museum in Swansea, Wales

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.

Swansea Docks is the collective name for several docks in Swansea, Wales, which are immediately south-east of Swansea city centre. In the mid-19th century, the port was exporting 60% of the world's copper from factories situated in the Tawe Valley. The working docks area today is owned and operated by Associated British Ports as the Port of Swansea, and the northern part around the Prince of Wales Dock is undergoing re-development into a new urban area branded as the SA1 Swansea Waterfront.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swansea Barrage</span> Dam in the United Kingdom

The Swansea barrage is a structure near the mouth of the River Tawe in Swansea, Wales. It was completed in 1992, creating a marina which extended the leisure boat facilities already being offered by the former South Dock.

National Cycle Network, Route 43 is part of the National Cycle Network and the Celtic Trail, which connects Swansea with Builth Wells. Most of the route is still awaiting development. As of June 2006, there is a 13-mile section out of Swansea that is open and signed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mermaid Quay</span> Shopping mall in Cardiff, Wales

Mermaid Quay is a waterfront shopping and leisure district in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff, Wales. The 14,000 m2 (150,000 sq ft) development was opened in 1999, and includes restaurants, bars, cafes and shops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SA1 Swansea Waterfront</span>

SA1 Swansea Waterfront is the marketing name given to the brownfield development area in the northern part of Swansea Docks, Wales. The area lies directly to the southeast of Swansea city centre. It is bordered by the Fabian Way to the north, and includes the Prince of Wales Dock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ipswich Waterfront</span>

The Ipswich Waterfront is a cultural and historically significant area surrounding the marina in the town of Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The modern dock was constructed in 1842 and the area was a functioning dock up until the 1970s. At the time of completion, the dock was known as 'the biggest and most important enclosed dock in the kingdom'. Although the dock as it stands was constructed in 1842, the area was used for trade as far back as the 7th century. The decline of industry in the town resulted in the area being transformed into a trendy area of Ipswich, the waterfront is now characterised by its marina, known as Neptune Marina, as well as its mix of classical and postmodern architecture which includes multiple high-rise apartment buildings, restaurants, bars and cafés. The waterfront is also home to the main campus of the region's university, the University of Suffolk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterfront, Swansea</span>

Waterfront is a community and electoral ward in city of Swansea, Wales.

References

  1. "Weaver Building, Swansea". Welsh Wales. Retrieved 24 August 2008.
  2. "The People". Air Architecture. Retrieved 1 May 2024.

51°36′54″N3°56′24″W / 51.615°N 3.940°W / 51.615; -3.940