OPENING TIMES:   ❄  Winter: Sat. & Sun. 12pm–3pm
☀  Summer: Sat. & Sun. 1pm–4pm
+44 330 111 4249
Logo for Clydach Heritage Centre shows Turqiuose for CLydach, Brown for Heritage and Green for Centre.
Click to Contact Us
OPENING TIMES:   ❄ Winter: Sat. & Sun. 12pm-3pm
☀ Summer: Sat. & Sun. 1pm-4pm
+44 330 111 4249
Logo for Clydach Heritage Centre shows Turqiuose for CLydach, Brown for Heritage and Green for Centre.
Click to Contact Us
Home » Private: About Us  » Overview of Resources

Overview of Resources

Nestled in the upper Swansea Valley, the family-friendly volunteer-run Clydach Heritage Centre aims to preserve and promote local heritage for future generations.

Not Sure Where To Start?

  • Looking for research materials or publications?
    → Visit the Historical Reference Archive
  • Interested in local stories and heritage?
    → Explore our History Menu
  • Want to learn about the volunteers and centre itself?
    → Visit About Us
  • Looking for research materials or publications? → Visit the Historical Reference Archive
  • Interested in local stories and heritage? → Explore our History Menu
  • Want to learn about the volunteers and centre itself? → Visit About Us

Discover Clydach’s History, Archives & Community Memories

New for 2026, a quick taster of our resources to come ...

Historical Reference Archive

Research publications, local records, historical documents and archive materials connected to Clydach and the wider Swansea Valley.

→ Explore the Historical Reference Archive

Newsletters

Browse newsletters, heritage updates, community stories and ongoing preservation projects from the Friends of Clydach Heritage Centre.

→ Read Our Newsletters

Local History & Community Resources

Discover exhibitions, memories, oral histories, canal heritage and community-contributed materials preserving local history for future generations.

↓ Explore the sections below

The Clydach Heritage Centre includes ...

Discover the Heritage, Stories & Landscape of Clydach

Situated beside the historic Swansea Canal within Coedgwilym Park, the volunteer-run Clydach Heritage Centre helps preserve the people, places and industries that shaped the Swansea Valley.

From local memories and exhibitions to canal heritage and outdoor discovery, the centre offers visitors a unique glimpse into the history and character of the area.

Explore the resources below to discover what can be experienced both inside the Heritage Centre and throughout the surrounding landscape.

  • A timeline of local history in the Swansea Valley, ranging from 1794 to modern day.
  • Resources from the local area (books, leaflets, oral histories) that bring to life the historical significance of the area, not just books and leaflets, but, walking routes, video and audio recordings including oral archives of notable local residents.
  • A list of Historical Toll Charges in the outside areas.
  • Swansea Canal Resources – Video and audio and explanatory leaflets.
  • The Brick Chimney – a chimney constructed with bricks from brickworks across Wales.
  • Coal Dram – a dram typical of those used to bring coal to the canal for transport to Swansea Docks (the last load carried on the canal was coal in 1931).
  • Canal Mileposts – markings show the distance travelled along the canal in ¼ mile intervals.  The canal was 16 miles long in total.
  • Exhibitions - eg.Clydach Hospital Exhibition
    Do you have any memories of Clydach Hospital? If so we’d like to hear them and record them in the Memories Book at the Heritage Centre.
  • Memories Book invitation
  • Portrait Bench Memorial – as part of the development of the Sustrans Cycle Route 43, a bench has been erected between the canal and the Centre with three sheet steel portraits. ... The three characters represented are Lillian Smith (a local midwife for many years), Derek Bevan (local resident and international rugby referee, including four World Cups) and Harry Grindell-Matthews (inventor of the Death Ray, whose laboratory was at Tor Clawdd above Craig Cefn Parc).
  • Information on things to do eg.Local Walks and Nature on the Canal.
  • Outdoor Classroom
  • Sustrans Route 43 cycle path
  • Fitness Trail
  • Exercise - a map of the orienteering course in Coed Gwilym Park, the Sustrans Route 43 cycle track running beside the Centre and along the canal tow-path and the fitness trail location adjacent to the football field.

THANKS TO YOU
... Preserving Local Heritage Together

The Clydach Heritage Centre continues to grow thanks to the support of volunteers, visitors and local contributors who help preserve photographs, memories and historical resources connected to the area.

HELP US:
If you have local memories, photographs or historical information you would like to share, we would love to hear from you.

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