‘Jewel in the crown’ Llancaiach Fawr Manor set to close

The historic Tudor mansion Llancaiach Fawr Manor, described by supporters as “the jewel in the crown” of Caerphilly’s cultural attractions, closed over the weekend (22 December) after its funding was cut by the local authority.

20 paid staff and 18 voluntary staff at Llancaiach Fawr living museum will lose their jobs as part of the council’s plans to cut costs.

Caerphilly County Borough Council says the plan is for the venue to be mothballed “for a short period of time” before new arrangements could be made.

Friends of Llancaiach Fawr have signalled the end of their battle fighting the council to save the manor from closure, announcing on Facebook: “Despite our best efforts, Llancaiach Fawr Manor closes it’s doors for the last time today.”

Vandalism

Supporters who wanted to save the site railed against the mothballing plan presented earlier this year, branded the plans “tantamount to cultural vandalism”.

It was an angry end to a long consultation and decision-making process, which supporters of Llancaiach Fawr had hoped would swing in their favour, following a scrutiny committee meeting on September 24.

During that meeting, many councillors signalled their support for the site, and the committee recommended that cabinet members should take a softer approach to the manor’s future and make it “sustainable over the long term”.

The council currently spends just short of £500,000 a year subsidising Llancaiach Fawr.

But discussions between cabinet members proved more cautious, focusing on the wider budget pressures Caerphilly Council faces.

Bleak outlook

The council announced its mothballing plan as part of a bid to save £45 million over the next two years, with deputy leader Cllr Jamie Pritchard telling the meeting those savings were required “just to stand still”.

He said it was “only fair” to seek ways of making the subsidised site cheaper to run for the council, given the “extremely challenging” financial outlook.

But Cllr Whittle said the annual subsidy of £485,000 that the council spends on the “vital part of our heritage” at Llancaiach Fawr amounted to around 1% of that overall savings target.

“Is it worth the fuss?” he asked.

Councillors Ceri Wright, Charlotte Bishop, Jan Jones, Ann Gair, Nigel Dix and Elizabeth Aldworth were all among those who spoke supportively of the importance of Llancaiach Fawr.

The committee also heard several complaints the site should have been better marketed and utilised by the council.

Mr Jones raised a claim a private investor had approached the council offering to run the site.