The Rotherslade Bay Improvement Scheme, 1926-7 by Kate Jones

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The Rotherslade Bay Improvement Scheme, 1926-7

by Kate Jones

Introduction

In 1926-7 Swansea Corporation carried out extensive improvements to the access to Rotherslade Bay. A huge retaining wall was constructed against the cliff, there were new steps down to the beach, refreshment rooms, shops and an upper promenade where visitors could sit in deck chairs and admire the view. It was to be the entrance to Rotherslade Bay for 70 years.

Ladies’ Bay, Little Langland or Langland Cove

In the 19th century Rotherslade was frequently called Langland Cove or Little Langland. It was also known as ‘Ladies’ Bay’, as here ladies could swim privately, away from the men in Langland Bay and, in the 1890s, have swimming lessons.

Old photographs show a quaint little beach crowded with visitors, bathing huts and tea sheds. Owners of rowing boats offered excursion trips around the coast.

 “A BEAUTIFUL LITTLE BAY”

In 1919 Mumbles became part of the County Borough of Swansea. The beaches brought in money for the council so improvements such as widening footpaths, providing lavatories and changing rooms would attract more visitors and revenue. The Parks Committee proposed a concrete shelter for Rotherslade, but the council had other claims on its finances at this time and very little was done.

The Swansea & Mumbles Guide of 1920 described Rotherslade as: 

“A beautiful little bay with the Osborne Hotel and several large boarding houses … the favourite bay along the coast. With its shore of clear pebbles and long stretch of clean sand washed twice daily by the sea, it affords splendid attraction for ladies and children who crowd there during the summer.”

The Urgent Need for Improvements at Rotherslade

But Rotherslade had problems. The cliff above the bay had been crumbling and falling down for many years and had been shored-up by buttresses and struts. The steps down to the beach were dilapidated and looked as if the next high tide would carry them away altogether. Over the years temporary repairs had been carried out, but now it seemed that a considerable sum of money would have to be spent in order to find permanent solutions to the problems of beach access and safety.

In June 1924 Swansea Borough Architect, Ernest Morgan, reported to the Parks Committee that it would cost around £5,000 to build a retaining wall at Rotherslade. This would be “entirely unremunerative”, but a larger scheme including lock-up shops and restaurants which the council could lease out, might cost in the region of £7,000 and would be “self-supporting”. Unfortunately it was discovered that there were difficulties “in the formation of the ground revealed by testing holes” and that original estimate of £7,000 would probably have to increase to about £15,000.

“UNSIGHTLY SHANTIES”

In the opinion of the Council, it was not only beach access that needed urgent repairs and modernisation – so did beach facilities in the form of the tea sheds “which could only be described as unsightly shanties”. These should be replaced by proper refreshment rooms. In April 1920 very high tides had badly damaged Mr Kift’s tearooms - they were later replaced by bathing cubicles.

In March 1925 the town clerk of Swansea, Howell Lang Coath, told the council:

“Mumbles has become almost too popular … it is frequented by large numbers and the Corporation is anxious to do all they can to administer the bays, maintaining the amenities and taking into consideration probably future requirements in view of the increasing popularity of the resort.”

The Proposed Improvement Scheme, 1925

With the popularity of the bay in mind, as well as the urgent need for proper repairs, the Parks Committee decided to press ahead and recommended the construction of a large retaining wall for the cliff with flights of steps at either end. There would be a shelter at beach level, café and shops on the first floor and a promenade terrace on top with plenty of space for deck chairs (hired out by the corporation). There would also be lavatories and storage areas. It was a bold proposal, estimated to cost £10,325. But the committee felt that the more the council spent, the more it would ultimately recoup in revenue.

At an Inquiry into the scheme, conducted by an inspector from the Ministry of Health, was held in 1925.  Swansea’s town clerk Lang Coath warned that: “Three million people are carried to Mumbles by the Mumbles Railway every summer, and if you take away the footpath [to Rotherslade] there will be a new town council in Swansea.” Swansea Corporation applied to borrow £9,435 to pay for the project.

The Construction Works, 1926-7

The decision to build with reinforced concrete instead of local stone meant unskilled labour could be used which would be cheaper and help ease unemployment. At the end of January 1926 the corporation accepted a tender from Messrs Lloyd Bros. for £11,712 6s 0d. The builders were asked to keep the bay and footpath open during the progress of the works which commenced that spring.

The huge scheme attracted a great deal of interest and local photographer M.A.  Clare took a series of remarkable photographs of the works and the men employed. The first stage after demolishing the old steps was to re-inforce the cliff. There was at least one landslide during that summer. High tides and bad weather, particularly during the winter months, also had to be contended with.

Looking at these photographs it is difficult to see how the beach could have been kept open to the public as it looks completely taken over as a building site, with all the hazards (and temptations) of equipment and materials.

In spite of difficulties obtaining the services of enough carpenters and a brief interruption caused by the General Strike in May, work progressed. On 23 September the construction site was inspected by officers of the Council’s Parks Department who reported work would be finished by Easter 1927 - in good time for the summer season.

The promise was premature – an unforeseen problem was to emerge.

To See, Or Not To See! December 1926

In December 1926 work on the scheme suddenly stopped. With completion only a few months away council officers had realised that anyone sitting in a deck chair on the promenade terrace would not be able to see the sea or the beach because the four foot high parapet wall in front of them would completely block their view!

The Council looked foolish - faced with an embarrassing choice between continuing with the existing (faulty) design and failing to secure revenue from deck chair hire, or authorising increased expenditure to amend the scheme and delaying completion.

Morgan put forward two suggestions. The first was to open three of the panels in the parapet wall and insert iron bars, giving partial views, at a cost of £150. The alternative was to remove the whole wall and replace it with iron railings which he thought might cost as much as £2,000 and delay completion by four weeks.

“ROTHERSLADE BLUNDER”: January 1927

The Mumbles Press under the headline Rotherslade Blunder summed up the problem which, it reported, was causing a considerable amount of local comment. Its edition of 13 January 1927 pointed out that ever since the scheme had been first suggested “there have been many in Mumbles as well as in other parts of the borough who have argued that the Corporation were undertaking too big a project at this resort, having regard to the increasing rates, the town’s present commitments and the urgent need for the improvements in other parts of the Mumbles. The feelings of these ratepayers when they now learn that the cost is likely to be further increased, possibly by as much as £2,000 can easily be imagined!”

Nevertheless, the paper argued, the mistake which had been made had to be rectified. “In constructing a concrete roof (or promenade) on top of the huge structure …the main idea, we know, was to make provision for visitors and residents desirous of enjoying a rest upon chairs (also provided by the authority) and a beautiful view at the same time. But, alas, unless some alteration is made in the present design, no one will be able to see the sea or the sands while seated, and the enterprising Parks Superintendent may as well abandon all his hopes of a really helpful income from letting chairs on the garden roof!”

The Borough Architect was requested to provide proper estimates for making alterations. The cost of providing partial views by removing 3 panels and replacing them with iron railings would be £100, whereas complete replacement of the wall with railings would cost £750. At the end of January the committee voted for the latter option.

“COUNCIL AND BALUSTRADE QUESTION”: March 1927

Not everyone was in favour of this additional expenditure. On 24 March the Mumbles Press entertained its readers with a report of the acrimonious wrangling at the March council meeting, calling it “Council and Balustrade Question”.

Alderman Lovell criticised the proposal to spend £750; it was unjustified as no extra revenue would result. William Rosser agreed, adding that visitors would have a view of the bay but sand would blow in their faces. Alderman Barclay Owen thought this was “piffle”, and Mr Ball pointed out that a retaining wall (costing between £4,000 and £5,000) had been essential and that this additional expenditure would bring in revenue to offset the costs. Alderman Lewis expressed the hope that in the current financial stress no more than £100 would be spent, whilst Mr Harry Griffiths objected to the cutting off the seascape from the view of visitors.

“The Mumbles point of view” was expressed by Mr A. Wynne who said most Mumbles folk considered the scheme “not only unnecessary but more or less an eyesore.” The original estimate had been £7,000 and the actual cost was going to be nearer £12,000. But although he thought money had been wasted he strongly favoured the additional expenditure of £750 as it would bring in considerable revenue from deck chairs on the roof.

Mr W Bevan said the criticism was typical of Swansea for the last 100 years. Nature had given them one of the finest fronts in the country and they were afraid to venture a comparatively small amount of money to effect an improvement.

The decision to spend £750 was agreed and work re-started in late March. The half-completed wall was taken down and replaced by iron railings along the entire length.

The White Elephant: 1926 Onwards …

The massive concrete structure was nicknamed the White Elephant by local people, but it served them well for decades – providing refreshments, shelter and a safe access to the beach. High tides dumped a mound of stones immediately in front of it and seaweed was frequently thrown right to the back of the shelter and up the steps. Stones hurled up by storms pockmarked the concrete, and the stair wells smelt musty and damp. But for children it was a gateway to beach paradise and for that reason the White Elephant has been held in affectionate memory by many.

Finale

By the 1980s, ravaged by time, undermined by storms and ruined by vandalism, the White Elephant was living up to its name. It became a neglected ‘ugly eyesore’ [Evening Post, May 1985] and once again Swansea Council had to consider a major facelift for Rotherslade Bay. In June 1997 it was demolished to make way for the present concrete wall and steps which were completed in August 1998. Anyone sitting today on the wooden benches on the promenade have uninterrupted views of Ladies’ Bay and beyond.

Kate Jones, 2020

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