Nostalgic Swansea video clips go viral

Nostalgic video clips of Swansea city centre have gone viral across the world.

The historic clips, uploaded to social media by Swansea Council staff at the West Glamorgan Archive Service, were shot in the years that followed the Second World War blitz when large parts of the city centre were being reconstructed.

Footage includes recordings of the Kingsway, Swansea Market and Castle Gardens in the 1950s and early 1960s. The Kingsway clip includes footage of the Mayflower restaurant, a London-style double decker bus and motorcars that would now be considered vintage.

The videos have already been watched more than 30,000 times since being shared on the West Glamorgan Archive Service’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Plenty of photos from yesteryear were also uploaded to help mark the Explore Your Archives campaign across the UK. Images shared included the Dragon Hotel under construction, the former Courts furniture shop and a newspaper clipping advertising Cleopatra with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in the cinema.

Cllr Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Enterprise, Development and Regeneration, said: “Our staff in the West Glamorgan Archive Service should be commended for the innovative way they chose to mark the Explore Your Archives campaign and celebrate our rich history. The sharing of nostalgic photos and videos online was a huge success which has helped raise the profile of the service and all the fantastic resources and expertise available there that people can benefit from.

“A vast collection of documents, maps, photographs, films and sound recordings are available in the Civic Centre that relate to all aspects of West Glamorgan’s history. These make for fascinating viewing and are particularly handy for anyone who wants to research their local area or family tree.

“The popularity of the clips uploaded means our archives team will soon be making more available to cater for demand.”

The archives team is planning to use #FilmFriday on its Facebook and Twitter accounts each Friday in the near future to accompany the uploading of more nostalgic video clips. Search for the West Glamorgan Archive Service on Facebook or follow @WestGlamArchive on Twitter.