One of Dylan Thomas's favourite Mumbles pubs is in such a bad way the local council has stepped in and asked the owners of the building to do something about its dilapidated state. The Antelope, in Mumbles Road, once welcomed visitors from across the city and beyond every week.
But in recent years it's fallen into a state of disrepair and is now an eyesore in an otherwise vibrant street full of independent restaurants and other local businesses.
The pub, which dates back to the 1860s, is renowned locally as one of the original watering holes in the "Mumbles Mile" - arguably Wales' most famous pub crawl - which once took punters on an epic tour of 26 pubs and clubs. It remained a popular haunt for locals to drink and socialise at into the 2000s, right up until its shock closure in 2006.
Whilst the pub did eventually re-open, it closed again in 2012 - and although planning permission for a huge £250,000 revamp of the building was granted in 2015, construction work has not so far taken place. You can get more Swansea news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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Now, the Antelope stands abandoned with gaping holes in the brickwork, broken and boarded up windows, and apparently abandoned construction materials. A "caution" sign and two "no parking" signs adorn the shabby fencing around it.
But that will hopefully soon change, as 'Team Mumbles' Swansea county councillors have requested the Antelope's owners to make major improvements to the site by the end of 2023. If not done, councillors Will Thomas, Francesca O’Brien and Angela O’Connor have said they will consider serving a S215 notice, requiring work to remedy the condition of the building and land.
In a short update about the building on social media, Team Mumbles said: "Team Mumbles can confirm that following meetings with our council officers and communication with the property owner (via officers), improvements to what was The Antelope have been promised this year. If not the council will consider serving a S215 notice requiring the condition of the property to be improved."
Speaking to WalesOnline, Cllr O'Brien added: "At the end of last year, after receiving a large number of complaints about the state in which the building was left in, I reported this to the planning/enforcement team at Swansea Council. The owner has given the timeframe of 'by August, 2023' for work to start. If not, the council have confirmed they will then consider serving an S215 notice which means they will have to improve the building.
"This building could be brought back to life and, given its prime location, Mumbles deserves it! I hope that the response we have received from the owner via the council is kept to and we look forward to seeing the work force on site soon!"
History of The Antelope
The Antelope dates back to the 1860s and was a regular haunt for Dylan Thomas in the 1930s - so much so, the pub was to blame for Dylan being kicked out of an amateur dramatic group he used to take part in.
According to author and former chair of the Dylan Thomas Society, Jeff Towns, Dylan was sacked from the group because he'd detour from rehearsals to The Antelope. In his book 'Dylan Thomas: The Pubs,' Jeff wrote: "While it is probably true Dylan may have had a pint in virtually every pub in Swansea in his day, he did have a particular affinity with The Antelope.
"There is a well-documented story, which I have included in a guide to Dylan's Swansea, about when he was sacked from a Swansea Little Theatre play partly because of The Antelope. In the early 30s, Dylan was in the amateur dramatic group which had a rehearsal room in a lane leading away from the pub.
"Unfortunately, it also led towards the pub and Dylan would often wend his way down the hill if he got bored in rehearsals and have a few pints. The director of the play finally got so exasperated with Dylan's frequent absences and his forgetfulness after calling in at The Antelope he was summarily sacked from the play and an understudy was called in!"
Mr Towns further added that the pub was also popular with actor Anthony Hopkins, writer Kingsley Amis and former Tory MP, Cabinet member and now member of the House of Lords, Michael Heseltine, during its time as a pub on the infamous 'Mumbles Mile'.
The Antelope remained a popular pub for people from across Swansea throughout the 20th century, until its unexpected closure in 2006. Whilst it did eventually re-open, it closed again in 2012.
By 2015, its owners had pledged to invest £250,000 into the pub to transform it into a wine bar, restaurant and coffee shop - but a leaking sewer caused construction problems and work never got off the ground. Two years later, a new development plan was submitted - and scaffolding put up around the pub - but still nothing significant happened.
Since then, the pub has become a shell of its former self and you could walk past without a clue of just how popular and well-regarded it once was.
We have approached the owners of Antelope for comment. At the time of publishing, we had not heard back from them. If you're the owners and would like to speak with us, you can contact senior reporter Molly Dowrick by email: molly.dowrick@walesonline.co.uk
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