Pennod 16 100 Lle

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Today, we visit Neath to focus on industry, rugby and religion.

The contemporary and the Romanesque are both in evidence in Ewenny.

Marian Delyth seeks a lost village.

And we observe the splendour of Margam Park...

..and its octagonal chapel.

But our journey begins in Llantwit Major.

We're standing on the banks of the River Colhuw.

What's its significance in relation to Llantwit Major?

-It's one of the most significant

-places in western Europe.

-We're standing near the estuary.

-Religious leaders from Cornwall,

-Brittany, Ireland and Scotland...

-..all came here...

-..and walked through this valley

-to seek the wisdom of Illtud.

-If we're searching

-for the axis of Christianity...

-..in terms of Celtic countries...

-..it's the estuary

-of the River Colhuw.

The Roman influences on Llantwit Major...

..and the importance of its waterways...

..led to the development of Christianity in the Celtic world.

-I think we can safely say

-that we are standing...

-..on what would have been the

-foundations of St Illtud's Church...

-..before AD 600.

-Buildings during the Middle Ages...

-..were erected on top

-of what was already here.

-This could have been a wooden hut

-during Illtud's time...

-..and the monks would have lived

-in huts surrounding it.

-But what we're seeing now

-belongs to Norman times...

-..when the Vale of Glamorgan

-was under their rule.

-The Galilee Chapel

-is situated at the rear.

-That is the eastern chapel.

-It was possibly the original church,

-dating back to 1100.

-The body of the church

-is from the 13th century...

-..while the chancel

-belongs to a later period.

-It's a long church and the largest

-parish church in Glamorgan.

-There is an abundance

-of memorial stones...

-..and interesting masonry here.

-The most interesting

-is the Jesse Niche carved stone.

-There's a carving

-of a prone Jesse...

-..with a tree

-growing from his ribs.

-His descendants ascend the tree,

-with Christ at the top.

-It's incredibly neat.

-During the Middle Ages, the 13th

-and 14th centuries and beyond...

-..churches were adorned

-with painted murals.

-The Puritans whitewashed them all.

-But when they restored the church

-during the 19th century...

-..they found traces of paintings

-from the Middle Ages.

-It's a very interesting building.

-One could argue that Llantwit Major

-is more significant than St David's.

-Dewi, Teilo and the other saints

-came after Illtud's lifetime.

-Illtud set the wheel in motion.

-Christianity took root in Wales

-here in Llantwit Major.

-Without this place, our history

-would have been very different.

The church houses an interesting collection of Celtic stones.

The 9th-century Houelt Cross is the most important.

Hywel laid this cross in memory of his father, Rhys.

The kings of Glamorgan still considered the place holy...

..four centuries after Illtud's time.

The town hall is worthy of its position on the square.

The pubs are also mentioned in John's book.

But we're heading to an unusual place of worship nearby.

I can't think of many chapels with an open fire and no electricity.

-This is certainly true

-of Bethesda'r Fro...

-..located in the vicinity

-of Llantwit Major.

-We've already seen one church...

-..dating back

-to the old Celtic tradition.

-This chapel was founded in 1807...

-..as a result of the feud...

-..between Methodists and others.

-Thomas William founded the chapel.

-This is one of the few chapels

-of the early 19th century...

-..that still looks as it did

-when it was first built...

-..with this open fire...

-..positioned where the pulpit

-would be in other chapels.

-It also lacks electricity

-and other creature comforts.

-Thomas William was one of Wales's

-most prominent hymnists.

-The original hymn book kept here

-contains this hymn.

-"O had I the wings of a dove

-How soon I would wander away

-"To gaze from Mount Nebo I'd love

-On realms that are fairer than day."

-It was written by Thomas William.

It may be a rather unfamiliar area...

..but we've come to realize it's a devoutly Christian area.

-Iorwerth Peate said it succinctly.

-"God, in his infinite wisdom,

-created a garden...

-"..between land and sea

-where the paths...

-"..lead the ordinary souls

-to the place...

-"..where the waters of Bethesda flow

-amid the beauty of Eglwys Brewys."

We've used the word Romanesque many times during this series.

We've seen examples of Romanesque arches in Newport, Chepstow...

..Llandaff and St Clears.

But this building is Romanesque from its foundations to its roof.

Ewenny Priory in the Vale of Glamorgan.

There is a representation here of all the priory's former owners.

This is the tomb of Maurice de Londres...

..son of Gwilym, who commissioned the church.

Then there's the tomb of Edward Carne...

..a member of the Carne family, the second owners.

They bought it from Henry VIII in 1546 for just over 700.

There was nothing unusual in that...

..following the dissolution of the monasteries.

But Edward Carne was a devout Catholic.

You could say he was covering all bases!

They were here for 200 years...

..until the death of John, the final heir...

..aged 15 years, 10 months and 11 days.

The fact they recorded his age to the exact day...

..is testament to the sadness felt.

It reads, "Here lies Ewenny's hope, Ewenny's pride.

"Death having seized him...

"..lingered, loath to be the ruin of this worthy family."

Hot on the heels of the Carnes came the Turbervilles.

Memorial stones in their honour adorn every wall.

They remain here to this day.

The spiritual tone of the priory...

..is bolstered by a distinctive artistic style.

The contemporary glass screen is by Alexander Beleschenko.

The artist JMW Turner visited the priory in 1795.

Nearby, the River Ewenny runs past Ogmore Castle.

It was home to William de Londres, who commissioned Ewenny Church.

For centuries, the area has been famed for its potteries.

But since the 19th century, only 18 of them...

..have used the generic term Ewenny Potteries.

Only two of them currently trade under that name.

This pottery's history can be traced back to 1610.

This cabinet displays pieces that span the centuries.

"Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump...

"..to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?"

There's a third way, of course - that you make a mess of both!

I suspect that fate awaits me!

First, I have to wet my hands.

Observe the potter at work!

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This week, photographer Marian Delyth has the difficult task...

..of capturing the invisible in Kenfig near Port Talbot.

In his book, John refers to a lost city beneath the sand in Kenfig.

Is there anything left of it these days?

-I have to admit,

-I'd never been there.

-I was captivated

-by the subject of a lost city.

-John talks of a castle...

-..and a town

-founded in the 11th century.

-The dunes have engulfed what was

-a city of 1,000 inhabitants.

-As an author,

-John has the advantage...

-..of being able to create pictures

-out of words.

-As a photographer,

-I deal with what is visible.

-I couldn't see anything at first.

This image doesn't fit the brief of a civilization lost to the dunes.

-No! This was taken

-underneath the motorway.

-I didn't include this image

-in the book, by the way.

-When I photograph

-historical and romantic settings...

-..I'm always brought back

-to the present...

-..by images like this

-of graffiti and so on.

-This is the traditional image

-of the castle.

-It doesn't really resemble

-a castle, does it?

No, it's not at all castle-like!

-It certainly doesn't show

-how close it is to the motorway...

-..as this photograph demonstrates.

-I discovered one or two images

-I hadn't seen of the castle.

-They're perhaps more in keeping...

-..with what we assume

-is the castle's architecture.

-It's situated in dense undergrowth.

-Thickets and trees

-have grown from the ruins.

-It isn't just the sand dunes.

-Nature is trying its best

-to conceal the place.

-Eventually, I decided

-that the best image for Kenfig...

-..would be this wide angle

-of the sand dunes in the evening...

-..with Port Talbot

-in the background.

-I hope that the image,

-together with John's text...

-..conveys a fitting atmosphere...

-..so that people can imagine

-walking over this lost city.

In the book, there is a chapter dedicated to Margam.

There is plenty to see, apart from its majestic abbey.

It is a Cistercian church belonging to Margam monastery.

This is only part of the church - the rest has disappeared.

It is the only fully-functioning Cistercian church in Britain.

There are two families associated with this abbey.

It was bought by the Mansels in the 16th century.

They are buried on that side.

It later passed to the Talbots, who are buried on this side.

Sir Rice Mansel had strong affiliations with Henry VIII.

He set about making this abbey his home.

The Mansel line ended in 1730...

..and it was inherited by Thomas Talbot.

The most striking tomb is that of Theodore Mansel Talbot.

The last of the Talbots, he inherited the family's wealth.

He died in 1876 with no heir.

Work on this remarkable residence in Margam Park ended in 1836.

It was commissioned by Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot...

..a 33-year-old MP who would soon become...

..one of the wealthiest men outside the House of Lords.

The house was designed by Thomas Hopper.

He also designed Penrhyn Castle, believe it or not.

They are contrasting designs, of course.

Whereas this is neo-Gothic Tudor, Penrhyn Castle is mock-Romanesque.

This place created such a stir that it attracted noble visitors.

Among them was Edward VII, when he was Prince of Wales.

Photographer Henry Fox Talbot was a frequent visitor.

In 1802, Lord Nelson himself visited the Orangery...

..the longest building of its kind in Britain.

You would have thought that the mansion's civilized residents...

..would have shown more respect for the estate's ancient buildings.

This was the monks' cloisters that served as their library...

..but the castle's nobility kept their coal here.

Our journey to Margam Park ends in Beulah Chapel or Round Chapel.

As interesting as our journey has been...

..it hasn't been as exciting as this octagonal chapel's journey.

It was once situated in Groes, two miles closer to Margam Abbey.

But when the motorway was built...

..it was taken down, stone by stone, and moved to a safer place...

..on the outskirts of Tai-bach, Port Talbot.

This chapter is dedicated to Neath.

What's its significance in terms of South Wales's industrial towns?

-We tend to overlook Neath

-since the bypass was built.

-Sadly, there's no need

-to go through Neath any more.

-In the Middle Ages, it had a castle,

-a port and a monastery.

-By the end of the 17th century...

-..it could be argued

-that Glamorgan's heavy industries...

-..especially iron and copper,

-began here in Neath.

But the scale of these buildings and in particular this church...

..suggests it was an affluent area.

-..suggests it was an affluent area.

-Yes, it was very prosperous.

-This church is testament

-to that wealth.

-I don't know of any other church

-built in the 19th century...

-..that is as wide and constructed

-entirely of red and black bricks.

-The roof is incredibly high.

-The chancel itself is very noble.

-There is also an imposing

-clock tower built above it...

-..which gives Neath

-a certain status.

-I don't know of another place

-with such a striking clock tower.

-It dominates the town.

-Long live Neath, I say!

Why is this room at Neath's Castle Hotel so significant?

-This is where the Welsh Rugby Union

-was founded in 1881.

-Apparently, the room

-hasn't changed at all since then.

-It looks exactly as it did

-130 years ago.

-For many people...

-..rugby is what defines

-their Welshness and identity.

-One could argue that this room...

-..is more significant

-to many Welsh people...

-..than the National Library,

-St David's Cathedral...

-..or even the Senedd.

-This is central to their identity.

It's interesting to note that Neath wasn't one of the founding members.

-No, they just saw the Castle Hotel

-as a convenient place to meet.

-I can imagine them saying, "Let's

-establish a Welsh rugby union."

-It was probably

-the kind of meeting...

-..where they took a vote

-and then went to the bar.

-Gareth Williams argues

-that rugby was perfect...

-..for Wales's industrial communities

-at the time.

-He argues that the harder

-or more physical your work is...

-..the more physical

-the sport you want.

-He says those who are idle at work

-play cricket in their spare time...

-..but those who work hard

-play rugby.

-These may be

-Neath's most striking landmarks.

-The blast furnaces built to serve

-the Neath Abbey Ironworks.

-These particular furnaces

-date back to 1793.

-They are the tallest such furnaces

-in the world.

-This one is 65 feet high.

-They're overgrown with ivy

-and difficult to reach.

-But I hear there is already

-a project afoot...

-..to make them more accessible,

-which is an exciting prospect.

Neath Abbey was established in 1129 by Richard de Granville...

..as a monastery for the Savigniac order.

They united with the Cistercian order in 1147.

Following the dissolution in 1539, the abbey's stones were pillaged...

..to build a mansion for new owner Richard Williams.

Historian John Leland called it the fairest abbey in Wales.

Although few of its ruins remain, one remarkable feature has survived.

This door weighs a ton.

Goodness me!

-This is one of the abbey's

-surviving features.

-This is the dormitory undercroft.

-It dates back to the 13th century.

-There's a certain purity...

-..belonging to the roof

-and pillars holding it up.

-There is also a variety of tiles...

-..similar to those

-at Strata Florida...

-..and the occasional tomb.

-This is one of Neath's

-magnificent buildings.

-It's certainly worth a visit...

-..because this is one of the most

-interesting regions in Wales.

Amen!

S4C Subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

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