Loughor

Llwchwr is a community and (from 2022) electoral ward in the central western part of the City and County of Swansea, Wales, UK. It lies 9 km (5.6 miles) west-north-west of Swansea city centre and is bounded by the communities of Gorseinon to the north, Penllergaer to the east, and Gowerton to the south, as well as by the estuary of the River Loughor to the west, on the far side of which lies Bynea in Carmarthenshire, connected to Llwchwr by road and rail bridges. The population of Llwchwr, as recorded at the 2011 census, was 9,134.The community is home to Garden Village FC of the Welsh Football League, Carmarthenshire League Division 2 outfit Loughor Rovers, and Loughor RFC who play in ASDA Nation League Division 1 West. The community of Llwchwr, together with that of Gorseinon, is twinned with Ploërmel in France.[1]

Upper Loughor (Welsh: Casllwchwr Uchaf) was an electoral ward in the City and County of Swansea, Wales. The ward covered the eastern part of the town of Loughor in the parliamentary constituency of Gower. It was bounded by Lower Loughor and the Loughor estuary to the west; Penyrheol to the north; Kingsbridge to the east and Gowerton to the south. In the 2008 local council elections, the turnout for Upper Loughor was 42.69%. The results were:

Leucarum was a coastal auxiliary fort in the Roman province of Britannia. Its remains are located beneath the town of Loughor in the Welsh city of Swansea. The Romans built a rectangular or trapezoidal fort at the mouth of the River Loughor in the late 1st century to house a regiment of Roman auxiliary troops. Stone defences were added to the earthen ditch and rampart by 110 and the fort was occupied until the middle or end of that century. However, it was later abandoned for a time and in the early 3rd century the ditch naturally silted up. It appears to have been brought back into use during the rule of Carausius who was worried about Irish raids, but was abandoned again before the 4th century. A Norman castle was later built on the site.

Lower Loughor (Welsh: Casllwchwr Isaf) was an electoral ward in the City and County of Swansea, Wales. The ward covered the western part of the town of Loughor in the parliamentary constituency of Gower. It was bounded by the wards of Gowerton to the west; the Loughor estuary to the north and Upper Loughor to the east. Lower Loughour consists of an area of salt marsh south of the A484 road and a suburban settlement north of the A484. The settlement of Lower Loughor can be traced back to Swansea's early coal mining industry with mines, and an iron foundry dating back to the 1730s. By 1869, the St. David's tinplate works was well established across the river and the village of Loughor had grown significantly by 1876. The construction of a permanent bridge across the River Loughor in 1923, linking Swansea with Llanelli, encouraged further expansion of Loughor. Some worker houses from the 19th Century still remain in the area close to the estuary. A substantial Post War Local Authority housing estate was developed in the 1930s. Further local authority housing was developed in the 1970s and in the early 2000s more housing has been built. About 28% of the properties in the area are detached houses with about 36% of the housing stock being semi-detached. In the 2012 local council elections, the electorate turnout was 32.95%. The results were:

Loughor Castle is a ruined, medieval fortification located in the town of Loughor, Wales. The castle was built around 1106 by the Anglo-Norman lord Henry de Beaumont, during the Norman invasion of Wales. The site overlooked the River Loughor and controlled a strategic road and ford running across the Gower Peninsula. The castle was designed as an oval ringwork, probably topped by wicker fence defences, and reused the remains of the former Roman fort of Leucarum. Over the next two centuries, the castle was involved in many conflicts. It was attacked and burnt, probably in the Welsh uprising of 1151, and was captured by the forces of Llywelyn the Great in 1215. John de Braose acquired the castle in 1220 and repaired it, constructing a stone curtain wall to replace the older defences. Attacked again in 1251, the castle was reinforced with a stone tower in the second half of the 13th century. It declined in importance during the late-medieval period, and by the 19th century, the castle was ruinous and overgrown with ivy. In the 21st century, Loughor Castle is controlled by the Welsh heritage agency Cadw and operated as a tourist attraction. The ruined tower and fragments of the curtain wall still survive on top of the ringwork's earthwork defences, which now resemble a motte, or mound, and are part of the Loughor Castle Park.

Loughor railway station was on the South Wales Railway, now the West Wales Line, from Swansea to Llanelli. The station was located on the west side of Swansea in the residential area of Loughor.

The Loughor bridge is a road bridge crossing over the River Loughor, providing a convenient link between much of western Swansea and Llanelli, west Wales. The bridge is part of the A484 road. The road bridge is adjacent to the Loughor railway viaduct. A permanent bridge linking Loughor and Llanelli was first constructed in 1923. Evidence of the old bridge can still be seen from the right side of the new bridge crossing from loughor, a parapet jutting out into the river which is now a seating area and support foundations can also be seen in the river bed at low tides. If travelling over the bridge east, you will enter the county of Swansea and South Wales when leaving the bridge. If travelling west, you will enter the county of Carmarthenshire and the West Wales area when leaving the bridge. When leaving the bridge if heading west, the road signs change from English/Welsh to Welsh/English (Welsh written before English). This is due to the much higher use of the Welsh language in West Wales.

The Loughor railway viaduct carries the West Wales Line across the River Loughor. It is adjacent, and runs parallel to, the Loughor road bridge. The 1880 viaduct was granted Grade II listed building status. Before it was demolished in early 2013, the viaduct was the last remaining timber viaduct designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel.The Loughor viaduct was constructed to carry the broad gauge South Wales Railway (SWR) west of Swansea to Carmarthen. It was opened to traffic (broad gauge and standard gauge) in 1852. The viaduct was rebuilt several times; modifications made include the removal of its swing bridge and broad gauge tracks, replacement of the timber deck with an iron structure, and additional piles. In 1986, due to structural concerns, the track was singled and speed restrictions were imposed adding to journey times. In the early 2010s, Network Rail commissioned a new-build replacement. Work by contractor Carillion, took place during March and April 2013. The railway was closed for 16 days to allow for the removal of the old viaduct and the installation of the new bridge. On 8 April 2013, the new bridge with its doubled track line was opened to traffic. A section of the original viaduct was preserved alongside the new structure.

Gorseinon Hospital (Welsh: Ysbyty Gorseinon) is a rehabilitation hospital in Gorseinon, Wales. It is managed by Swansea Bay University Health Board.

Penyrheol is the name of an electoral ward and a suburb in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, UK. The electoral ward consists of some or all of the following areas: Penyrheol, Grovesend and Waun Gron, in the parliamentary constituency of Gower. It is bordered by the Loughor estuary to the north west; and the wards of Pontarddulais to the north; Llangyfelach to the east; and Upper Loughor, Kingsbridge, Gorseinon and Penllergaer to the south. For the 2008 local council elections, the turnout was 34.16%. The results were: In 2012 the result was as follows:

Penyrheol (Welsh: Pen-yr-heol) is a suburban district of Swansea, Wales falling within the Penyrheol ward. Penyrheol is located about 7 miles (11 km) north west of Swansea city centre in northwest Gorseinon. Penyrheol has two schools: a primary school and Penyrheol Comprehensive School. The latter was destroyed by arsonists in the early hours of Saturday 18 March 2006 causing 10 million pounds worth of damage. This caused much disruption to the pupils and families of the communities of Penyrheol, Gorseinon and Loughor. The destroyed teaching block was rebuilt at a cost of £9.9m and lessons began in the new block on 4 September 2009.Penyrheol Leisure centre is the local sports facility which incorporates a swimming pool, gymnasium and theatre. The swimming pool is the home of Penyrheol Swimming Club, the only swimming club in Swansea to have achieved the Dragon Mark Award.Penyrheol is an electoral ward of the City and County of Swansea Council.

Kingsbridge (Welsh: Pontybrenin) was an electoral ward in the City and County of Swansea, Wales. It was part of the Llwchwr Town council area. The Kingsbridge ward was bordered by the wards of Gowerton, Cockett and Penderry to the south; Gorseinon and Penllergaer to the north and Upper Loughor to the west. The electoral ward consisted of some or all of the following areas: Kingsbridge, Garden Village and Stafford Common in the parliamentary constituency of Gower. Kingsbridge is a mainly rural ward but it also has a scattering of industrial areas. For election purposes, Kingsbridge is broken down into the polling districts of Kingsbridge and Garden Village. For the 2012 local council elections, the turnout was 36.25%. The results were: