Mumbles

Mumbles (Welsh: Mwmbwls) is a headland sited on the western edge of Swansea Bay.

Mumbles has been noted for its unusual place name. The headland is thought by some to have been named by French sailors, after the shape of the two anthropomorphic islands which comprise the headland. Another possible source of the name is from the word Mamucium which is thought to derive from the Celtic language meaning breast-shaped hill. The Mumbles Lighthouse was built during the 1790s and was converted to solar powered operation in 1995. The nearby pier was opened in 1898 at the terminus of the Mumbles Railway, which in its time was one of the oldest passenger railways in the world. The railway closed in 1960. These days the name 'Mumbles' is given to a district covering the electoral wards of Oystermouth, Newton, West Cross and Mayals.