66 Wind Street: From Chemist’s Shop to “The Perch”

66 Wind Street, Swansea
The Perch

Today, 66 Wind Street is home to the cocktail bar The Perch, but the history of this corner building is far richer and more dramatic than its modern appearance suggests. Over the course of the nineteenth century, it was associated with scientific pioneers, civic reformers, and seafarers whose lives were shaped by Swansea’s global maritime connections. Few buildings on Wind Street can claim such a varied and compelling past.

Charles T. Wilson: Chemist, Civic Leader, and Early Tenant

Sir William Robert Grove
Helen Donald Smith, 18902
credit - National Portrait Gallery, Lodnon

One of the earliest known

On the Correlation of Physical Forces William Robert Grove, 1846

residents of 66 Wind Street was the chemist and druggist Charles T. Wilson, a Swansea‑born pharmaceutical chemist who trained under Mr Samuel Dawe, whose chemist shop stood on the corner of Temple Street from 1846. As a young apprentice in Dawe’s shop,

Benjamin Hall, 
George Zobel, after Yeates Hurlstone
credit - National Portrait Gallery, London

Wilson frequently encountered two notable scientific figures: Sir William Robert Grove, the pioneering physicist whose 1846 work On the Correlation of Physical Forces anticipated the modern theory of energy conservation and who later became a QC involved in the William Palmer “Rugeley Poisoner” trial and the Talbot v. Laroche photographic patent case; and Benjamin Hall, another prominent figure of the period. Wilson later claimed that he supplied Grove and Hall with the glass bottles and jars used in their early electrical experiments—an extraordinary link between a Swansea apprentice and the formative years of modern energy science.

Wilson’s own career blossomed after his apprenticeship. Establishing his pharmaceutical business at 66 Wind Street, he became a familiar figure in the commercial heart of Victorian Swansea. His influence extended far beyond his shopfront: he served as a Town Councillor, became Chief Magistrate in 1868, and funded several drinking fountains around the Swansea docks—small but meaningful contributions to public welfare at a time when clean water was a civic priority. His commitment to social improvement was further reflected in his roles as Guardian of the Poor (eventually Chairman of the Board), member of the Swansea School Board, committee member of the General Hospital, and honorary secretary of the South Wales Institute for the Blind.

By the time of his death in 1890 at Brynnewydd, Sketty Green, Wilson had become one of Swansea’s most respected public figures. His burial at Oystermouth Cemetery marked the passing of a man whose life intertwined scientific curiosity, professional dedication, and civic responsibility.

William Caldwell and the Tragic Voyage of the Etna

Two years after Wilson’s death, in 1892, the occupant of 66 Wind Street was William Caldwell—a man whose story would have been lost to time were it not for one of the most harrowing maritime episodes connected to Swansea.

Caldwell served aboard the Swansea steamship Etna, alongside William Prater, William Stephens, Evans Davies, Graham Hilton, James Darnody, James H. Sims, William Morgan, Thomas Evans, Alfred Price, T. Burns, John Jenkins, and Thomas McFarren. Under Captain Straker, the Etna left Swansea on 12 May 1891, bound for Tangier on what was expected to be a routine cargo voyage. Instead, the ship became embroiled in the mass movement of pilgrims across the Red Sea and Arabian coast—an undertaking that would push the vessel, and its crew, to breaking point.

A Pilgrim Ship in Deadly Heat

map show route between
Tripoli, Mulrazze, Yambo, and Jeddah

The Etna was soon diverted into transporting Arab pilgrims between Tripoli, Mulrazze, Yambo, and Jeddah. At Tangier, 80 pilgrims boarded; at Mulrazze, another 50; and at Suez, an astonishing 1,400 more. These were men undertaking the sacred journey to Mecca, many travelling in cramped, sweltering conditions that would have tested even a well‑equipped vessel. The Etna, however, was not designed for such numbers.

After safely disembarking the pilgrims at Jeddah, the ship took on 1,700 more for the return journey to Camaran—this time in the oppressive heat of midsummer. The combination of overcrowding, inadequate ventilation, and extreme temperatures created conditions ripe for disease.

map showing port of Camaran

Twelve hours out from Camaran, the first signs of sickness appeared. What should have been a two‑and‑a‑half‑day voyage stretched to five. Pilgrims were dying at a rate of forty a day, and by the time the Etna reached Camaran, 200 lives had been lost. The crew, including Caldwell, were forced to work amid scenes of unimaginable suffering.

Cholera on the High Seas

After being white‑limed at Jeddah, the Etna took on another 1,200 pilgrims for Yambo. But the ship was now a floating pest‑house. Cholera swept through those on board with terrifying speed.

Before reaching Yambo, a 73‑year‑old Swansea seaman named Webb fell ill and later died, his body found floating beside the vessel. A Russian doctor was summoned to the ship, where he treated several crew members—including William Caldwell of 66 Wind Street, who was given laudanum in brandy. Despite treatment, Caldwell succumbed to the disease.

Port of Oran

The Etna, now infamous as a “death ship,” was forced into quarantine before it could proceed through the Suez Canal. Hundreds more pilgrims were landed at Beyroutt and Tripoli. The ship was refused entry at Gibraltar and Benisaf, and only three miles from Oran was it finally permitted to anchor for fumigation and disinfection. Among the dead was E. Davies of Sketty, who perished at Camaran.

A Survivor’s Account

Much of what is known about this catastrophic voyage comes from 23‑year‑old seaman John Jenkins, one of the few crew members to survive the ordeal. His testimony paints a vivid picture of the chaos on board: the stifling heat, the desperate attempts to care for the sick, and the emotional toll on a crew far from home, overwhelmed by circumstances no training could have prepared them for.

A Building with Layers of Swansea History

From the scientific circles of Victorian Swansea to the horrors of a cholera‑stricken pilgrim ship, the story of 66 Wind Street is unexpectedly rich. Its walls have witnessed the life of a respected civic leader and the tragic fate of a young seaman whose final journey became part of Swansea’s maritime lore. Today, as visitors enjoy drinks at The Perch, few realise that this unassuming corner building once stood at the crossroads of global science, civic reform, and the perilous world of nineteenth‑century seafaring.