PGW(Gm)55(SWA)

St. James's Gardens and Crescent  

II  

01/02/2022  

Designated  

Swansea  

Uplands  

264349  

192977  

Gardens, Parks and Urban Spaces  

Urban public park  

1863-67; 1878-1913  

St James's Gardens and Crescent lie in a central residential district to the west of Swansea city centre. It is registered for its historic interest as a late Victorian urban public park designed as an integral part of the town layout and surrounded by mid to late nineteenth-century villas, the majority of which are listed. The park has important group value with the surrounding listed buildings for which it provides an attractive setting. The area was developed for housing in the mid to late nineteenth century. The plan incorporated a semi-circular open space, the Crescent, to the north of Walters Road and a central, rectangular open space to the north of it, the Gardens. The Crescent was developed first and St James's Church (LB: 14637) was built in the centre in 1863-67. The Gardens were laid out between 1878 and 1913 and the layout is shown on the 1st and 2nd edition Ordnance Survey maps. Housing was first built, before 1878, to the south, along Walters Road, and around the west side of the Crescent. Between 1878 and 1913 the remainder of the periphery was filled in. The houses were substantial villas and the area contained several mansions - Brooklands, Ffynnonau, Rheanva, Bryn-y-mor - with large gardens. The Gardens consists of a rectangular block laid out informally with ornamental trees and shrubs set in grass, winding tarmac paths, following the lines of the original ones, and island flowerbeds. The park is dominated by the dense planting of Victorian conifers, many of which must be original plantings. The tree-lined Crescent lies to the south and extends to approximately three times the width of the Gardens. In the centre lies the church of St James, built by Thomas Nicholson of Hereford. To the north is the church hall (LB: 14638). The Crescent is bounded by iron railings on a low coursed stone wall (LB: 14639). Entrances have iron gates flanked by square stone piers of roughly dressed blocks with gabled dressed stone tops. More recently, part of the Crescent has been developed for housing (St James’s Court). Setting: The park is an integral part of the layout and provides the pleasant setting for St James’s Church and the surrounding villa residences. Sources Cadw 2000: Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales, Glamorgan, p.187 (ref: PGW(Gm)55(SWA)).