Bishopston, Swansea

The village of Bishopston ( _cy. Llandeilo Ferwallt) is located in the Gower peninsula within the Bishopston ward of Swansea, about 5 miles (8Km) south west of Swansea city centre. It is one of the largest villages on the Gower. The village has its own rugby club, South Gower RFC and its own primary and comprehensive schools. Local beaches include Brandy Cove, Caswell Bay and Pwll-Du.

The Bishopston Church, located at the head of Bishopston Valley is dedicated to St. Teilo who gives the village its Welsh name.

Poet Joe Oates lives in the Murton area, in February 2008 he confessed to the charges of killing farmer's livestock and frequent allegations of theift and assault, posing as an 18th century Highwayman. He is currently awaiting sentence.

Education

The comprehensive school, [http://www.bishopston.swansea.sch.uk/ Bishopston Comprehensive] , was the highest performing comprehensive school in Wales in the 2008 GCSE exams, with 16.85% A*, and 38.93% A* and A combined. ( [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/a_level_gcse_results/ The times online] ).Last year the school was rated amongst the top comprehensive schools in The UK ( [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/parentpower/league_tables.php?t=state_secondaries_no_or_small_sixth_form/ The Sunday Times league tables 2007] ) with one of the highest percentage of A*-C grades, and A*/A grades at GCSE. According to the latest inspection report by Estyn the school had a pass rate of 79% which put it in 7th place in Wales.

Employment opportunities

Bishopston does not offer any major employment but the main jobs available are in the tertiary sector such as shop assistance and catering. There is also a school for children up to 16 so teaching may possibly be the largest employment scheme within the village.

Shops and services

Bishopston offers the following shops and services:
*Spar
*Lamplighter Cafe (Beverages, Cards, Gifts)
*Model Shop (Model trains, planes, cars)
*Post Office
*Sports Hall
*Sheila's Book Store

Tourist Attractions

Many people visiting Bishopston are attracted to the beaches, mainly Caswell due to accessibility however, Bishopston contains other beaches like Pwll Du and Brandy Cove of which can only be visited by foot. As a result, it remains untouched by the majority of tourists.

Housing

Since Bishopston started as a rural area way outside the city of Swansea, urbanisation has taken place over a long period of time resulting in the village transforming into a small Town. Because of Bishopston's situated location, its development has resulted in the foundation of detached-houses mostly with 3 bedrooms and many semi-detaches bungalows. All these modern houses are accompanied with relatively large spacious gardens and a garage, with all the amenities built inside the house already. This is why Bishopston as a settlement is very expensive disallowing young people to buy property in the village. House prices are also coming up and in the past few years, many of the common 300,000 pounds priced houses have increased up to 500,000 and 600,000 pounds in price, being of a major asset to its residents in the long term.

External links

* [http://www.bishopston.swansea.sch.uk/ Bishopston Comprehensive]
* [http://www.bishopston.org.uk Bishopston.org.uk] Community Website
* [http://www.explore-gower.co.uk/Content/pa=showpage/pid=11.html Bishopston Church]
* [http://www.the-gower.com/villages/Bishopston/bishopston.htm Holiday & background information on the village of Bishopston]
* [http://www.stteilosbishopston.co.uk The Parish church of St Teilo, Bishopston]