Some Houses of Regency Mumbles 1811-1820 by Carol Powell MA

Header: Norton House, c1856 John Dillwyn Lleweliyn:copyright

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Some Houses of Regency Mumbles, 1811-1820
by Carol Powell MA

Names are vanished, save the few In the old brown Bible scrawled; These were men of pith and thew,
Whom the city never called; Scarce could read or hold a quill, Built the barn, the forge, the mill.

from Forefathers by Edmund Blunden

Oystermouth Parish, 1818, © WG Archive

The north-facing locality
was 'singularly situated,

not having the benefit of
the sun for several months
of the year.'

'A description of Swansea and its Environs', 1813

February 2011 marked two hundred years since the start of the era, which has become known to us as 'The Regency'. Although only of nine years' duration from 1811 to 1820, it is perceived by many of us to be one of flamboyance, opulence, extravagance and extreme ostentation for some, especially the Regent himself, contrasting sharply with the hard lives and poverty of the many.

Historically, the Parish of Oystermouth encompassed the entire area from Caswell in the south-west to Blackpill in the north-east, including the village of Mumbles and the distinct hamlets of Newton, Norton and Blackpill, all surrounded by farms such as Coltshill.

Regency Mumbles and its surrounding area was tiny by today's standards, with a population of only 761 in 1811 rising by 1821 to 1008. There were a scattering of cottages and several public houses, such as the Old Mermaid, the Ship and Castle, the New Mermaid and the Nag's Head strung out along the shore.

The Beaufort Arms, originally The Old Mermaid,, from Brian E. Davies

Several large houses were conspicuous in the area, including Sarah Angell's Dunns Mansion, dating at least from the seventeenth century, The Elms nearby and Georgian Duns Cottage, the final incarnation of which would in our time, be the Royal British Legion. Up on Mumbles hill was Thistleboon House, a large imposing three-storey house, which was home to Daniel and Jane Shewen and their family, until it was put on the market in 1819.

The Elms, Photo: Stuart Bishop

Norton House, 1856. Photo: John Dillwyn Llewelyn: copyright

At Norton, three Georgian houses stood side by side - Norton House, built in 1790, its walls finished in Bath stone and included a passage, reputed to lead to the nearby Oystermouth Castle. A few yards away was Norton Lodge, containing 'three parlours, two kitchens, pantry, cellar and brewhouse, plus a drawing room and five bedrooms and stalling for five horses, a large kitchen-garden, a good pump of water and a 'neat cottage upon the premises'. Next door stood Norton Villa, which today, is the site of the Norton Doctors' surgery. Nearby was West Cross House, the home of Captain Henry Andrews, of the 24^th Regiment of Infantry, his wife, Harriet and their four children.

Dunns Mansion, a sketch by Carol Powell

Dan y Coed House, c. 1899

Norton Inn and Coffee House was opened on the shore-side and by the summer of 1811, its visitors were being invited to enjoy 'Sequestered sea-bathing and parties for pleasure, close under Oystermouth Castle and the romantic scenery of Caswell Bay'.

Between Norton and Blackpill was Dan-y-Coed, a large house built around 1810, near to the seventeenth-century diminutive Lilliput Hall and Cottage. At Blackpill, was Mayals Lodge and Woodlands, which had been purchased in 1800 for £1,800 by Colonel George Warde, who then proceeded to rebuild and extend it, renaming it grandly as 'Woodland Castle.' (Clyne Castle).

Now by 1820, the parish was on the threshold of momentous changes, which the future was destined to bring. The oyster and quarrying enterprises were expanding and a fledgling tourism industry was getting underway.