Mumbles - Alfred Parkman
Theme : The Sea

This view of the headland at Mumbles is a watercolour on paper, is signed 'Alf Parkman' and carries the title Mumbles. The view has been captured from an elevated position. To the right is All Saints Church, the parish church of Oystermouth. It is built on the site of a Roman building. The church tower houses three bells inscribed in Spanish, which are said to have been brought from the ruined cathedral of Santiago de Cuba by one of Swansea's famous copper barques. The presence of the horse-drawn vehicle following the railway tracks hints at a date of around 1860. Small groups of people stand near the beached craft, while other boats are moored just off shore. How many of these would have been involved in the local oyster industry? A sweep of cottages follows the cliff-base. While the outer of the two limestone islets which give Mumbles its name can be seen, topped by the lighthouse. Built in 1793, this beacon is a warning against the treacherous Mixon Sands, a sunken rocky ridge against which sand accumulates, to the south west of Mumbles Head. Off the visible outer islet exists another hazard to shipping, The Cherry Stone Rock.

This Item is located at Swansea Museum in the Library