Voices of Support: Greenhill Gardens Heritage Trail Earns Esteemed Endorsements from Swansea’s Leading Historians
A living story, preserved for generations, thanks to the people of Swansea.
From the very first spade in the ground to the last engraved plaque on the wall, the Greenhill Gardens Heritage Trail has been a journey of restoration, discovery, and unity. And as the site now blossoms into a space of remembrance, learning, and peace, we are honoured to share the deeply moving endorsements of those who know this city’s story best.
Three of Swansea’s most respected heritage leaders have stepped forward to celebrate the trail’s significance, standing alongside local families, volunteers, researchers, and the community at large. Their words reflect not only the depth of research and design behind the trail, but also the human heart at its centre, a project born from unconditional hospitality and made possible by hundreds of contributors, volunteers, and supporters.
Andrew Dulley
Assistant County Archivist, West Glamorgan Archive Service
www.swansea.gov.uk/westglamorganarchives
“It’s been an exciting project — I’ve loved being involved with Matthew’s House and the development of the heritage trail, both in my spare time and through my work leading the Swansea archives team.”
Andrew Dulley attended the Greenhill Gardens launch and offered guidance throughout the trail’s research phases, helping us navigate burial records, historical context, and best practice for presenting sensitive heritage. His encouragement and generosity of time added great strength to the integrity of the work.
Rob Sheffield
Author, local historian, and Greenhill-born writer
“The excellent team at Matthew’s House deserve a lot of credit. They’ve charted the story of the place and people of Greenhill and made it available for current and future generations.
Neighbourhoods are always shifting and changing, and the amazing moments of a place can be forgotten. Not for Greenhill – the people, the stories, the ups and downs of the neighbourhood are captured in these brilliant trails.
More places should do the same – other neighbourhoods: take note!”
Rob grew up near Greenhill Gardens and was moved to see the area transformed with respect and purpose. His book Pieces of Us charts stories of lost homes, people, and places. At launch, he expressed personal joy at seeing history brought to life where it happened, especially through the children’s trail, which he described as “ingenious.” and also shared many copies of his book with us to give away for free to those who attended and support Matthew’s House.
Gerald Gabb
Editor, Swansea History Journal / Minerva
“You will learn things because the research which has been undertaken and the referenced accounts which have been written are excellent. All link into the site…
The historical material Matt’s has produced will be available electronically and on paper, at home and on site. There is a trail for six to eight year olds, and a more intensive study called ‘Diving Deeper.’
Tarran [the children’s trail character] is full of chat designed to engage. And this positivity suffuses all the material.
The Greenhill Gardens project is not just a forensic study. With excellent motives, history is being used to involve, to encourage a personal response. When you think about it, any involvement with local heritage is basically about promoting interest and making lives fuller.”
Gerald brought his signature wit and depth to the trail’s review, writing a full piece in August 2025 to coincide with the gardens’ opening. His exploration of the site’s medieval origins, rich burial stories, and personal insights into Swansea’s evolving geography gives the trail a lasting academic and civic legacy. His article closes with a call to visit and experience the trail for yourself, “It’s well worth it.”
A Community of Thanks
To have the support of Andrew, Rob, and Gerald, alongside a growing list of community historians, neighbours, school groups, and families of those buried on site, has meant the world to us at Matthew’s House and The Hill Church.
This was never a solo effort. It was a collective heartbeat, from the volunteers who helped plant bulbs, sweep paths, and research lives, to the children who followed Tarran’s Trail and said, “I went back in time tonight.”
We’ve received stories from descendants who’ve discovered loved ones in the graveyard database. One family is even planning a reunion of 50 people in 2026 to honour their ancestors at Greenhill Gardens, something they never imagined possible before this work began.
A Gift to the City
This trail and garden have been gifted to the city of Swansea through the vision, work, and hope of the Matthew’s House team, our supporters, funders, and community champions. The space now lives with meaning, a place where history is not hidden, but honoured; where names long forgotten are remembered once more.
The site has drawn praise for its interactivity, beauty, and sensitivity, with over 4,000 burial records researched and engraved, a full family-friendly trail for younger visitors, and a deeper heritage study available online. The site now hosts QR-linked audio stories, voiceovers, guided maps, signage, and digital archives, a living exhibition open to all.
🔗 Explore the full trail and archives here
📖 Read our full launch story
🌱 See the Scouts’ story and impact
In Closing
We remain in awe of the coming together of so many, historians, archivists, authors, families, friends, funders, volunteers, and strangers, to create something lasting and full of grace. This is Greenhill Gardens: a trail that remembers, a space that heals, and a story we are still writing together.
Gerald Gabb – Full review
Editor, Swansea History Journal / Minerva
“Greenhill Gardens Heritage Trail”
Matt’s in Greenhill (St. John’s/St. Matthew’s as was)…new historical resources.
The north gate in the medieval walls of Swansea seems to have been on the line of King’s Lane which runs past what is now the Volcano Theatre. (If you have some years behind you, you may remember Bejam on that site, or even Lewis Lewis’s store.)
But in 1180 that wall was not built, the castle was probably a little earthwork, and the town a huddle of dwellings around it. Yet, five minutes walk to the north what was called “the house of the Hospital of St. John the Baptist” already existed. And on that same site today is Matthew’s House. The castle apart, this must be the oldest confirmed built-up site in central Swansea.
The founders in the 12th Century were the Hospitallers or Knights of St. John. As time passed their altruism faltered; they became a military landowning Order. At Matt’s the idealism is demonstrably unsullied. Its whole raison d’etre is “unconditional hospitality for the most vulnerable people”, irrespective of place of origin or beliefs; if you have any doubts about this, visit, and be convinced. It operates under the auspices of the Hill Church, a charity.
To foster our knowledge of and commitment to the project, this year Matt’s, very conscious of its rich history, has put together a heritage trail. The emphasis is on its burial ground and churchyard, re-named Greenhill Gardens. That area has been given new life, tidied, planted and lit, with the gravestones given the reverence they deserve.
(By the way, you may associate “Greenhill” with an area towards St. Joseph’s Cathedral, the other side of Dyfatty, and attribute the “green” to the large Irish population that lived there. In fact an 18th Century map in Swansea Museum makes it quite clear that the hill which was green with herbage, from which the placename came, was practically across the road from Matt’s. Our appreciation of where places are drifts as time passes. If there were space this could be explained in terms of Brynmill or Tycoch…!)
The historical material Matt’s has produced will be available electronically and on paper, at home and on site. There is a trail for six to eight year olds, and a more intensive study called “Delving Deeper”. The children are led around by a very lively character called Tarran. Adults are given information in more conventional form.
Tarran is an informal being, full of chat designed to engage. And this positivity suffuses all the material. This is not a forensic study. With excellent motives, history is being used to involve, to encourage a personal response. And when you think about it, any involvement with local heritage is basically about promoting interest and making lives fuller. If at any stage you feel that the less wholesome sides of what us Swansea folk get up to go unmentioned, lay that thought aside for the present, and accept the purpose of what you are reading.
You will learn things because the research which has been undertaken and the referenced accounts which have been written are excellent. All link into the site. Chronologically the main themes are:
the hospitallers’ church.
William Cragh the hanged man of 1290 – who started to come back to life in the church.
Sir John Morris and the copper industry – he and his wife were buried in the crypt in 1819.
Fanny Imlay who took her own life in 1816 – and is believed to be buried in the churchyard.
Cholera in the 1800s – the graveyard had an extension in 1833 purely for its victims.
Ann Julia Kemble, Ann of Swansea, novelist – she was interred in the graveyard in 1838.
The vibrant nearby Irish community which flooded in from the 1840s.
Francis Kavanagh, a selfless priest, who ministered in Greenhill and died in 1856.
Jane and Josiah Padley who died tragically in 1884 – she being buried near the tower.
William Bromham and his son Ivor, pastors of St. Matthews (as the church had become) 1905-1985.
The Three Nights’ Blitz of 1941.
This brisk listing intentionally gives you no detail. Get to the Heritage Trail itself. It’s well worth it.
Gerald Gabb August 2025.