Mumbles & Gower Through Time

This fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which Mumbles & Gower have changed and developed over the last century.

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The history of Mumbles and Gower has many facets and a number of iconic sights. The village of Mumbles is unique and Dylan Thomas was clearly fond of it, describing it as ‘a rather nice village, despite its name, right on the edge of the sea’. This old oyster-fishing community has history oozing from every nook and cranny. When Edwardian visitors used to ‘rattle along’ to Mumbles on the much-loved, but sadly lost, Mumbles Train, they enjoyed the sights of Oystermouth Castle and the delightful pier, much as we can today.

The promenade along the ‘Mumbles Mile’ has inevitably changed with time and the famous lifeboat now has a new home. The lighthouse still stands proud, perched on the outer of the two rocky islands that gave Mumbles its name. The Gower Peninsula was the first location in Britain to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and its stunning landscape has endured for millennia. In many ways it is timeless but it is nevertheless stimulating to explore the peninsula’s past through archive images, charting the changes that have occurred over the previous century and beyond.