Although recently given a lick of paint, High Street in 2003 can still be likened to a sick pensioner, dreaming of recapturing the glory and excitement of its former heyday. The bustle of today's High Street is more likely to come from traffic heading to and from further destinations rather than pedestrians foraging the shops with an eye on a keen bargain. Swansea Council has plans to boost the economy of this ailing wing of its shopping centre, but in the meanwhile, the area continues to struggle to draw shoppers from the city's Quadrant Shopping Centre and the ever popular Oxford Street.
Businesses and retailers may have changed the nature of High Street regularly but the
relatively low key nature of these enterprises (larger companies tend to gravitate to the
Quadrant Shopping Centre) have meant that they more than often only occupy the ground
floors of the Street buildings. Given this, a glance above the garish store fronts will usually
yield more than a glimpse of yesteryear's High Street.
One such building is Chapmans. Now (2003) housing an amusement arcade, the building
was once both the family home and business premises of artist/photographer and mayor of
Swansea - Henry Alfred Chapman.
The Chapman family relocated to Swansea from Coningsby in 1860, having stayed briefly in
Llandeilo, Llanelli and Carmarthen . Samuel Palmer Chapman, the head of the Chapman
family and a self educated man, was a keen enthusiast in subjects as broad as electricity and
magnetism, poetry, astronomy and photography. Upon settling in Swansea, Samuel
Chapman established a photographic studio in York Street , later moving the establishment to
High Street. He was one of the first commercial photographers in Swansea. His son, Alfred,
often helped his father in this studio - then located close to High Street Railway Station.
As Henry also learned the craft of photography, he also blossomed as an artist - a medium he
always held ahead of camera work. Henry became a great enthusiast in both media, and with
a flair for great self publicity, he soon became a professional practitioner in his own right.
Henry Chapman won numerous prizes for both his photographs and his paintings and, having
moved the family business further along High Street to number 235, he often referred to his
place of work as "The Royal Studio" after he supplied business one time to the Royal Family.
His predilection for art led Chapman, in the 1870's, to taking on the role of principal artist for
the local magazine 'Swansea Boy'. Here, Henry concentrated upon producing political
cartoons and it was this job that led him into the political life of a Councillor in 1881.
His new role in politics did nothing to dampen his work as a photographer and artist and he
somehow found time to continue prodigiously in all three professions. In those precious
moments when he was not working, he still found no time to actually relax as his sporting
passion for fishing, shooting and watching rugby all vied mercilessly for his participation.
As if all this activity was not enough for one man, Chapman's credits also included the
rescuing of at least three men from drowning and captaining the YMCA athletic club and their
successful tug-o-war team.
Henry Chapman became Mayor of Swansea on November 10 th 1892 but even with this extra
workload, he also took the unprecedented step for a mayor of working on the bench at the
Police Station on more than one occasion.
Henry Chapman was very much a "man of the people" and on his inauguration as Mayor of
Swansea, he ordered that 15,000 queen cakes be delivered to local orphans. Each
Christmas, he also gave food to hundreds of poor families in the town.
Henry A. Chapman
