Open Doors - Margam Abbey Church

Grade 1 listed, the Abbey Church of St Mary the Virgin, Margam (Margam Abbey), is the only nave of a Cistercian Abbey in Wales still in use as a church, with magnificent Norman Romanesque
architecture. Once the richest monastic house in Wales, it was a great centre of learning and culture, surviving the Dissolution through the patronage of the Mansel and Talbot families.

The church includes the superb Renaissance Mansel tombs, William Morris windows, Victorian refurbishment in the Anglo-Catholic style, Talbot Chapel with its imposing Gothic marble effigy of Theodore Mansel Talbot, historic vestments, and pipe organ, a rare work by Augustus Gern.

Saturday 9 September:
Talk on Theodore Mansel Talbot - his life and tomb. There is nothing else like this stunning monument in Wales.Talk will commence at 11am and 1pm. Approximately 1 hour.
Talk - Introducing the Vestments - their meaning and history.Talk will commence at 12pm and 2pm. Approximately 1 hour.
Talk on The Monks of Margam - discover the story of Margam Abbey, from foundation to Dissolution; its architecture, daily life of a Cistercian Monk and how it became the richest monastic house in Wales; a centre of great learning, poetry and culture, its scriptorium producing the Annals of Margam, a key source of contemporary Glamorgan history.Talk will commence at 2pm. Approximately 1 hour, part of which is outside.

Sunday 10 September:
Trails and Tales: A walking history of deaths and burials, around Margam Abbey graveyard. Murder, Mayhem, Pathos, Poison! The Church is closed for a service 11am until midday on Sunday. Trails and Tales talk will commence at midday. Appropriate clothing and footwear is required as the ground is uneven and the event is outside in the graveyard.

Booking required.
The events will appear on Eventbrite. Approximate 12 persons per event.
Booking details and a link to Eventbrite can also be found on facebook page Margam Abbey Church.
Bookings can be made in person by phone, as follows:
Bev Gulley (Margam Abbey Warden) 07530 421220

Address - Margam Abbey Church, Margam, Port Talbot, SA13 2TA.

Free parking to front of church.
Disabled access toilets.
Tea/Coffee available.
Graveyard is uneven for Trails and Tales talk.
Abbey Church is co-located with Margam Stones Museum.