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0Local History of Llantwit Major In the middle of the Vale of Glamorgan lies a small coastal town of Llantwit Major (or, in Welsh, Llanilltud Fawr). Llantwit Major has been often called "the most beautiful of places".It is a quaint old town four and a half miles south-west of Cowbridge. It possesses a medieval town hall the ruins of a manor house, and a historic church as well as the foundations of a Roman Villa. Llantwit Major is an excellent location for exploring South Wales and the cosmopolitan capital city of Cardiff, as well as the splendid area of the Brecon Beacons National Park, the Gower Peninsula to the west, and the historic valleys. Evidence has been found of domestic seaside settlement at Llantwit Major, dating as far back as the Neolithic period. For 350 years, the area was ruled by the Romans, Roman villas have been found, with bathrooms and the mosaic pavements dating from the mid 2nd century. However, Llantwit came to the prominence after the Romans had left,with the foundation of a monastery by St Illtud in the late 5th century. This rapidly became as a seat of learning as much as religion, attracting students from all over the world, and was reputed to have had seven halls, 400 houses and 2000 pupils. It attracted royalty as well as St David himself, and is named as a royal burial place. It was also a busy mission centre for founding new churches, yet nothing solid remains to show where the monastery was sited or what it looked like. The Church Halls and individual cells were probably made of timber, and this would account for the lack of remains. Traditionally, the site of the monastery is supposed to be just north of the present church of St Illtud, and maybe the ancient foundations still lie buried beneath later houses. Nothing can now be seen of the monastery apart from a small collection of 9th century in St illtud's church. St Illtud's church is a mixture of different periods of building strung out, in line, one behind the other. The Western (or old) church was the original parish church built on pre-Norman foundations. A tall, slim tower was built onto the eastern end in the 13th century and was followed by a new Eastern (or monastic) church and chancel at the far western end of the original building. The now ruined Lady chapel (or Galilee), was added later. There are traces of a number of medieval wall paintings, and in the Western Church, a remarkable collection of carved Celtic crosses and carved memorial stones, bear moving testimony to the renown of this hallowed centre of Welsh Christianity. Llantwit has grown considerably in recent years, but the winding narrow and high-walled streets of the town centre still preserve its ancient character. The town also retains a number of fine old buildings, including a 15th century town hall, a medieval gatehouse and a circular dovecote near the church, and some 16th century inns and houses. A mile to the south, near Colhugh Beach, there are ditches and earthworks belonging to an early Iron Age fort. St Donat's Castle, a couple of miles to the west of Llantwit, is a 13th century fortress which has been lived in since the time it was built. To meet the needs of its inhabitants, the castle has continually undergone alteration and extension, most notably in the early part of this century when it was bought by Randolph Hearst, an American newspaper magnate, and completely modernized. The castle is now the home of Atlantic College, an international sixth form school. The Great House On the road to Cowbridge, on the northern edge of the town stands the magnificent example of a Tudor house Ty mawr or Great House. The Great House is said to date from the 14th century and was occupied by various branches of the Nicholl family. After the first world war the house was unoccupied and fell into a dilapidated and dangerous state. Later, it was then bought and conserved to a example of dedicated conservation. Until this day where its still being lived in. The Dove cot The tall building which stands as a column in a middle of the field, near to St Illtuds 0Church. Public Houses Like most towns Llantwit major has many public houses for instance The Old Swan Inn 0dates back to the 16th century, when it was owned by the Raglan family, but history 0states that there has been a building on this site since the 11th century. |
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