Before the Biome : A Story of Change on Oxford Street
17th June 2026
When people think of the Biome, they often think about the future. Yet the site has a rich history that stretches back centuries.
A painting from the late 1700s shows the area as open fields used for pasture, with Swansea largely centred around St Mary's Church and the Castle. Where people now live, work and visit, livestock once grazed and the town's edge lay some distance away.
As Swansea grew during the nineteenth century, development gradually spread westwards. By the 1840s, the site was occupied by a row of narrow-fronted buildings. Historical trade directories reveal two public houses at the heart of the site: the Joiners' Arms and the Maltsters' Arms. Around them, Oxford Street began to emerge as a lively part of a growing town.
Over the following decades, a diverse mix of businesses appeared. Drapers, grocers, confectioners, jewellers, fruit sellers and boot makers all traded from the site. Historical records provide fascinating glimpses into everyday life. One advertisement from 1875, seeking a shop assistant for a draper's shop, specified that applicants needed to speak Welsh, a reminder of the language's importance in Swansea at the time.
The two public houses also evolved. The Maltsters' Arms became the Alexandra Hotel, while the Joiners' Arms later became the Fairwood Hotel. By the end of the nineteenth century, the site was a bustling hub of activity. Visitors could stay in a hotel, buy sweets, visit a jeweller, have their hair cut or pick up supplies from local traders, all within a short distance of one another.
Not all of the site's stories are positive. During severe flooding in 1888, properties along Oxford Street suffered flooded cellars. Contemporary newspaper reports describe sewage contaminated water entering buildings, highlighting the environmental challenges faced by a rapidly expanding industrial town.
A major new chapter began in 1938 when Woolworths purchased the Alexandra Hotel, the Fairwood Hotel and neighbouring properties. Before redevelopment began, the contents of the buildings were auctioned, including mahogany counters and billiard tables. Later that year, a new Woolworths store opened on the site, becoming a familiar feature of Swansea city life for generations.
The store survived wartime Swansea and underwent significant redevelopment during the 1960s. Reopening in 1967, the modernised store offered food, clothing, household goods and a tea bar, serving the city for decades. Following the closure of Woolworths, the premises later became a Poundland store.
Today, the site has entered another chapter in its long history. While the buildings and businesses have changed over time, the location has remained an important part of Swansea's story. From open pasture and Victorian public houses to hotels, department stores and the Biome, each generation has left its mark on this corner of the city.
As the Biome begins its own story, it sits within a much longer history of change, adaptation and renewal.