Crymlyn Burrows () is an area of land in
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
,
UK to the east of
Swansea city centre
Swansea city centre in Swansea, Wales, contains the main shopping, leisure and nightlife district in Swansea. The city centre covers much of the Castle ward including the area around Oxford Street, Castle Square, and the Quadrant Shopping Cen ...
, and south of
Crymlyn Bog. It is bounded by
Jersey Marine Beach
Jersey Marine is a village in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales, UK located about east of Swansea. It falls within the Coedffranc West ward.
Jersey Marine is centered on a main road formed by Ashleigh Terrace, coming from a junction wi ...
to the south and the
River Neath
River Neath ( cy, Afon Nedd) is a river in south Wales running south west from the point at which its headwaters arising in the Brecon Beacons National Park converge to its mouth at Baglan Bay below Briton Ferry on the east side of Swansea Ba ...
to the east. The land west of Baldwin's Crescent falls within the City and County of
Swansea and from Baldwin's Crescent eastwards falls within
Neath Port Talbot
Neath Port Talbot ( cy, Castell-nedd Port Talbot) is a county borough in the south-west of Wales. Its principal towns are Neath, Port Talbot, Briton Ferry and Pontardawe. The county borough borders Bridgend County Borough and Rhondda Cynon Ta ...
.
The area northwest of the Fabian Way contains a small settlement at Elba Crescent and Baldwins Crescent and areas of industry and commerce. The 1940s Swansea Bay Museum is located in Elba Crescent. The museum contains exhibits showing what life was like in the
Swansea Bay
Swansea Bay ( cy, Bae Abertawe) 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 ti ...
area during and just after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
Nature reserve

The undeveloped salt marsh area south of the
Fabian Way and north
Jersey Marine Beach
Jersey Marine is a village in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales, UK located about east of Swansea. It falls within the Coedffranc West ward.
Jersey Marine is centered on a main road formed by Ashleigh Terrace, coming from a junction wi ...
is a designated biological
Site of Special Scientific Interest and is one of the last remaining places of the
Swansea Bay
Swansea Bay ( cy, Bae Abertawe) 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 ti ...
coastline that has remained unmodified by industrial development. The area contains
sand dune
A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...
s, a
salt marsh
A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is domin ...
and
carr woodland. The burrows also contain a rare orchid - the Fen Orchid, ''
Liparis loeselii''. The site was acquired by
St. Modwen from BP in November 2009 and will be kept as a protected leisure destination.
Industry and commerce

Industrial sites in the northeastern part of the area include the
Linamar
Linamar Corporation (TSX:LNR) is an advanced manufacturing company where the intersection of leading-edge technology and deep manufacturing expertise is creating solutions that power vehicles, motion, work and lives for the future. The Company i ...
Elba Works site, the Gower Chemicals site, and Network Rail's Swansea Burrows yard.
Part of the Visteon industrial site was acquired by RT Properties in 2007 with Visteon consolidating their operations in the Elba Works plant. The part of the site which was sold includes factory premises and the offices and Canteen buildings fronting the Fabian Way. The plant was originally built in 1959 for the
Prestcold fridge company and was later acquired by
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
who manufactured car axle and transmission components there. Ford later transferred the site to Visteon. The site acquired by RT properties has been re-developed as a business park branded Swansea Gate Business Park. The car parts factory was later closed and is now used as a film studio.
BP has a storage site south east of the Fabian Way adjacent to
Swansea Docks.
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com, Inc., doing business as Amazon (, ; , ), is an American multinational technology company engaged in e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos ...
has a distribution centre just west of the Jersey Marine roundabout on the Fabian Way.
Leisure

The 18 hole
links golf course
A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". The ...
of the
Swansea Bay Golf Club lies to the east of
Jersey Marine village. It is the oldest golf club in the Swansea area. The marina of the Monkstone Sailing and Cruising Club is located at Earlswood in the east of the area, under the M4 Motorway viaduct, with access to the estuary of the River Neath.
Fabian Way
Fabian Way is an
arterial road
An arterial road or arterial thoroughfare is a high-capacity urban road that sits below freeways/motorways on the road hierarchy in terms of traffic flow and speed. The primary function of an arterial road is to deliver traffic from collector ...
which connects
Swansea city centre
Swansea city centre in Swansea, Wales, contains the main shopping, leisure and nightlife district in Swansea. The city centre covers much of the Castle ward including the area around Oxford Street, Castle Square, and the Quadrant Shopping Cen ...
with the
M4 Motorway
The M4, originally the London-South Wales Motorway, is a motorway in the United Kingdom running from west London to southwest Wales. The English section to the Severn Bridge was constructed between 1961 and 1971; the Welsh element was largely ...
at junction 42. It forms a stretch of the
A483 road
The A483, officially described as the Swansea to Manchester Trunk Road, although now ending in Chester, is a major road in the United Kingdom. It runs from Swansea in Wales to Chester in England via Llandovery, Llandrindod Wells, Oswestry ...
. It is about long and cuts through the centre of Crymlyn Burrows in the unitary authorities of
Swansea and
Neath Port Talbot
Neath Port Talbot ( cy, Castell-nedd Port Talbot) is a county borough in the south-west of Wales. Its principal towns are Neath, Port Talbot, Briton Ferry and Pontardawe. The county borough borders Bridgend County Borough and Rhondda Cynon Ta ...
. Fabian Way is a dual carriageway for its whole length. The speed limit of Fabian Way is between Swansea city centre and
Port Tennant, after which the speed limit rises to until the Jersey Marine traffic lights. The road is a standard national speed limit dual carriageway between Jersey Marine and the junction with the M4. It is considered to be the main entrance to
Swansea City Centre
Swansea city centre in Swansea, Wales, contains the main shopping, leisure and nightlife district in Swansea. The city centre covers much of the Castle ward including the area around Oxford Street, Castle Square, and the Quadrant Shopping Cen ...
.
Plans
A new residential development was approved in 2009 for the area north of Elba Crescent, consisting of 33 houses with a planned total of 100 and a new business area.
Swansea University
Swansea University
, former_names=University College of Swansea, University of Wales Swansea
, motto= cy, Gweddw crefft heb ei dawn
, mottoeng="Technical skill is bereft without culture"
, established=1920 – University College of Swansea 1996 – University of Wa ...
has built a site close the Fabian Way as a second
campus and
innovation park. The development is on land previously used by
BP as a petrochemicals transit site which BP gifted to the university. The site stretches from
Swansea Docks to
Crymlyn Bog. Funding for the project was made available in September 2012 from the
Welsh Government
, image =
, caption =
, date_established =
, country = Wales
, address =
, leader_title = First Minister ()
, appointed = First Minister approved by the Senedd, ceremonially appointed ...
and the
European Investment Bank. Construction work started on the site in 2013 and the main phase completed in 2015, with accommodation blocks still being added. Companies which intend to establish research facilities at the site include
Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to:
* Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct
Automobiles
* Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated ...
,
Hewlett-Packard,
Tata,
Bell Labs
Nokia Bell Labs, originally named Bell Telephone Laboratories (1925–1984),
then AT&T Bell Laboratories (1984–1996)
and Bell Labs Innovations (1996–2007),
is an American industrial research and scientific development company owned by mult ...
and
BAE.
Swansea University's £90m secures new science campus
''www.bbc.co.uk''
Nearest places
* Swansea Docks
* Port Tennant
* Crymlyn Bog
* Jersey Marine
*Baglan Bay
Baglan Bay ''(Welsh: Bae Baglan)'' is a part of the Swansea Bay coastline and a district of Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. Baglan Bay is also the name of a local government community. Baglan Bay is served by the M4 Motorway and the A48 ...
References
External links
Photographs from Geograph
Historical photographs of Burrows Yard
{{Coord, 51, 37, 17.00, N, 3, 53, 24.00, W, type:city, display=title
Nature reserves in Swansea
Salt marshes of Neath Port Talbot
Salt marshes of Swansea
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in West Glamorgan
Swansea Bay