Erected on the site of the former 'Drill Hall' it was designed for proprietors H H Morell and F Mouillot by architect William Hope of Newcastle, built by D Jenkins and opened by Madame Adelina Patti - a locally resident operatic diva.

In 1968, the Swansea Grand was threatened with closure but, following a campaign led by its manager and artistic director John Chilvers, the theatre was saved.

[4] The Arts Wing is the most recent development at the theatre, a space to host exhibitions, conferences and smaller-scale music and drama performances.

The company, which started in Bristol, is a group of young dancers, most whom trained in Russia at the Bolshoi and Kirov academies.

[6] They work as an ensemble under the artistic leadership of the Messerer family,[1] and are able to put on full-length performances of Giselle, The Nutcracker, Coppélia, La Fille Mal Gardée and Swan Lake, and also give gala performances including extracts from Bayadere, Carnival of Venice, Don Quixote and Le Corsaire.