3-071-117 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Singleton Abbey, Swansea, the residence of Mr. H. H. Vivian, M.P., visited by the Prince and Princess of Wales, 1881. 'Singleton Abbey, which was placed by its owner at the disposal of the Prince and Princess of Wales during their visit to Swansea this week, is the property of Mrs. Vivian, widow of the late Mr. John Henry Vivian, M.P. for Swansea, who died in 1855, and mother of Mr. Henry Hussey Vivian, M.P. for Glamorganshire, the head of the Hafod Copperworks at Swansea, one of the most important local manufacturing concerns...Singleton Abbey is a mansion in the Elizabethan style, built by the late Mr. Vivian, and the park and pleasure-grounds are delightful. The house is not large, but it is a charming residence, and rich in ancient carvings, tapestries, family portraits, Dresden china, and old armour...From their rooms the Royal visitors could look out upon a glorious park of some four hundred acres, with views of the bay and the Mumbles beyond, and in another direction upon the bold hills on which the picturesque ruins of Oystermouth Castle are situated'. From "Illustrated London News", 1881.