Llancaiach Fawr Manor

Llancaiach Fawr Manor is a top attraction on the outskirts of Cardiff in the Rhymney Valley of South Wales. Located 40 minutes from Cardiff city centre, this superbly restored grade 1 listed gentry manor house is no ordinary heritage attraction, it’s surrounded by a restored period garden, which provides the perfect opportunity to enjoy the passing of the seasons in this tranquil location. History here is tangible.

Visitors today step into the Manor House that has been restored and furnished as it would have been in 1645. All the furnishings in the rooms are accurate reproductions of items from the time of the Prichard’s in the 16th and 17th centuries and many of the originals can be found in the Museum of Welsh Life at St. Fagans.

At Llancaiach Fawr Manor, fires crackle, candles flicker, Welsh wool clothing rustles and the sounds and smells of domestic life make your visit a memorable sensory experience of the past. It takes a moment to attune your ear to the unfamiliar speech within the Manor itself, but within seconds you’ll become immersed in the time of the Civil Wars and the cares and concerns of ordinary people living in extraordinary times.

If you are very lucky, you might sometimes meet the master of the house, Edward Prichard. But he’s a busy man, much concerned with business and the Civil War and so he is often called away at short notice.

Perhaps you might catch a glimpse of Mistress Mary Prichard, his wife… although she prefers to go and visit her family and friends at Briton Ferry, rather than brave the air of the valleys, as she is a rather “sickly” soul. Of course, being a devoted mother, she always takes their little daughters Jane and Mary, with her.

So whom might you meet at Llancaiach Fawr Manor? Well, there are the servants, they are always there to greet you and make you welcome!

Although we can’t say which of them you’ll meet at any time (they have their duties to perform after all!), you can be sure that there will be someone who will be pleased to show you around the master’s fine house – provided that you are of good repute of course!

A family fun attraction where the past and the present meet.