Having opened in 1798, the canal will have been in existence for 225 years in 2023. Although only approximately 5 miles (8km) of the original 16.5 miles (26.5km) now remain ‘in water’, the Society believes that the important role of the canal in the industrial and social development of the Swansea valley cannot be overstated and this legacy is worth remembering and celebrating. Clive Reed, our President and Heritage Consultant, has written a very comprehensive resume of the first 225 years of the canal that can be viewed here Celebrating 225 years of the Swansea Canal.

A team has therefore been set up within the society to organise and manage a series of 225th anniversary events throughout 2023, in co-operation with the Canal and River Trust. The SC225 committee (Steering Committee for 225th) is working closely with community councils, schools, museums, theatre groups and other partners to reflect and explain the history of the canal, its operation and subsequent decline, the work being done today to maintain and regenerate what’s left, and our vision for the canal as a green space and public amenity into the future.

The pages under this link begin to set out the plans for the 2023 celebrations. You can also keep up with news on our weblog, Facebook and Twitter.

As proposals are developed event details, times, locations and more, will be made available. The current calendar of events is:

Celebrating 225 Years of the Swansea Canal

What’s on in 2023

January – March Water safety assemblies for Key Stage 2 pupils in local primary schools.

January – October Photographic project. Enter your best photos with a Swansea canal theme, for exhibition in November.

March – October Heritage, Arts and Nature workshops. Various dates and venues TBA.

April – September 225th Anniversary Exhibition at the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. A celebration of Welsh canals and in particular the Swansea Canal 1798 – 2023.

28th May Party in the Park, Coed Gwilym Park, Clydach. A family fun day, with lots of activities, live music, food and stalls.

19th – 23rd June A week of schools workshops at the National Waterfront Museum run by Canal & River Trust and Swansea canal Society.

25th June Swansea Canal Rugby Festival, Coed Gwilym Park. A day of rugby and fun for children’s teams from along the canal route. In collaboration with the Ospreys.

26th-28th August Fluellen Theatre promenade production along the canal. A specially commissioned play about the canal, performed on site.

July- Sept (TBC) Swansea Canal Book Launch. A new book on the canals’ history.

November Light up the Canal Winter Celebration.

December Swansea Canal Society Christmas event.

Photographs of preparations, and events and activities, will be added as the year progresses. We also hope to include a legacy page, outlining how some of the work done in 2023 can be sustained into later years.

Please check the website and weblog regularly for updates on events and activities, and help us make 2023 a year to remember in the Swansea valley.

Please give us your feedback on our plans for the “225 in 2023” celebrations and let us know what you would like to see included. Send your email to info@swanseacanalsociety.com

And finally, to whet your appetite for the year ahead, here are a map of the original route and a few views of our beautiful canal as it is now.