Maritime Quarter : Attractions of Swansea

The Maritime Quarter is a residential area of Swansea, South Wales located immediately south of the city centre. it is also known as Swansea Marina.

Formerly it was the disused South Dock. During the 1980s it underwent significant brownfield re-development with the building of many low rise apartment blocks in the area around the South Dock. Over time small businesses have gradually moved in, giving the area the character of a small urban village. More apartment blocks and town houses are currently being built in the south-eastern part of this area to be sold at upmarket prices.

The South Dock itself now serves as a marina providing berths for privately-owned leisure boats. There is a boat yard for building and servicing boats, and a few shops selling boating equipment. To the east are some working locks. These locks were built before the Swansea Bay Barrage was built and are now relatively useless. There are two pedestrian bridges linking this area to the main Swansea Docks area.

The headquarters of the local Evening Post newspaper is located 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 hotel. A waterside walkway to the north-east of the marina is home to a few cafes, pubs, arcades and gay bars. On the far western end of the Maritime quarter is the County Hall which houses government offices of Swansea City and County.

On the site of the Sainsbury’s superstore, once stood the Weaver building. This was reinforced with steel rails and was the first steel reinforced concrete building ever built. The building itself was used for corn storage.

Located in the area are:

National Waterfront Museum, contains exhibits displaying South Wales’s maritime and industrial heritage. it was opened in October 2005. The museum is built on the site of the former Maritime and industrial Museum.
Dylan Thomas Centre, houses an exhibition on Dylan Thomas, includes a restaurant, hosts literary events and is used for conferences and weddings. This used to be Swansea Old Guildhall.
Dylan Thomas Theatre, home to the Swansea Little Theatre Company, an amateur dramatics company that puts out a variety of theatrical productions.
Swansea Museum, this is the oldest museum in Wales. The collections contain all kinds of objects from the past of Swansea, Wales and the rest of the world. Contents in the six galleries range from: an Egyptian mummy to a traditional Welsh kitchen. The museum has a warehouse containing property not currently on display in Landore.
leisure centre, the leisure centre was closed in November 2003 with some controversy. it is expected that this facility will be refurbished and re-opened in the near future. This is a large ugly concrete building hosting a wide range of leisure activities. it includes a swimming pool with wave generator and slides. in its heyday it was one of the ten most visited venues in the UK, in the same league as Madame Tussaud’s.
Ampitheatre, this little open air semi-circular performing arts venue can be found just outside the entrance to the leisure centre. There is a chessboard painted on the stage. Since it was built it was hardly every used for any theatrical performances or public chess matches but it is popular with BMX bikers and skateboarders.
Swansea observatory, this astronomical observatory houses the largest astronomical telescope in Wales. The building is operated by the Swansea Astronomical Society.