0Local History of Llantwit Major

0In the middle of the Vale of Glamorgan lies a small coastal town of Llantwit Major (or, in 0Welsh, Llanilltud Fawr). Llantwit Major has been often called "the most beautiful of 0places".It is a quaint old town four and a half miles south-west of Cowbridge.

0It possesses a medieval town hall the ruins of a manor house, and a historic church as 0well as the foundations of a Roman Villa.

0Llantwit Major is an excellent location for exploring  South Wales and the cosmopolitan 0capital city of Cardiff, as well as the splendid area of the Brecon Beacons National Park, 0the Gower Peninsula to the west, and the historic valleys.

0Evidence has been found of domestic seaside settlement at Llantwit Major, dating as far 0back as the Neolithic period. For 350 years, the area was ruled by the Romans, Roman 0villas have been found, with bathrooms and the mosaic pavements dating from 0the mid 2nd century. However, Llantwit came to the prominence after the Romans had 0left,with the foundation of a monastery by St Illtud in the late 5th century. This rapidly 0became as a seat of learning as much as religion, attracting students from all 0over the 0world, and was reputed to have had seven halls, 400 houses and 02000 pupils. 

0It attracted royalty as well as St David himself, and is named as a royal burial place. It 0was also a busy mission centre for founding new churches, yet nothing solid remains to 0show where the monastery was sited or what it looked like. 

0The Church Halls and individual cells were probably made of timber, and this would 0account for the lack of remains. Traditionally, the site of the monastery is supposed to be 0just north of the present church of St Illtud, and maybe the ancient foundations still lie 0buried beneath later houses. Nothing can now be seen of the monastery apart from a 0small collection of 9th century in St illtud's church. 

0St Illtud's church is a mixture of different periods of building strung out, in line, one behind 0the other. The Western (or old) church was the original parish church built on pre-Norman  0foundations.  A tall, slim tower was built onto the eastern end in the 13th century and 0was followed by a new Eastern (or monastic)  church and chancel at the far western end 0of  the original building. The now ruined Lady chapel (or Galilee), was added later. There 0are traces of a number of medieval wall paintaings, and in the Western Church, a 0remarkable collection of carved Celtic crosses and carved memorial stones, bear moving 0testimony to the renown of this hallowed centre of Welsh Christianity.

0Llantwit has grown considerably in recent years, but the winding narrow and high-walled 0streets of  the town centre still preserve its ancient character. The town also 0retains a 0number of fine old buildings, including a 15th century town hall, a 0medieval gatehouse and 0a circular dovecote near the church, and some 016th century inns and houses. A mile to 0the south, near Colhugh Beach, 0there are ditches and earthworks belonging to an early 0Iron Age fort.  

0St Donat's Castle, a couple of miles to the west of  Llantwit, is a 13th century fortress 0which has been lived in since the time it was built.

0To meet the needs of its inhabitants, the castle has continually undergone alteration and 0extension, most notably in the early part of this century when it was bought by Randolph 0Hearst, an American newspaper magnate, and completely modernized. The castle is 0now the home of Atlantic College, an international sixth form school.

0The Great House

0On the road to Cowbridge, on the northern edge of the town stands the magnificent 0example of a Tudor house Ty mawr or Great House. 

0The Great House is said to date from the 14th century and was occupied by various 0branches of the Nicholl family. After the first world war the house was unoccupied and fell 0into a dilapidated and dangerous state. Later, it was then bought and conserved to 0a example of  dedicated conservation. Until this day where its still being lived in.

0The Dove cot

0The tall building which stands as a column in a middle of the field, near to St Illtuds 0Church. 

0Public Houses

0Like 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.  

Please Click Here to access Historic photos of Llantwit Major

Please Click Here to access Llantwit Major History Society Website

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