Penclawdd was once a thriving seaport exporting goods from the local copper works, the coal mines and of course its famous seafood, from the Loughor estuary. Rows of little terraced houses, with fantastic views, line the roads in the centre of the village and although the copper works and mines closed a long time ago, "Penclawdd Cockles" are still renowned today, although most of the industry is now located in the nearby villages of Crofty and Llanmorlais.

The area known as Blue Anchor, you would expect to be quite near the sea, but it is in fact located above Penclawdd and named after a long established pub (now demolished), that stood on a bend on the old Penclawdd to Three Crosses road.

Penclawdd is located conveniently for the attractions of town life, Swansea being around 15 minutes away, but also rural enough that a variety of Gower's beaches are only 15 mins drive in the opposite direction and of course, being along side an estuary, attracts lots of marine and bird life too.