Considering how long I have been in politics I quite surprised myself that tonight was the first time I have attended a harvest festival. It was organised by the Glamorgan branch of the NFU and Young Farmers and was held in the magnificent surroundings of the Margam Abbey Church.
This architectural gem was previously unknown to me and has quite a history. Wikipedia recounts that the abbey was founded in 1147 as a daughter house of Clairvaux by Robert, Earl of Gloucester, and was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Early Christian crosses found in the close vicinity and conserved in the nearby Margam Stones Museum suggest the existence of an earlier Celtic monastic community.
The abbey was dissolved by King Henry VIII in 1536 and sold to Sir Rice Mansel. From the Mansel family the abbey eventually passed into their descendants in the female line, the Talbot family. In the 19th century, C R M Talbot constructed a mansion at Margam Castle which overlooks the abbey ruins. The nave of the abbey continued in use as the parish church, as it does to this day. It is Anglo-Catholic in its churchmanship.
Margam Abbey now consists of the intact nave and impressive surrounding ruins. Those ruins not belonging to the church are now owned by the County Council.
The service itself included an offering of produce from local farmers which will be donated to a nearby hospice and ended with a very generous buffet.
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