Take a trip down memory lane with historic Swansea footage

Historic footage of the Mumbles train has been shared with the world.

Staff from Swansea Council’s West Glamorgan Archive Service have uploaded a video clip of the train in its heyday to social media for local history fans to enjoy.

The 28-second clip, which shows the train running between Blackpill and St Helen’s, was recorded in the years that followed the Second World War. It shows the train passing the cenotaph on the seafront and the famous rugby and cricket ground.

The full film, which shows the train at various locations around Swansea Bay, can be seen at the West Glamorgan Archive Service in the Civic Centre. A number of nostalgic images of the train, which dated from 1804 to the 1960s, have also been uploaded.

It’s all part of a new West Glamorgan Archive Service project to upload video clips and photos from yesteryear every Friday to their Facebook and Twitter accounts.

A slideshow of promotional posters for Swansea Grand Theatre pantomimes over the years has also now been uploaded. Some of the stars to have taken to the stage at the theatre for the annual panto since the early 1960s include Davy Jones from the Monkees, Joe Pasquale and Melinda Messenger.

Cllr Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Enterprise, Development and Regeneration, said: “The video clips and nostalgic photos our West Glamorgan Archive Service have uploaded so far this month have been a huge success, with people from across the world checking them out in their thousands.

“The service is a treasure trove of local nostalgia, so it makes sense to share even more historic video clips and photos from yesteryear in future. Not only will the videos and photos appeal to local history buffs, but they’ll also spark other people’s interest in Swansea’s rich heritage as well.

“We hope this will encourage more visitors to the West Glamorgan Archive Service in future, who will benefit from the expertise of the staff and the vast amount of fascinating resources available there.”

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

Other footage recently uploaded online includes clips of Kingsway, Castle Square and Swansea Market from the early 1950s.

Visit www.swansea.gov.uk/westglamorganarchives or call 01792 636589 for more information.