Fforestfach is a suburban district of
Swansea
Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County 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 ...
which developed during the Victorian era as part of the expansion of Swansea, and to service several collieries in the area. It lies within the
Cockett ward, between the districts of
Waunarlwydd and
Cwmbwrla, and contains the areas of Cadle and Ravenhill.
The area is residential combined with
light industry
Light industry are Industry (economics), industries that usually are less Capital intensity, capital-intensive than heavy industry, heavy industries and are more consumer-oriented than business-oriented, as they typically produce smaller consum ...
and
retail park; and is close to the
M4 motorway
The M4, originally the London-South Wales Motorway, is the third longest 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 ele ...
and several dual carriageways.
Corgi Toys and
Walkers Crisps had factories in the area, but they have now ceased their operations here. Local amenities include the premises of the City of Swansea
Gymnastic Club, and Ravenhill Park. The nearby places are
Portmead,
Gendros,
Waunarlwydd and
Penllergaer.
History
The village of Fforestfach developed around the crossroad, Fforestfach Cross, of the
A483
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 and W ...
, Carmarthen Road, and the
A4216 road from
Cockett. Carmarthen Road was the old turnpike or mail coach road from Swansea to
Carmarthen.
Bethlehem Chapel in the Cadle area, was originally built in 1840, although the present, Grade II listed building was built in 1866.
Economy
Fforestfach is home to an out of town shopping complex centred on Pontarddulais Road in the Cadle area to the west. The shopping area to the northeast of Pontarddulais Road has existed since the 1970s and is now called "Pontarddulais Road Retail Park". In November 2006 a Park and Ride scheme was introduced to ferry shoppers into
Swansea city centre.
The area to the southwest of Carmarthen Road/Pontarddulais Road, called Parc Fforest-Fach, developed in the early 2000s. The
Tesco
Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in the United Kingdom at its head offices in Welwyn Garden City, England. The company was founded by Jack Cohen (businessman), Sir Jack Cohen in ...
Extra store at Parc Fforestfach had a gross floorspace of in 2003 (and has since been expanded) making it the largest in Wales.
Swansea West Business Park is the largest post-war industrial estate in Swansea. It is the location of 140 businesses employing 1,500 people. There was once a greyhound stadium based at the site, which is now closed and earmarked for re-development.
Amenities
Local amenities include the premises of the City of Swansea
Gymnastic Club, and Ravenhill Park. A chocolate factory on the business park, named "The Chocolate Factory", has guides and exhibits showing the process of making chocolate.
Ravenhill Park was opened in 1931 after Lowe's farm was purchased for £4,170.
The local primary school is the Cadle Primary School on Middle Road.
Listed buildings
Grade II
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
s in Fforestfac
include:*Capel Bethlehem including attached Vestry Block on Carmarthen Road
*Carmarthen Road War Memorial
*Walker Snack Food Factory on Pontarddulais Road
Cockett Railway Station
Cockett railway station not currently open on the
West Wales Line.
Greyhound racing
Fforestfach had two greyhound stadiums. The first known as
'White City' on Pen-llywn-eithen farm traded from 1929 until 1946 and the second was known as the
Swansea Greyhound Stadium on Ystrad Road and was open from 1949 until 2009.
References
External links
Swansea West Business Park{dead link, date=January 2018 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes
Districts of Swansea