Swansea

Swansea processed the world's copper. Between the 1770s and 1840s, the Lower Swansea Valley routinely produced one-third of the global copper supply—so dominant that the city earned the nickname 'Copperopolis.' By 1845, Swansea smelted 55% of all copper produced on earth.

The Welsh Process made this possible: a revolutionary smelting technique that extracted copper more efficiently than any competitor. Ships brought ore from Cornwall, Cuba, and Chile; coal from the Welsh valleys fueled the furnaces. The resulting metal went to build the engines, wires, and coins of the Industrial Revolution. At peak production, over 300 furnaces blazed simultaneously.

Dylan Thomas, born here in 1914, called Swansea 'an ugly, lovely town'—acknowledging both the industrial devastation and the human vitality. The pollution was extraordinary: the Lower Swansea Valley became one of Europe's most contaminated landscapes, stripped of vegetation by arsenic and sulfur emissions.

By the 1920s, the industry had died. Cheaper production elsewhere made Welsh copper uncompetitive. The smelters closed; the valley sat derelict for decades. Since the 1960s, a remarkable regeneration has reclaimed the poisoned land—modern housing, Swansea City's football stadium, and walking paths now occupy sites where furnaces once roared.

By 2026, heritage-led development continues. Swansea University and Cadw are restoring the Hafod Morfa Copperworks as a monument to industrial ambition—and its environmental costs.