Plea for Welsh Government to save landmark heritage buildings

Emily Price

Calls have been made for the Welsh Government to intervene and save two landmark heritage buildings facing closure.

South Wales East Senedd Members Delyth Jewell and Peredur Owen Griffiths have written to the newly appointed minister for culture asking for support for Caerphilly County Borough Council to keep Llancaich Fawr Manor House and Blackwood Miners’ Institute open.

Caerphilly Council says that in the face of huge financial challenges it was forced make difficult decisions.

It currently provides a subsidy of £485,000 a year to run Llancaiach Fawr and £347,000 per year to the Miners Institute.

Historic

Llancaiach Fawr is a semi-fortified Tudor manor house on the outskirts of the village of Nelson.

The Grade 1 listed building – which is said to be haunted – has been restored and furnished as it would have been in 1645.

Visitors can step back in time as actors in 17th Century costume offer a window into the life of the Pritchard family who once lived there.

Blackwood Miners’ Institute is a multipurpose, professional performing arts centre said to be one of the busiest and most vibrant theatres in south Wales.

The Plaid Cymru MSs wrote to Jack Sargeant, Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership in the week he was appointed to his role in the Welsh Government.

The charitable status of Blackwood Miners’ Institute and the council’s role as trustees has meant a decision on the cultural asset’s has had to be postponed while the local authority takes legal advice.

In a joint statement Plaid Cymru’s Delyth Jewell MS and Peredur Owen Griffiths MS said: “We have written to the Welsh Government to express our urgent concern about Caerphilly Council’s current proposals to mothball Llancaiach Fawr and Blackwood Miners’ Institute, and to ask whether the Welsh Government can offer urgent assistance, should they close.

“We are deeply concerned about what might happen should the council’s Cabinet decide to press ahead with these closures. Petitions in support of saving these sites have each received more than 6,000 signatures in a short space of time.

“We appreciate the difficult financial climate facing local authorities, which is why we have asked whether there is anything the Welsh Government could do to aid the council, or indeed whether the government could assist in finding other ways of keeping these sites open for the community.

“We hope that the Welsh Government will appreciate the immense value of Llancaiach Fawr and Blackwood Miners’ Institute, and that support can be given to the council to keep them open.”