Uplands, Swansea
Encyclopedia
Uplands is a suburb of Swansea
, Wales
. It lies about a mile (2 km) to the west of Swansea city centre
, and falls within the Uplands electoral ward
. It is centred around the A4118 road, which links Swansea city centre and Sketty
. The main road begins as Walter Road from the east, and becomes Sketty Road towards the west. Much of the area is hilly.
Uplands' main shopping area consists of a few locally-run businesses, plus a number of standard high-street chain shops and fast-food outlets. The Uplands Tavern pub is a popular venue, and was once frequented by Dylan Thomas
and Kingsley Amis
. Number 5, Cwmdonkin Drive, in Uplands, has a blue plaque
marking Dylan Thomas's birth place. A second shopping street is the western side of Bryn-y-Mor Road which has a number of convenience stores, hairdressers, fashion boutiques, pubs, and restaurants.
Uplands is a relatively salubrious area of Swansea. Property prices are above the national average; hence, council tax rates are quite high, falling into band C and above. The housing stock consists of fairly large properties. Three-storey properties, and properties containing four bedrooms or more, are common. Many of the larger properties have been converted into student houses; hence, this area is popular for students attending Swansea University
.
Eaton Crescent is where conservative politician Michael Heseltine
grew up. The crescent is considered one of the most upmarket residential areas close to the city centre. The street consists mainly of large three-storey semi-detached and terraced 4-6 bedroom town-houses. During the late 1980s, a large number of properties were converted for use as student houses, but since the late 1990s it has mainly returned to housing families.
The Llwyn-Y-Bryn campus of Gower College Swansea
is located here. There are two private schools
in the area; Oakleigh House
provides primary education, and Ffynone House
provides Senior education for GCSE and A-Level pupils. The local parks are Cwmdonkin Park
and Rosehill Quarry Community Park. A noticeable landmark in the area is St. James` Church, situated in a leafy area to the east of the Uplands. A Kingdom Hall
is located just west of St. James` Church. The official residence of The Lord Mayor of Swansea and Dharmavajra Kadampa Buddhist Centre are located just north of St. James` Church.
occupied by the Sisters of Ursulines of Jesus on Eaton Crescent. The nun
s used to run the Stella Maris Primary School, a former independent convent school
, that has now closed.
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...
. It lies about a mile (2 km) to the west of Swansea city centre
Swansea city centre
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...
, and falls within the Uplands electoral ward
Uplands (electoral ward)
Uplands is name of an electoral ward, a community and a suburb in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, UK. The Uplands community does not have a community council....
. It is centred around the A4118 road, which links Swansea city centre and Sketty
Sketty
Sketty is the name of an electoral ward, a community and a suburb in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, UK. The community is coterminous with the electoral ward....
. The main road begins as Walter Road from the east, and becomes Sketty Road towards the west. Much of the area is hilly.
The area
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
and Kingsley Amis
Kingsley Amis
Sir Kingsley William Amis, CBE was an English novelist, poet, critic, and teacher. He wrote more than 20 novels, six volumes of poetry, a memoir, various short stories, radio and television scripts, along with works of social and literary criticism...
. Number 5, Cwmdonkin Drive, in Uplands, has a blue plaque
Blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker....
marking Dylan Thomas's birth place. A second shopping street is the western side of Bryn-y-Mor Road which has a number of convenience stores, hairdressers, fashion boutiques, pubs, and restaurants.
Uplands is a relatively salubrious area of Swansea. Property prices are above the national average; hence, council tax rates are quite high, falling into band C and above. The housing stock consists of fairly large properties. Three-storey properties, and properties containing four bedrooms or more, are common. Many of the larger properties have been converted into student houses; hence, this area is popular for students attending 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...
.
Eaton Crescent is where conservative politician Michael Heseltine
Michael Heseltine
Michael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, Baron Heseltine, CH, PC is a British businessman, Conservative politician and patron of the Tory Reform Group. He was a Member of Parliament from 1966 to 2001 and was a prominent figure in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major...
grew up. The crescent is considered one of the most upmarket residential areas close to the city centre. The street consists mainly of large three-storey semi-detached and terraced 4-6 bedroom town-houses. During the late 1980s, a large number of properties were converted for use as student houses, but since the late 1990s it has mainly returned to housing families.
The Llwyn-Y-Bryn campus of Gower College Swansea
Gower College Swansea
Gower College Swansea is the name of the further education college in Swansea, Wales, which was formed on 20th August 2010 from the merger of Gorseinon College and Swansea College Nick Bennett, the current principal of Gorseinon College, has been offered the post of principal at the new...
is located here. There are two private schools
Independent school (UK)
An independent school is a school that is not financed through the taxation system by local or national government and is instead funded by private sources, predominantly in the form of tuition charges, gifts and long-term charitable endowments, and so is not subject to the conditions imposed by...
in the area; Oakleigh House
Ffynone House School
Ffynone House School is an independent secondary school in Swansea, Wales. The school is owned and operated by the Cognita group. It is situated in the Ffynone area of the city at 36 St. James Crescent....
provides primary education, and Ffynone House
Ffynone House School
Ffynone House School is an independent secondary school in Swansea, Wales. The school is owned and operated by the Cognita group. It is situated in the Ffynone area of the city at 36 St. James Crescent....
provides Senior education for GCSE and A-Level pupils. The local parks are Cwmdonkin Park
Cwmdonkin Park
Cwmdonkin Park is an urban park situated in the Uplands area of Swansea, south Wales. The park has a bandstand, children's play area, water gardens, tennis courts, and a bowling green.- History :...
and Rosehill Quarry Community Park. A noticeable landmark in the area is St. James` Church, situated in a leafy area to the east of the Uplands. A Kingdom Hall
Kingdom Hall
A Kingdom Hall is a place of worship used by Jehovah's Witnesses. The term was first suggested in 1935 by Joseph Franklin Rutherford, then president of the Watch Tower Society, for a building in Hawaii...
is located just west of St. James` Church. The official residence of The Lord Mayor of Swansea and Dharmavajra Kadampa Buddhist Centre are located just north of St. James` Church.
Convent
Stella Maris is a conventConvent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
occupied by the Sisters of Ursulines of Jesus on Eaton Crescent. The nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s used to run the Stella Maris Primary School, a former independent convent school
Female education
Female education is a catch-all term for a complex of issues and debates surrounding education for females. It includes areas of gender equality and access to education, and its connection to the alleviation of poverty...
, that has now closed.
Famous residents
- Welsh Poet Dylan ThomasDylan ThomasDylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
. - Michael HeseltineMichael HeseltineMichael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, Baron Heseltine, CH, PC is a British businessman, Conservative politician and patron of the Tory Reform Group. He was a Member of Parliament from 1966 to 2001 and was a prominent figure in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major...
(Conservative MPConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
) lived here on Eaton Crescent during his childhood. - Kingsley AmisKingsley AmisSir Kingsley William Amis, CBE was an English novelist, poet, critic, and teacher. He wrote more than 20 novels, six volumes of poetry, a memoir, various short stories, radio and television scripts, along with works of social and literary criticism...
, Martin AmisMartin AmisMartin Louis Amis is a British novelist, the author of many novels including Money and London Fields . He is currently Professor of Creative Writing at the Centre for New Writing at the University of Manchester, but will step down at the end of the 2010/11 academic year...
, and Sally AmisSally AmisSally Myfanwy Amis was the youngest child of the writer Sir Kingsley Amis, and his wife, Hilary "Hilly" Bardwell, now Lady Kilmarnock...
lived here at 24 The Grove in the early 1950s.
Further reading
- Heseltine, Michael (2001): Life in the Jungle: My Autobiography. Coronet Books. ISBN 0-340-73916-9
- Swansea RFC History
- Glanmor Williams [1990]. Swansea, An Illustrated History. Christopher Davies (Publishers) Ltd. ISBN 0-7154-0714-7