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Merthyr Mawr is a village and community in Bridgend, Wales. The village is about 2½ miles from the centre of Bridgend town. The population of the community at the 2011 census was 267. The community occupies the area west of the Ewenny River, between Bridgend and Porthcawl. It takes in the settlement of
Tythegston Tythegston ( cy, Llandudwg) is a conservation area village well located (M4 J37 3 miles) close to Cardiff (24 miles) and Swansea (19 miles) on the south coast of Bridgend, Wales. It is home to Tythegston Court, a Grade 2 listed Manor House at the ...
and a stretch of coastal sand dunes known as Merthyr Mawr Warren. It is in the historic county of
Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...
.


Buildings and landmarks of note

Merthyr Mawr House Sir John Nicholl (16 March 1759 – 26 August 1838) was a Welsh Member of Parliament and judge. As a judge he was noted "for inflexible impartiality and great strength and soundness of judgement". Early history Nicholl was born in 1759, the se ...
is an early 19th-century mansion built by
Sir John Nicholl Sir John Nicholl (16 March 1759 – 26 August 1838) was a Welsh Member of Parliament and judge. As a judge he was noted "for inflexible impartiality and great strength and soundness of judgement". Early history Nicholl was born in 1759, the sec ...
and set in an extensive park. Within the park is the Iron Age hillfort known as Chapel Hill Camp, and within the embankments is the now roofless 15th century chapel of St Roque (or Roch), which houses two early medieval inscribed stones.Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust Historic Landscapes: Merthyr Mawr
accessed 11 May 2013
Merthyr Mawr is largely an estate village for the House. It now contains several cottages retaining
thatched roof Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge (''Cladium mariscus''), rushes, heather, or palm branches, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. Since the bulk of ...
s and well maintained gardens. At the south end of the village is the parish church of St Teilo, which was built in 1849–51 to a design by Benjamin Ferrey and John Pritchard, on an ancient medieval site. A collection of stones from the former churchyard and the surrounding area are displayed in a shelter in the churchyard. Nearby are the
Merthyr Mawr Sand Dunes Merthyr Mawr Sand Dunes are sand dunes and a Site of Special Scientific Interest in Bridgend, south Wales. The village of Merthyr Mawr is nearby. The largest dune at the site is known as The Big Dipper and is the second-largest of its kind in E ...
.
Candleston Castle Candleston Castle (historically sometimes Candlestone Castle) is a 14th-century fortified manor house, in ruins since the 19th century. It is southwest of Merthyr Mawr, former Glamorgan, Wales, now Bridgend County Borough and just northwest of ...
is on the edge of the area of dunes. Mike Young Productions children's cartoon studio is located in Merthyr Mawr. The River Ogmore flows through the village and a famous sheep dipping bridge crosses it on the outskirts of the village. The former POW Camp
Island Farm Island Farm, also called Camp 198, was a prisoner of war camp on the outskirts of the town of Bridgend, South Wales. It hosted a number of Axis prisoners, mainly German, and was the scene of the largest escape attempt by German POWs in Britain d ...
is less than a mile away. The Ewenny River forms the southern boundary of both the community and the borough. The villages of
Ewenny Ewenny ( cy, Ewenni) is a village and community (parish) on the River Ewenny in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. Over the years the village has grown into the neighbouring village of Corntown to such an extent that there is no longer a clear boundar ...
and
Ogmore-by-Sea Ogmore-by-Sea ( Welsh: ''Aberogwr'', meaning "Mouth of the River Ogmore") is a seaside village in St Brides Major community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It lies on the western limit of the Glamorgan Heritage Coast of south Wales. The pop ...
are both on the southern bank of the Ewenny, along with
Ogmore Castle Ogmore Castle ( cy, Castell Ogwr) is a Grade I listed castle ruin located near the village of Ogmore-by-Sea, south of the town of Bridgend in Glamorgan, South Wales. It is situated on the south bank of the River Ewenny and the east bank of the Riv ...
.


Scheduled Monuments

There are large number of archaeological sites in the Community area, showing habitation from Neolithic times, and intensive occupation since Roman times. Thirteen sites are Scheduled Monuments, which gives them legal protection from disturbance:- *
Tythegston Tythegston ( cy, Llandudwg) is a conservation area village well located (M4 J37 3 miles) close to Cardiff (24 miles) and Swansea (19 miles) on the south coast of Bridgend, Wales. It is home to Tythegston Court, a Grade 2 listed Manor House at the ...
Long Barrow (, SS864792). A Neolithic chambered tomb toward the east end of a long mound. *Mynydd Herbert Round Barrow (, SS851798) A Bronze Age burial cairn 2m high covered in stones, possibly cleared from nearby fields, in the corner of a field 1 km north of Tythegston. * Chapel Hill Camp (, SS889780) A small Iron Age hillfort on a low hilltop. The ruins of St Roques chapel, lying within the enclosure, gives its name to the hill. * Merthyr Mawr Warren (, SS863770) An area of dunes within which numerous prehistoric burial sites and other findspots have been uncovered, especially during sand and gravel extraction. *Cae Summerhouse Camp (, SS864779). A settlement site with intensive 1st to 4th century occupation in a defended enclosure, covering the Iron Age & Roman periods. *Merthyr Mawr pre-Norman Stones (, SS882775) A series of locally found early medieval stone pillars, slabs and crosses, now housed in a shelter within Merthyr Mawr St Teilo churchyard. *Vervil Dyke (, SS889774) A bank and ditch runs between the rivers Ogmore and Eweny. Traces of a parallel bank imply a settlement enclosure of early medieval date. *Cross in
Tythegston Tythegston ( cy, Llandudwg) is a conservation area village well located (M4 J37 3 miles) close to Cardiff (24 miles) and Swansea (19 miles) on the south coast of Bridgend, Wales. It is home to Tythegston Court, a Grade 2 listed Manor House at the ...
Churchyard (, SS857788) An 11th-century sandstone slab set in a modern socket, in St Tudwg's churchyard, Tythegsto. * St Roque's Chapel (, SS888780) A ruined medieval chapel, sited inside Chapel Hill Camp, within the park of Merthyr Mawr House. *Conbelani Stone in St Roque's Chapel (,SS888780) An inscribed pillar cross, originally on the river bank at Merthyr Mawr. Another cross pillar, the Goblin Stone, is also in the ruined chapel. *
Candleston Castle Candleston Castle (historically sometimes Candlestone Castle) is a 14th-century fortified manor house, in ruins since the 19th century. It is southwest of Merthyr Mawr, former Glamorgan, Wales, now Bridgend County Borough and just northwest of ...
(, SS871772) A lightly fortified 14th century manor house overlooking Merthyr Mawr Warren, which continued in occupation until the 19th century. *Merthyr Mawr Churchyard Cross (, SS882774) An octagonal 14th century cross pillar with part of its original finial, set in three steps of sandstone. *New Inn Bridge (, SS891783) A Stone bridge in the parish, but near Bridgend. It has 4 arches, and is dated to the 16th century or older. Two openings allow sheep washing, giving an alternate name of 'Dipping Bridge'.


National nature reserve

The sand dune system known as Merthyr Mawr warren is a scheduled National Nature Reserve. It contains the highest sand-dunes in Wales and is notable for its floristic and animal communities including rare plants. It has also been the site of many archaeological finds.


See also

* Bryntirion, Laleston and Merthyr Mawr * List of Scheduled Monuments in Bridgend


References


External links

* {{authority control Villages in Bridgend County Borough National nature reserves in Wales Communities in Bridgend County Borough