From its nineteenth-century industrial heyday when it was a key centre of the copper industry, earning the nickname ‘Copperopolis’, to its current role as a major service sector employer and university city, Swansea has a proud and distinctive identity. This extraordinary history is embodied in the buildings that have shaped Wales’ second city.

Swansea in 50 Buildings explores the history of this ‘ugly lovely town’ through a selection of its greatest architectural treasures, from the early twentieth-century Guildhall, with its striking art deco clock tower, to more recent additions such as the Tower, Meridian Quay, which is the tallest building in Wales. Local author and historian Geoff Brookes celebrates Swansea’s architectural heritage in a new and accessible way, guiding the reader around the city’s historic and modern buildings.