Industrial Revolution Swansea

view of swansea docks , railway bridge, 1850

the port of swansea traded in wine, hides, wool, cloth , later in coal. @ beginning of industrial revolution combination of port, local coal, , trading links west country, cornwall , devon made swansea logical place site copper-smelting works. smelters operating 1720 , proliferated. following this, more coal mines (everywhere north-east gower clyne , llangyfelach) opened , smelters (mostly along tawe valley) opened , flourished. on next century , half works established process arsenic, zinc , tin , produce tinplate , pottery. city expanded rapidly in 18th , 19th centuries, , termed copperopolis .

the swansea smelters became adept @ recovering gold , silver complex ores in 1800s received ore concentrates united states, example arizona in 1850s, , colorado in 1860s.

from late 17th century 1801, swansea s population grew 500%—the first official census (in 1841) indicated that, 6,099 inhabitants, swansea had become larger glamorgan s county town, cardiff, , second populous town in wales behind merthyr tydfil (which had population of 7,705). however, census understated swansea s true size, of built-up area lay outside contemporary boundaries of borough; total population 10,117. swansea s population later overtaken merthyr in 1821 , cardiff in 1881, although in latter year swansea once again surpassed merthyr. of swansea s growth due migration within , beyond wales—in 1881 more third of borough s population had been born outside swansea , glamorgan, , under quarter outside wales.