Senedd candidate expresses concern as ‘jewel in the crown’ attraction still closed after 15 months

A Senedd candidate has warned a “magnificent” Tudor manor house in south Wales could “go to ruin” amid ongoing talks over plans to reopen the historic attraction.

Plaid Cymru’s Lindsay Whittle took to social media to defend Llancaiach Fawr in Nelson, which was closed ‘temporarily’ by Caerphilly County Borough Council in late 2024.

The council, who had been subsidising the venue by £485,000 a year, “mothballed” the attraction under cost-cutting plans in the hope it would be taken over and run by a private company.

The decision in September 2024 was met with much opposition from both councillors and members of the public.

Following the announcement of its closure, councillors were heckled from the public gallery with shouts of “shame on you” and “total mismanagement” from supporters, who described the manor as “the jewel in the crown” of the authority’s cultural attractions.

The mothballing process took several months until the site, which employed 20 workers and had a further 18 volunteers, was officially closed. £53,000 was set aside for its upkeep.

Several plans for the future of the attraction have been drawn up since. In January 2025, Avison Young was appointed to handle marketing for the venue, and the council said it expected a new operator would be found by April.

Initial optimism proved misplaced as it was not until July that, during a behind-closed-doors meeting to discuss potential operators and “detailed financial information”, a new operator was selected.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council’s leader Cllr Sean Morgan described the timeframe between the mothballing and the venue’s prospective reopening as “months of misery we have to put up with”.

The most recent update came on 23 January 2026, when the council reassured the public that talks were “progressing” behind closed doors as the cabinet considered the “next step” in the process.

Whittle was the leader of the Plaid Cymru group on Caerphilly County Borough Council until the Caerphilly by-election when he was elected to the Senedd.

He is now up for re-election on 7 May in Blaenau Gwent Caerffilli Rhymni as Plaid Cymru’s number two candidate behind Delyth Jewell.

Whittle, Jewell and Cllr Charlotte Bishop, who took over leadership of the council’s Plaid Cymru group, have been vocal in their opposition to the closure of Llancaiach Fawr.

Whittle in particular criticised treatment of staff, saying it was “shocking that so much expertise” was going to be lost by the council’s “flawed decision”.

Cllr Charlotte Bishop reiterated in January 2026 that her party remained opposed to the running of the venue being taken out of the local authority’s hands.

“Llancaiach Fawr is a powerful symbol of Welsh history and culture, not a commodity to be managed behind closed doors,” she said.

“It is deeply disappointing that opportunities for heritage-led investment and tourism are being taken for granted by the Labour administration and increasingly passed to external interests.”

Now in a new video posted at the end of April, Whittle once again criticised the council, saying: “It was about 15 months ago now that Caerphilly County Borough Council closed this magnificent living museum.

“This building was built in 1530 when Wales was indeed a free country then and it’s now being left to go to ruin.

“I’m extremely concerned that negotiations I’m told are underway with prospective partners who want to take it over but after 15 months, how long do these deals take?

“And I’m not prepared to allow Caerphilly Council to allow this building to go to rack and ruin. This is a building that needs to reopen immediately.

“This is a fantastic facility that should never ever have closed and we cannot, cannot afford to lose this magnificent building.”

He added: “I am no longer a Councillor but determined to push this Labour Council to protect The Jewel in the Crown that is Llancaiach Fawr in Nelson.”

Many were in support of Whittle’s message, with one writing: “Well said Lindsay. I very much appreciate with admiration the interest that you take in all matters of the Welsh valleys and especially now your determination to save Llancaiach Fawr.”

Another added: “I worked there as an historical Interpreter, along with the other highly knowledgeable and skilled interpreters, for 19 years.

“Together, we had over a century’s worth of experience in historical interpretation. I was there on the last day it was open to the public, and like everyone there on that final day, the reception staff, the catering staff, the cleaning staff, and us historical interpreters, tears were shed.

“Thank you Lindsey for speaking out against its closure. The work you did in trying to save it as a living history museum is very much appreciated.”