A World of Welsh Copper - Swansea University
Source: http://www.swansea.ac.uk/research/research-highlights/culture-communication-heritage/welsh-copper
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:24
A World of Welsh Copper - Swansea University
Home
Our Research
Research Highlights
Culture, Communication and Heritage
A World of Welsh Copper
A World of Welsh Copper
Related pages
Research Highlights
Health Innovation
Sustainable Futures, Energy and the Environment
Culture, Communication and Heritage
Cultures in harmony or voices silenced?
A World of Welsh Copper
Preserving cultural heritage
Youth Sports
A social, economic and cultural history of disability in Britain's coal industry
Driving progress: Motorcycle taxis in Liberia
Influencing policy in employment and public sector pay
The contribution that Welsh LGBTQ+ literature has made in Wales and throughout the world
Empowering Voters and Enhancing Democracy
Understanding factors that impact on people’s adjustment to retirement
Staying Safe Online
The future of science and technology in the Welsh education system
Gypsies, Roma and Travellers
Towards interculturality
Making ethnic minority women's history and contributions more visible
Dylan Thomas: enhancing public knowledge, driving educational outreach and informing arts strategy
Reversing Language Shift in Wales
(Re)Discovering Europeans’ Visions of Wales
Programme for Elevating Digital and Language Skills
Long term impact of studying abroad
Justice and Equality
Digital Futures
Smart Manufacturing
Steel Innovation
Explore our research
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Research with us
Find Postgraduate Research Opportunities
Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021) Our Results
Discover our expertise
Research Environment
Career Development for Research Staff
Research Integrity: Ethics and Governance
Research Impact
Research News and Features
A history of inspiring research
Civic Mission
Exploring Global Problems Podcast
We are preserving our heritage
The Challenge
The Lower Swansea Valley was at the heart of the global copper trade for over 200 years. When the industry declined in the twentieth century, much of the valley was left polluted and the abandoned copper works were largely demolished.
Only a few buildings belonging to the former Hafod Morfa Copperworks survive as evidence of Swansea’s significance in the story of this global industry.
The Method
For over a decade, researchers at Swansea University have developed a programme of research, community engagement and heritage-led regeneration around Swansea’s globally significant copper industry.
With funding and support from Cadw, Swansea Council, the National Waterfront Museum, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, and UKRI researchers have been able to explore how this heritage can contribute to the future development of the city, and engage local communities.
The Impact
Swansea University entered into a formal partnership with Swansea Council in 2012 in order to embark on a heritage-led regeneration of the former site of the Hafod Morfa Copperworks.
Research conducted by Swansea University staff has established the global historical significance of South Wales’s copper industry.
Research now underpins an ambitious programme of restoration and regeneration in the Lower Swansea Valley which, in turn, has led to a greater engagement with the copper story among the wider public making the ‘copper’ brand an attractive theme for SMEs.
The regeneration project
Cu@Swansea
has reclaimed much of the Hafod Morfa Copperworks site and created a destination for people to visit and understand the site and its history.
The project team ensure local school and community groups remain at the heart of the research being undertaken on the Hafod-Morfa site.
Research Lead
Professor Louise Miskell
Impact Lead
Dr Alexander Langlands
Research Collaborator
Swansea Council
Research Project
CU@Swansea
Find out more about this research and other work by Professor Louise Miskell
Swansea Copper. A Global History / Chris Evans, Louise Miskell, Baltimore Johns Hopkins University Press 2020
From Copperopolis to Coquimbo: international knowledge networks in the copper industry of the 1820s / Louise Miskell
Welsh History Review, Volume: 27, Issue: 1, Pages: 92 - 111
The Origins of an industrial region: Robert Morris and the first Swansea copperworks, c.1727-1730 / Louise Miskell
More articles by Professor Louise Miskell
Faculties Involved
Find out more about the research being undertaken in the Faculties involved:
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Interested in studying with us?
Check out our
Undergraduate courses
,
or get in touch with our
Undergraduate team
.
Check out our
Postgraduate courses
,
or get in touch with our
Postgraduate team
.
Want to Collaborate?
Contact us to learn how you can collaborate with us
Support our research
Make a donation to help support pioneering research
Home
Our Research
Research Highlights
Culture, Communication and Heritage
A World of Welsh Copper
A World of Welsh Copper
Related pages
Research Highlights
Health Innovation
Sustainable Futures, Energy and the Environment
Culture, Communication and Heritage
Cultures in harmony or voices silenced?
A World of Welsh Copper
Preserving cultural heritage
Youth Sports
A social, economic and cultural history of disability in Britain's coal industry
Driving progress: Motorcycle taxis in Liberia
Influencing policy in employment and public sector pay
The contribution that Welsh LGBTQ+ literature has made in Wales and throughout the world
Empowering Voters and Enhancing Democracy
Understanding factors that impact on people’s adjustment to retirement
Staying Safe Online
The future of science and technology in the Welsh education system
Gypsies, Roma and Travellers
Towards interculturality
Making ethnic minority women's history and contributions more visible
Dylan Thomas: enhancing public knowledge, driving educational outreach and informing arts strategy
Reversing Language Shift in Wales
(Re)Discovering Europeans’ Visions of Wales
Programme for Elevating Digital and Language Skills
Long term impact of studying abroad
Justice and Equality
Digital Futures
Smart Manufacturing
Steel Innovation
Explore our research
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Research with us
Find Postgraduate Research Opportunities
Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021) Our Results
Discover our expertise
Research Environment
Career Development for Research Staff
Research Integrity: Ethics and Governance
Research Impact
Research News and Features
A history of inspiring research
Civic Mission
Exploring Global Problems Podcast
We are preserving our heritage
The Challenge
The Lower Swansea Valley was at the heart of the global copper trade for over 200 years. When the industry declined in the twentieth century, much of the valley was left polluted and the abandoned copper works were largely demolished.
Only a few buildings belonging to the former Hafod Morfa Copperworks survive as evidence of Swansea’s significance in the story of this global industry.
The Method
For over a decade, researchers at Swansea University have developed a programme of research, community engagement and heritage-led regeneration around Swansea’s globally significant copper industry.
With funding and support from Cadw, Swansea Council, the National Waterfront Museum, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, and UKRI researchers have been able to explore how this heritage can contribute to the future development of the city, and engage local communities.
The Impact
Swansea University entered into a formal partnership with Swansea Council in 2012 in order to embark on a heritage-led regeneration of the former site of the Hafod Morfa Copperworks.
Research conducted by Swansea University staff has established the global historical significance of South Wales’s copper industry.
Research now underpins an ambitious programme of restoration and regeneration in the Lower Swansea Valley which, in turn, has led to a greater engagement with the copper story among the wider public making the ‘copper’ brand an attractive theme for SMEs.
The regeneration project
Cu@Swansea
has reclaimed much of the Hafod Morfa Copperworks site and created a destination for people to visit and understand the site and its history.
The project team ensure local school and community groups remain at the heart of the research being undertaken on the Hafod-Morfa site.
Research Lead
Professor Louise Miskell
Impact Lead
Dr Alexander Langlands
Research Collaborator
Swansea Council
Research Project
CU@Swansea
Find out more about this research and other work by Professor Louise Miskell
Swansea Copper. A Global History / Chris Evans, Louise Miskell, Baltimore Johns Hopkins University Press 2020
From Copperopolis to Coquimbo: international knowledge networks in the copper industry of the 1820s / Louise Miskell
Welsh History Review, Volume: 27, Issue: 1, Pages: 92 - 111
The Origins of an industrial region: Robert Morris and the first Swansea copperworks, c.1727-1730 / Louise Miskell
More articles by Professor Louise Miskell
Faculties Involved
Find out more about the research being undertaken in the Faculties involved:
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Interested in studying with us?
Check out our
Undergraduate courses
,
or get in touch with our
Undergraduate team
.
Check out our
Postgraduate courses
,
or get in touch with our
Postgraduate team
.
Want to Collaborate?
Contact us to learn how you can collaborate with us
Support our research
Make a donation to help support pioneering research