Singleton Abbey
Encyclopedia
Singleton Abbey is a large, mainly 19th century mansion
in Swansea
, Wales
. Today, the buildings are used to house administration offices for Swansea University
. They can be found at the eastern end of the Swansea University Singleton Park
campus.
The nucleus of the house is a neo-classical villa, octagonal in plan, erected in 1784 under the name of Marino by Edward King, a customs official. In 1817 this was bought by the industrialist John Henry Vivian
, who added rectangular one-bay extensions to either side. In 1823 Vivian commissioned the architect
P. F. Robinson
to re-model the house in the neo-gothic style. Work started in 1827, and a decade later Robinson published Domestic Architecture in the Tudor Style, a monograph in all but name on Singleton Abbey. The house survives, with limited losses, much as it appears in the engraved plates of the book. The back stairs, on the axis of the south front, and the ground-floor room in the centre of the south front, with a bowed inner end, survive from the original house of 1784.
In 1919 the 2nd Lord Swansea sold Singleton Abbey to Swansea Corporation. In 1920 the Corporation rented and in 1923 sold the house and the nucleus of the estate to the University College of Swansea, which made the Abbey its headquarters.
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
in Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Today, the buildings are used to house administration offices for Swansea University
Swansea University
Swansea University is a university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. Swansea University was chartered as University College of Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales. In 1996, it changed its name to the University of Wales Swansea following structural changes...
. They can be found at the eastern end of the Swansea University Singleton Park
Singleton Park
Singleton Park is the largest urban park in the city of Swansea and is located in Sketty. The park has hosted many entertainment and cultural events such as Party in the Park and Proms in the Park which were regular events by local stations The Wave & Swansea Sound and other music events held by...
campus.
The nucleus of the house is a neo-classical villa, octagonal in plan, erected in 1784 under the name of Marino by Edward King, a customs official. In 1817 this was bought by the industrialist John Henry Vivian
John Henry Vivian
John Henry Vivian was a Welsh industrialist and politician of Cornish extraction.Vivian was the son of John Vivian, of Truro, Cornwall, and his wife Betsey, daughter of the Reverend Richard Cranch, and the brother of Hussey Vivian, 1st Baron Vivian...
, who added rectangular one-bay extensions to either side. In 1823 Vivian commissioned the architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
P. F. Robinson
Peter Frederick Robinson
Peter Frederick Robinson was an English architect.-Life:Peter Frederick Robinson began his career in Henry Holland's office and worked under William Porden at the Brighton Pavilion in 1801–2...
to re-model the house in the neo-gothic style. Work started in 1827, and a decade later Robinson published Domestic Architecture in the Tudor Style, a monograph in all but name on Singleton Abbey. The house survives, with limited losses, much as it appears in the engraved plates of the book. The back stairs, on the axis of the south front, and the ground-floor room in the centre of the south front, with a bowed inner end, survive from the original house of 1784.
In 1919 the 2nd Lord Swansea sold Singleton Abbey to Swansea Corporation. In 1920 the Corporation rented and in 1923 sold the house and the nucleus of the estate to the University College of Swansea, which made the Abbey its headquarters.