Loughor, Castle & Town - William Butler
Theme : Art and Culture

William Butler (1824-1870) was born in Killamarsh, Derbyshire moving to Swansea at 17. He worked for George Grant Francis, the 19th-century antiquarian, in the role of recorder of buildings & scenes around Swansea and its environs. Anything that had survived from the past or might be due for demolition required preserving for posterity. This oil on canvas, painted in the 1850's shows a centrally-situated hill, or spur, on top of which stands Loughor Castle, strategically sited overlooking the lowest fordable point of the river. The castle dates from the late 13th - early 14th century and is thought to have been built by John Iweyn, steward to William de Braose III. Its Pennant sandstone remains can still be seen. Many other buildings can be seen in the vicinity of the castle. To the left of the hill can be seen a tall industrial chimney silhouetted against the skyline. An industry, possibly tinplate, served by the railway recently cut through the area once occupied by the Roman fort ( Leucarum ). While the foreground shows cattle grazing beside the meandering river. Butler has presented the viewer with a panoramic encapsulation of Loughor's past, from prehistoric rurality, through Roman and Medieval times to the industrial nineteenth century.

This Item is located at Swansea Museum in the Library