Archives Assistant, Stephanie Basford-Morris, reflects on a project to re-package the Lower Swansea Valley collection, during which she discovered more about the regeneration of a scarred post-industrial area of Swansea.
In 2019 I re-packaged and re-numbered a collection about the Lower Swansea Valley Project (LSVP); the task would teach me about the re-introduction of nature to an area of Swansea I took for granted. The collection attests to the enormous complexities of a project which undertook, social, ecological and urban regeneration. The land had once been a beautiful green valley, and the LSVP aimed to lay the foundations for reintroducing nature and prosperity once again.
In 1961 the project got under way with a partnership between-
- University College of Swansea (now Swansea University)
- Nuffield Foundation
- the Welsh Office
- Swansea Council
- the former Department of Scientific and Industrial Research
The area targeted for re-development was 700-800 acres of industrial dereliction along the banks of the river Tawe and on either side of the main railway line into the town, including the Hafod-Morfa copper site. This land edging Swansea’s east side, showed the blackened scars of two centuries of heavy industry, including zinc, nickel, iron and steel, tinplate, and predominantly copper.
the metal manufacturing centre of the world
M. Stacey, Urban Redevelopment: The Case of the Lower Swansea Valley, 1966
De-industrialisation in the early 20th century left the area a wasteland, lacking life and any greenery. To say the least, it gave a first impression of Swansea which was dubious and dark for visitors by train. Reports and land owner questionnaires ((Ref. LAC/69/B/4/E1) describe topography spoiled by derelict industrial sites, slag heaps, and soil poisoned by arsenic and other heavy metals.
The project employed specialists, such as plant ecologist Dr R.L. Weston, who undertook planting trials on some of the slag heaps in the area (Ref. LAC/69/B/2). Of course, for successful nature regeneration, it was crucial to understand the natural habitat and methods for reintroduction of plants to inhospitable land. Interestingly, a bulletin by the Forestry Commission in 1994 cites the Lower Swansea Valley project, and refers to the work planting of trees on metalliferous soil as something seldom done in the UK.
Working with the collection, what struck me most was the intensely collaborative nature of the project. It involved University departments across sciences and engineering, recruited specialists, the Territorial Army, school children, local land owners, the press, and government departments, all coming together to share ideas and make decisions. It left an incredible natural legacy for Swansea.
(Ref. LAC/69/B4)
The LSVP collection is, satisfyingly, now in clean, acid free envelopes and boxes, and each document referenced. Before I started the work, and despite living a lot of my life in Swansea, I was hazy about what lay underneath the green spaces, river walks and smart shopping of the Lower Swansea Valley area today. Working with the collection gave unique insight into an essentially uplifting regenerative period in Swansea’s history, a triumph of cross discipline and community collaboration.
*For an overview of the project, the collection held by Swansea University, and research ideas, see this website by Swansea University MA History students.
*Since 2010, Swansea University has developed a new programme of research, community engagement and heritage led regeneration to celebrate the copper industry. The impact of this work has been significant in the ongoing development at the Hafod-Morfa Copperworks site with future plans including creative workshops, inspiring workspace, educational facilities, more housing, community facilities and a living history laboratory developed in sympathy with the historical character of the site.
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