Dylan Thomas’ Swansea

Dylan Thomas (1914-1953), Wales’ most famous literary figure, was born in Swansea and lived there permanently until he was twenty. Even after moving away, he regularly came back to visit and seek inspiration from his hometown.

Dylan was born in the Uplands area of the city on the 27th of October 1914. This is where he grew up and wrote around two-thirds of all his poetry, as well as many letters and short stories.

Various landmarks associated with his early life and writings can be discovered by following the Dylan Thomas Trails. Dylan’s legacy is everywhere, from his home at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive and neighbouring Cwmdonkin Park, to the quiet resort of Mumbles and the Gower Peninsula.

The City and County of Swansea’s Dylan Thomas Collection ranges from memorabilia and exhibition in the Dylan Thomas Centre to academic materials based in the Central Library.

Don’t miss Dylan’s Bookstore on King Edward Road, which is packed with rare and collectable books by and about Dylan Thomas, as well as other valuable memorabilia and photographs.

There is also a permanent exhibition, Man and Myth, housed at the Dylan Thomas Centre on the banks of the River Tawe, adjacent to the Maritime Quarter.

Dylan Thomas trails

Explore Dylan’s legacy on a series of self-guided walks around Swansea and south west Wales

Between his birth in the Uplands area of Swansea, and being laid to rest in his final home at Laugharne (Carmarthenshire), Dylan travelled and lived throughout south-west Wales.

You can explore Dylan’s legacy on a series of self-guided walks around Swansea and south-west Wales.  The official guide booklets for the Dylan Thomas Trails are sold at the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea, or can be viewed on www.dylanthomas.com.

The trails include:

Swansea City

Dylan lived and wrote most of his poetry in his hometown of Swansea, and there is still much evidence of the poet’s influence to be seen on a tour of the city centre. The ‘Man and Myth’ exhibition at the Dylan Thomas Centre, browsing for memorabilia at Dylan’s Bookstore, or enjoying a coffee on Dylan Thomas Square in the award-winning Maritime Quarter are just some of the activities recommended on this trail.

Uplands

Dylan was born and grew up at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive in the Uplands area of Swansea; this ia also where he wrote most of his poetry. Follow in the steps of the poet by strolling around his beloved Cwmdonkin Park, stopping outside his first school on Mirador Crescent, or enjoying all the nooks and crannies of Uplands Crescent.

Mumbles and Gower

Dylan once labelled the Gower Peninsula as ‘one of the loveliest sea-coast stretches in the whole of Britain’.  You can access Gower via the picturesque seaside village of Mumbles, just a few miles from central Swansea. The countryside around Mumbles and Gower played an important part in Dylan’s life and had a profound influence on his work.

West Wales

Explore further afield in south-west Wales on this trail, which will take you through picturesque towns and villages such as Carmarthen, New Quay, Tenby and of course Laugharne, where you can visit Dylan’s famous Boathouse and St Martin’s Church, his final resting place alongside his wife Caitlin.