Mumbles
Mumbles (otherwise The Mumbles – Welsh Y Mwmbwls) is an extremely large village and adjacent headland stretching into Swansea Bay. It is also a community made up of the Mayals, Newton, Oystermouth and West Cross Electoral Wards. It is part of the administrative area of the city and county of Swansea in south Wales. Historically the area was part of the county of Glamorgan.
The name Mumbles is probably derived from the French word mamelles, meaning "breasts", which the two islets at the end of the Mumbles headland resemble. On the furthest islet stands Mumbles Lighthouse. Situated in the village are the ruins of Oystermouth Castle.
Development
In 1806, the Oystermouth Railway was built between Oystermouth and Swansea with the intention of carrying coal to Swansea. The potential for carrying passengers was soon seen and a horse-drawn passenger service was started on March 25, 1807, making it the first passenger railway service in the world. It became enormously popular, and was commonly called the Mumbles Train.
Following the development of the rail service, Mumbles became a very popular tourist destination. To capitalize on this, the Mumbles Train was extended and a pier was constructed and opened in 1898 to serve as the new terminus.
An RNLI lifeboat slipway was added to the pier in the summer of 1916 and a boathouse was finally built on it in 1922; these remain in use. On April 23, 1947 the crew of eight men was lost while attempting to rescue the crew of the Samtampa that had run aground on Sker Point.
An amusement complex was developed at the land end of the Mumbles Pier in 1966. This proved to be an invaluable attraction to visitors, and in recent years, funding has seen a new building added, housing an amusement arcade, restaurant and bowling alley.
The Mumbles Mile is a stretch of road in Mumbles, that is notable for its concentration of pubs. It is a popular destination for pub crawls. Famous poet Dylan Thomas was said to have enjoyed many hours at The Mermaid (now demolished).
Trivia
- Catherine Zeta-Jones was born in Swansea but she was brought up in Mumbles
- Ian Hislop was born in Mumbles
- Joanna Page was born in Mumbles
- Bonnie Tyler lives in Mumbles
See also
External links
- Mumbles community council
- Mumbles Tourist Information Centre
- Report of the loss of Edward, Prince of Wales (the Mumbles lifeboat) in 1947
- Locality website
- Mumbles Pier
- Mumbles webcam and images of area by local photographer
- Mumbles Lifeboat
- Mumbles Yacht Club
- Local food guide covering the Mumbles area
- Map sources for Mumbles
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