Morriston

Morriston Welsh: Treforys
Glamorgan
DVLA buildings in Morriston
Location
Grid reference:	SS6698
Location:	51°40’12"N, 3°55’48"W
Data
Population:	16,928  (2011)
Post town:	Swnasea
Postcode:	SA6
Dialling code:	01792
Local Government
Council:	Swansea
Parliamentary constituency:	Swansea East

Morriston is a town in Glamorgan that forms a suburb of Swansea. Morriston has never had a town charter, but was named "Morris Town" after Sir John Morris of Clasmont, who built a large copper works here in 1876, around which a large village grew very rapidly. It is now part of the continuous urban area around Swansea, the centre of which lies three miles to the south-west.

Other nearby communities include Parc Gwernfadog, Cwmrhydyceirw, Clase, Ynystawe, Ynysforgan.

Landscape

Morriston is built on terrain sloping gently downwards to the east and steeply upwards to the west, and the district is centred on Woodfield Street, a shopping area that runs in a north-south axis. This street features two of Morriston's most notable structures, the Church of St John, and Tabernacle, a Grade I listed building designed by the architect John Humphrey and built between 1870 and 1872. Tabernacle has sometimes been called "the cathedral of Welsh non-conformity".

The remainder of Morriston can be divided into three areas:

• an area of early 19th century two-storey terraced houses around the main area of shops;
• areas further north, close to the M4 motorway, largely composed of semi-detached housing built from the 1940s to the 1960s;
• a mix of 19th-century and more recently built houses along Clydach Road in Ynystawe.

Morriston Hospital, the largest in Swansea, is located in Cwmrhydyceirw, a small village in Morriston, approximately one mile north of Morriston town centre. All British driver registration is handled by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) which is located in Clase, a suburb west of Morriston town.

Morriston town is near to the urban village of Plasmarl, the villages of Ynystawe, Ynysforgan, Clydach and the large housing estates, Penlan and Clase, both of which are districts of Swansea.

Retail

The heart of the community surrounds Woodfield Street, which serves the town, its surrounding villages and the near outskirts of nearby city Swansea in terms of retail, services and entertainment.

Industrial heritage

Morris Castle

Morriston was constructed as "Wales' earliest planned industrial village", laid out on a grid pattern designed by William Edwards and named after its founder, Sir John Morris, Bt. The grid pattern remains in evidence today.

Sir John Morris was also responsible for the construction between 1768 and 1774 of Morris Castle, widely considered to have been the world's first accommodation built specifically for workers by their employer. Little of the structure remains today, although its ruins are visible on high ground above the nearby Landore district.

Morriston was initially constructed for the workers of the tinplate and copper industries that built up along the banks of the River Tawe in the 18th century. However, tin-plating had almost vanished from the area by the end of the Second World War, with production in South West Wales concentrated at new works in Felindre and Port Talbot.

Listed Buildings

Grade II listed buildings:

• Former Annealing Building in George Cohen's Works, off Beaufort Road
• Morfydd Street Bridge & Boundary Wall to Davies Street
• Seion Chapel on Clase Road
• Philadelphia Chapel incl. attached Chapel House & Sunday School on Globe Street
• Former Police Station & House on Martin Street
• 'Danbert Hall' (former Employment Exchange) on Morfydd Street
• War Memorial in Morriston Park
• Church of St John on Woodfield Street

Grade I listed buildings:

• Capel Tabernacl on Woodfield Street

Notable residents

• William Richard Arnold, Welsh rugby union international
• Cliff Bowen, Wales rugby union international and Carmarthenshire County Cricket Club cricketer
• Anthony Clement, Welsh rugby union international
• Stevie Davies, award-winning novelist
• Richard and Paul Moriarty, Welsh rugby union internationals
• David Jones, Wales Rugby Union International 1947-1948 and selector for Swansea RFC
• D.Z. Phillips, philosopher of religion
• James Thomas, Swansea City A.F.C. footballer
• Hayley Tullett, international athlete
• Dan Thissein, Glamorgan County Cricket Club wicketkeeper in first County match 1889
• Shane Williams, Welsh rugby union international, 2008 IRB International Player of the Year

Sport

It is home to a rugby club founded in 1876. Morriston RFC has all age group rugby from age 6 to Youth & senior sides, and is proud of producing many players to achieve International honors, more recently brothers Richard & Paul Moriarty, Tony Clements. With several amateur association football clubs, most of which play in the Swansea Senior League: Morriston A.F.C., Morriston Athletic, Morriston Olympic and C.R.C. Rangers. Games between Morriston Olympic and C.R.C (Cwmrhydyceirw) Rangers are fiercely contested, with scores of supporters lining the pitch at Tir Canol whenever the two sides meet..

Other ball sports popular in Morriston include golf, billiards and cricket. Morriston Golf Club was established in 1909 and has been located at its present-day site between Clasemont and Cwmrhydyceirw since 1916. The 18-hole golf course is set in parkland and is 5,708 yards in length. Morriston Snooker and Pool Club is located just off Woodfield Street in the centre of Morriston. Three senior teams represent the club in the Swansea Snooker League, with a junior team competing in the Neath Snooker League. Morriston cricket club was founded in 1865.