[1] Swaythling is predominantly residential in character, and noted for its large student population due to its proximity to the University of Southampton main campus at Highfield.

Recorded as Swæthelinge in 909 AD,[2] the origins of the name Swaythling (or prior to 1895, more commonly referred to as Swathling village) are uncertain.

The industrialist Walter Taylor moved there after 1770, but his mill burned down in 1820 to be replaced by the present structure[6] which is now used as a water sports and outdoor activity centre.

Following his exile to Britain in 1852, the deposed Argentine dictator, Juan Manuel de Rosas, rented Burgess Street Farm in Swaythling, where he spent the rest of his days until his death in 1877.

[8] During the First World War Swaythling was the location of the British Army's largest remount depot; a facility for the collection, training and care of horses and mules prior to dispatch to the Western Front.

The university acquired South Stoneham House in 1921 and subsequently in 1964 added a 17-storey residential tower block that dominated the Wessex Lane area until its demolition in 2022.

[10] Swaythling is a northern suburb of the city of Southampton and borders (clockwise from South) Portswood, Highfield, Bassett Green, Eastleigh, Mansbridge and Townhill Park.

Predominantly low-lying in terms of elevation, the ward boundary to the east is defined by Monks Brook and the Itchen River.

The stream that gave the area its name is largely hidden from view as it runs through Swaythling, although it can still be seen next to the Fleming Arms pub.

Recognised as an important part of the British war effort, it was bombed on a number of occasions by the Nazi Luftwaffe, the first in September 1940.

[13] In 2002, Ford stopped producing passenger cars in the UK, leaving the Southampton made Transit as their only British-made vehicle.

[18] Swaythling Athletic Football Club was established in 1946 in the Fleming Arms public house and played its early games on the field at Walnut Avenue.

[19] Professor Martin Glennie, developer of the promising cancer immunotherapeutic drug CHiLOB7/4 currently undergoing clinical trials,[20] lives in Swaythling.