Parc Llewelyn is an irregular-shaped public park situated on the north-east side of Swansea, to the south of Morriston. It was created from 1874 on farmland, donated for the purpose to the City Corporation by John Dillwyn Llewelyn (1810-82) of Penllergare, after whom it is named. It is one of the major Victorian public parks of Swansea and the first and most important on the east side of the city. The initial design for the park was created by J. Shaw of J. & W. Shaw, nurserymen and landscape gardeners, Gower Road, Swansea, and officially opened on 3rd October 1878.

The main entrance is situated near the south-east corner, at the end of Trewyddfa Terrace, through iron gates. Inside the entrance a drive runs northwards towards the ‘Ladies Walk’ and works compound. On the east side of the main drive is the Community Centre, a small, single-storey, utilitarian modern building. The drive is flanked by trees and shrub borders of mixed, mainly evergreen shrubs. The mixed trees include old, pre-park sycamores and birch. To the north and west of the farm site is a roughly oval area of ornamental gardens: on the north the former garden of the farmhouse, bounded by earth banks on the north and east sides, and the area to its west, planted informally with trees and shrubs.
To the west of the ornamental garden area is the bowling green (1910) and a small rectangular building known as the Roundhouse (1911), a multi-purpose building used to store park amenity items.

A major feature of the original landscaping of the park was a winding circuit drive that follows the boundary on all but the east side, where it runs parallel to it on higher ground to the west. This can still be followed, although parts are now grassed over. The north end of the park is its highest part. From here there are fine, panoramic views to the east and south. On the south horizon are the tall stonework stumps of Morris Castle (nprn 19363), an important eye-catcher on the southern horizon and visible from other higher parts of the park. On the highest point is an earthwork known as the ‘North Pole’.
Most of the park, to the west of the bowling green and garden area, is rolling grassland. The north end slopes southwards, the remainder westwards. In the middle are two level areas. The upper, northern one, was formerly a cricket field.

A second major phase of development came at the start of the twentieth century. A new entrance was made in the north-east corner and a secondary network of paths was introduced. The lake was finished and the well removed, the water from the spring being diverted by drains to the lake. A new park lodge was built at the main entrance in 1914-16.

Source:
Cadw Parks and Gardens database (ref: PGW(Gm)75(SWA)).

RCAHMW, 1 July 2022