Neath Abbey
Neath Abbey (Welsh: Abaty Nedd) was a Cistercian monastery, located near the present-day town of Neath in South Wales, UK. It was once the largest abbey in Wales. Substantial ruins can still be seen, and are in the care of Cadw. Tudor historian John Leland called Neath Abbey "the fairest abbey of all Wales."
Neath Abbey is also the name of an area of Neath near to the abbey ruins.[1]
Contents
History
Neath Abbey was established in 1129 AD when Richard I de Grenville (d.post 1142), one of the Twelve Knights of Glamorgan, gave 8,000 acres (3,200 ha) of his estate in Glamorgan, Wales to Savigniac monks from western Normandy. The first monks arrived in 1130. Following the assumption of the Savigniac order into the Cistercian order in 1147, Neath Abbey also became a Cistercian house. The abbey was ravaged by the Welsh uprisings of the 13th century, and eventually dissolved by King Henry VIII of England in 1539. At this time, the abbey was turned into a large estate. Sir Philip Hobby was the last occupant of the estate.
Industrial use
By 1730, some of the buildings were being used for copper smelting, and the rest were abandoned. In the late 18th century, an iron foundry was opened near the abbey ruins by a company owned by the Price, Fox and Tregelles families.
Archaeology
The archaeology of the abbey was eventually excavated between 1924 and 1935.
Commercial use
The area adjacent to the ruins is used by a car retailer and a number of smaller businesses and workshops.
The site has been used to film several episodes of television series Doctor Who. The Time Lord (played by Matt Smith) and his companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) have filmed several times at the site, which was transformed into a complete structure.
The site was also used for shots during the filming of the BBC television series Merlin, for example the castle of the ancient kings where Arthur rediscovered the round table in Series 3 episode 13
Nearest places
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
See also
- Neath (UK Parliament constituency)
- Neath Abbey Castle Class steam locomotive
- List of Scheduled Monuments in Neath Port Talbot
External links
- www.EventPicture.co.uk : FREE pictures of Neath Abbey
- www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Neath Abbey
- Neath Abbey article from a website on Cistercian abbeys
- Castle Wales website with good illustrations
- Gathering the Jewels website on Welsh Cultural History - includes aerial photograph of the Abbey site
- Neath Abbey Ironworks
- Cistercian Way website - article on the Iron Works
- West Glamorgan Archives service- records relating to Neath Abbey
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Pages with broken file links
- Articles containing Welsh-language text
- Buildings and structures in Neath
- Ruins in Wales
- Cistercian monasteries in Wales
- 1129 establishments
- Religious organizations established in the 1120s
- Industrial archaeology
- Christian monasteries established in the 12th century
- Visitor attractions in Neath Port Talbot
- Buildings and structures completed in 1129
- Ruined abbeys and monasteries
