Mumbles () is a headland sited on the western edge of

Swansea Bay Swansea Bay () is a bay on the southern coast of Wales. The River Neath, River Tawe, River Afan, River Kenfig and Clyne River flow into the bay. Swansea Bay and the upper reaches of the Bristol Channel experience a large tidal range. The sh ...

on the southern coast of

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

Toponym

Mumbles has been noted for its unusual place name. The headland is thought by some to have been named by French sailors, after the shape of the two anthropomorphic islands which the headland comprises: the word "Mumbles" may be a corruption of the French ''les mamelles,'' meaning "the breasts". Another possible source of the name is the word

Mamucium Mamucium, also known as Mancunium, is a former Roman fort in the Castlefield area of Manchester in North West England. The ''Castra, castrum'', which was founded c. AD 79 within the Roman province of Roman Britain, was garrisoned by a ...

, which is generally thought to represent a Latinisation of an original Brythonic name, either from mamm- ("breast", in reference to a "breast-like hill") or from mamma ("mother", in reference to a local river goddess).

Mumbles Lighthouse Mumbles Lighthouse, completed in 1794, is a lighthouse located in Mumbles, near Swansea. The structure, which sits on the outer of two islands off Mumbles Head, is clearly visible from any point along the five mile sweep of Swansea Bay. Along wi ...

was built during the 1790s, and was converted to solar powered operation in 1995.

Notable features

Mumbles Pier The Grade II listed structure of Mumbles Pier is an long Victorian pleasure pier built in 1898. It is located at the south-western corner of Swansea Bay near the village of Mumbles, within the city and county of Swansea, Wales. The pier i ...

was opened in 1898 at the terminus of the

Swansea and Mumbles Railway The Swansea and Mumbles Railway was the venue for the world's first passenger horsecar railway service, located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. Originally built under an act of Parliament, the Oystermouth Railway or Tramroad Act 1804, to m ...

, which was the world's first horse-drawn public passenger train service. It opened 2 Mar 1807 and used horse power to 1877, then steam power to 1929, when it switched to double deck overhead electric tram power, lasting till the line closed in Jan 1960.

Mumbles Lifeboat Station The Mumbles Lifeboat Station is at Mumbles Pier, located at the south-western corner of Swansea Bay, near the village of Mumbles, within the city and county of Swansea, in the Historic counties of Wales, historic county of Glamorgan, Wales. A l ...

has operated since 1866. In 1947, the entire lifeboat crew was lost at sea, attempting to rescue the crew of the ''

SS Samtampa SS ''Samtampa'' was a 7,219 ton steamship wrecked on Sker Point, off Porthcawl and Kenfig, Wales, in the Bristol Channel on 23 April 1947. At the time of the shipwreck, the ''Samtampa'' was operated by the Houlder Line. The ''Samtampa'' ha ...

'', in what has become known as the

Mumbles lifeboat disaster The Mumbles lifeboat disaster occurred in 1947 off south Wales when the Mumbles lifeboat was undertaking a rescue off Sker Point but was overwhelmed by the sea. All eight people in the lifeboat died as result. History Mumbles Lifeboat station i ...

. The nearest church,

All Saints' Church, Oystermouth All Saints' Church, Oystermouth, is an Anglican church in the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon, South Wales. It is located in Mumbles and is a Grade II listed building (listed 23 April 1952 as "a large church with substantial medieval fabric and go ...

, contains memorials to the crew.

Climate

References

External links

Mumbles

www.geograph.co.uk Photos of The Mumbles and surrounding area
{{coord, 51.568, -3.985, type:landmark_region:GB_dim:3000, display=title Seaside resorts in Wales Populated places on the Gower Peninsula Swansea Bay

Toponym

Notable features

Climate

See also

References

External links