Earlier this week while walking on the Swansea seafront I was reminded of what a beautiful part of the world this is.
A ship was gliding into Swansea Docks in the pale blue distance as a series of waves from a dead calm sea crashed into the steps in front of the city’s up-for-sale Civic Centre.
With the water sparkling like diamonds in the Spring sunshine, people couldn’t help but take snaps with their phones of the sun soaked curving shoreline with the distinctive Mumbles Pier at one end and Devon and Cornwall hanging in the distance.
Soon, Swansea council is drawing up a shortlist of bids which have been formally received for the waterfront Civic Centre site following presentations it gave in London and Swansea earlier this year to property development experts based in Wales, the UK and overseas.
The plans for an exciting tree lined “sky path” linking the city centre with a new look seafront full of homes, offices, hotels, bars, pedestrian paths and shops replacing the ill-designed, concrete Civic Centre could lead to a glittering new future for the centre of Swansea.
And it’s worth remembering that 208 years ago this week the Mumbles Railway carried the world’s first fare-paying railway passengers from a site near the present Civic Centre to Mumbles across the picturesque bay.
20 reasons why Swansea is actually pretty amazing:
The railway moved from horse power initially to steam locomotion and finally converted to electric trams, before closing, in what was surely one of Swansea’s most colossal mistakes, in January 1960, in favour of buses.
From those early days, when thirsty horses cooled off in the “horse pool” (now the bowling green and tennis courts on the Mumbles Seafront) to the gracious days of trams, the Mumbles train was a “must-do” for millions of visitors and locals alike.
Many mourned the passing of the world’s first passenger carrying railway on this glorious seafront crescent of ours.
And there have been feasibility studies into bringing back the service, even gravity defying maglev trains being proposed for the scenic route that would surely have people rolling up year after year.
But the costs have beaten them all.
However, could now be the time to revive the Mumbles railway?
The National Trust recently paid £3m for a car park at beautiful Rhossili, Gower, no doubt employing the principle the place will never stop being an attraction, decade after decade.
Maybe developers ploughing millions into the new look Swansea seafront may be tempted to revive the Mumbles Train.
There must be some financially rewarding way of bringing it back.
As inventor Thomas Edison said: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
