Ashlands Sports Centre (Port Tennant)

Image: © vectorkraft Taken: 5 Dec 2011

Ashlands Sports Centre is located at Wern Fawr Road, Port Tennant, Swansea, SA1 8LQ. This photograph was taken from the path that runs alongside the disused railway lines that headed towards Burrows Sidings. The sports centre and its pitches occupy the former 'Carbon Black' works operated by the now defunct United Carbon Black Ltd. The plant which opened in 1948 made 'Dixie and Kosmos grade' carbon black - substances used in the manufacture of tyres and other rubber products. A tar distillery was located next to the works until the 1970s. The Ecologist magazine (Vol 1 No 12 June 1971) documented just how Swansea's residents had suffered for 21 years as a result of the pollution caused by this plant. In 1970 the plant planned to increase production of its carbon black products by 35%, however by 1971 United Carbon Black Ltd was forced to spend money (£35,000 - 1971 prices) in order to improve air emissions as a result of a vigorous local pressure group (Box, S. 1983; The National Archives FD 9/1396) United Carbon Black Sales Limited was struck off from the companies register in 1979 (p2883, London Gazette 2nd March 1979). United Carbon Black Ltd became Ashland United Kingdom Chemical Ltd. The site was cleared in the 1980s. The walls before the sports centre date back to the original plant.

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