Gower (Gŵyr) forms the western portion of Glamorgan and, along with Blaenau Morganwg and the Vale of Glamorgan, is one of the three traditional areas of which the county is comprised.

Type: Traditional Area
Alternative name(s): Gŵyr
Historic County : Glamorgan
Lat, Long: 51.6763,-3.98
Grid Reference: SS631993
Police Area: South Wales
Council Area: Swansea, Neath Port Talbot
Country: Wales
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Prior to the Norman invasion, the district was the commote of Gŵyr, a part of Cantref Eginawc, within the realm of Deheubarth. Following the Conquest, this district became the Lordship of Gower, King Henry I granting the lordship to Henry de Beaumont in 1006. The Lordship consisted of the country bounded by the rivers Loughor, Amman, Twrch and Tawe. Its caput and chief castle was Swansea, and it extended westward to the end of the Gower Peninsula and northward to Ystalyfera and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen. The Laws in Wales Act 1535 abolished the lordship and made Gower part of the county of Glamorgan.

Although in its general features it is sharply differentiated from the rest of the county, it exhibits the same characteristic contrast between hill and plain. There is a highly populated mountainous district in the north which formed part of the South Wales coalfield. The towns of Gorseinion, Gwaen-Cae-Gurwen, Pontardawe, Pontarddulais and Ystalfera reflect this industrial heritage. The Gower Peninsula and the coast around Swansea Bay are, in contast, low lying and, away from the urban areas, are predominantly agricultural.

The mediæval division between English and Welsh-speaking areas continues. The peninsula and the coastal part of Swansea are mainly English-speaking and more Welsh is spoken to the north. Ystalyfera and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen remain strong Welsh-speaking areas.

The name 'Gower' is sometimes incorrectly applied only to the Gower Peninsula.


Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen falls


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