You probably wouldn’t think about visiting a local market. But Swansea Indoor Market is not your average, common or garden market and offers some unique experiences. It has been voted Britain’s best indoor market, and is the largest indoor market in Wales. To be fair, most people probably wouldn’t think about visiting a market in a Welsh city when you have the magnificent Welsh countryside not too far away.
But if you want to get a handle on real life in South Wales, what better place than to go to the place where locals go.
There has been a covered market in Swansea since 1652, when it was situated near Swansea castle. The first dedicated market building was built in 1774 – though the word building is something of an overstatement as it was simply a roof, held up by pillars but with no walls. A new red brick building was put up just over a hundred years later, in June 1897.
Unfortunately, this building was targeted by the Luftwaffe in 1941 and the roof and interior of the building were destroyed. It took 20 years before a new market building was put up., in 1961.
Inside, you’ll find everything you would expect – fruit and vegetables, fishmongers, clothes stalls and butchers. There is a pride in traditional methods and among the kind of things you might expect in any market in Britain you’ll find things that are uniquely Welsh.
You’ll see stalls like this one – but sadly, since this photo was taken, the Hugh Phillips butchery business had to close down in 2024, after nearly 150 years. The owners – members of the same family that set up the business in 1887 – told local media “the running of the abattoir was getting increasingly difficult with the energy costs, rates, insurances, increased minimum wages and this closed last year… With the stress on our lives with the current farming crisis and constant increased costs involved we see no light at the end of the tunnel.” A sad end to an iconic piece of Swansea market.
But there are still butchers at the market, and you would still be able to buy some tasty Welsh lamb.
There are several bakery stalls selling local delicacies like Welsh cakes, or bara brith, a kind of fruit cake made with tea. Another local delicacy is bara blanc, a kind of crumpet which, according to some, dates back to Anglo-Saxon times. But there is one thing that you will only find in South Wales, and where better to find it that in Swansea Market.
We’re talking about Laverbread, made from laver, an edible seaweed consumed mainly in Wales as part of local traditional cuisine. The seaweed is commonly found around the west coast of Great Britain, and the coasts of Ireland. It’s been cultivated as a food in Wales since at least the 17th century and is prepared by being washed over and over again, and then boiled until it softens into a green puree. Though some might call it a green sludge. But that’s not how most people eat it (though you can if you’re brave). Sometimes it’s rolled in oatmeal and fried, and served with bacon and cockles – a kind of shellfish – as a traditional Welsh breakfast. Laverbread is highly nutritious because of its high proportions of protein, iron, and especially iodine.
You can find out more about what’s on offer at the market, here.
The market is in the heart of the City Centre and there are maps of the market layout at each of the entrances. It’s open Monday to Saturday, 8am to 5pm.
