Conservation project completed at Llangiwg Church, Pontardawe, Neath Port Talbot

A conservation project to protect the historic fabric of the Grade II listed Llangiwg Church, near Pontardawe in the Swansea Valley, has recently been completed thanks to a generous grant funded by the UK Government through the Shared Prosperity Fund, and awarded by Neath Port Talbot Council’s Heritage, Culture, Tourism and Events grant scheme.

This scheme, part of the council’s UKSPF Place Prosperity Fund, has enabled local charity The Llangiwg Trust to carry out both exterior and interior work on the medieval former St Ciwg’s Church with the aim of preserving it as both a heritage asset and a community venue. Founded on a 6th century hilltop site, in a peaceful rural location, the building is one of the oldest in Neath Port Talbot.

Exterior work has included the re-pointing of the south elevation of the nave with breathable lime mortar to alleviate dampness inside the church, and the removal of vegetation from the tower, together with lime mortar repairs to the tower walls and crenellations. Inside, Victorian panelling has been restored and floors repaired at the rear of the nave, replastering work has been carried out where necessary and the building has been redecorated.

These works have been undertaken by Alun Teagle Building Conservation (exterior) and Taliesin Conservation Ltd. (interior), under the guidance of Neath-based conservation specialist surveyor Trevor J. Francis. The project has also involved carrying out archaeology and ecology surveys to record the historic fabric of the building and to update information about the site’s natural environment.

A bat licence had to be obtained to carry out the last of the exterior works – the renewal of fascia boards and guttering on the south front. Luckily, with the help of Newport-based Certhia Ecology, this was issued just in time to complete the project within a very tight deadline.

The watching brief report provided by local archaeologists Trysor included a surprise discovery inside the building – an old blocked-up entrance was inadvertently revealed behind a mysterious bulge in the west wall when repairs were carried out to adjacent flooring. Further investigation of this doorway will take place in due course, adding another point of interest to a building which retains early Christian, Norman, Tudor, Georgian and Victorian features and artefacts.

The cost of the project, including consultancy fees and a new CCTV system, has been covered by a 100% UKSPF grant totalling nearly £137,000. It follows two smaller capital projects, funded by Cadw and the UKSPF Fund in 2022 and 2024 respectively, to repair flooring and reinstate Georgian panelling at the front of the nave.

Deconsecrated in 2004, the building has been a community venue for nearly twenty years and hosts regular events and activities, which focus on heritage, the arts, Welsh language and culture, health, well-being and the natural environment. The Trust will now be working towards the next phase in its plans – the installation of new and improved welfare facilities, with the aim of developing and expanding the use of the church.