Margam Stones Museum — Attraction in Margam

Margam Stones Museum is a small Victorian schoolhouse which now provides a home for one of the most important collections of Celtic stone crosses in Britain. All originally found within the locality of Margam, and mostly assembled as a collection in the 19th century, they provide enduring testimony to a Welsh Christian culture between the 6th and 16th centuries. The striking Cross of Conbelin is the most celebrated example. From around 1000 AD, it is a huge disc cross with Celtic interlace and plaitwork patterns, figurative scenes including a hunting scene, and inscriptions telling us who made it and who erected it. There are 17 early Christian stones, plus 11 memorials and other stones from the post-Norman periods. The museum is run by Cadw, (so there's a charge for non-members) and is close to Margam Abbey Church and the ruins of the Abbey buildings. The museum is closed from October, we knew it was closed when we visited, but met a margam park member of staff when we arrived 👍, who gave us all the history of it, and told us we could see most of the stones through the windows, so the photos may not be the best, (but it's surprising what you can do with you phone) you are able to read some of the information boards through the windows as well, if your having trouble, take a photo with your phone and then zoom in to read the text, plus you can go on the internet to find out more. A really interesting place and definitely...

We took a wrong turn for Margam Park and ended up here we parked at this church and stone museum, it was open and noyone around to pay ? Myself and my mother in law found it very interesting and i myself had not even heard of the stone museum and weve lived local for many decades. Awsome pieces of our country's history carved in stone and found local to wales amazing really! We entered expecting to pay the £2.50 each which is well worth it for viewing these items upclose touching the writings of man/woman from thousands of years ago :) We then entered the church abbey wow gorgeous and it folloed through out to the very old abbey ruins and orangary we realised we where then in the actuall park ! The abbey door closes at 3.30 it was 3pm so we left and went to find the main carparkwhich was further up the main rd but its was £6.00 and things where closing from 4.30 onwards so we decided to come back and spend a whole day and not be rushing i think the parking charge is reasonable but that for disabled customers like myself there should be consessions .... i so look foward to returning in...

Medieval Margam was dominated by its magnificent Cistercian Abbey, and ruins still survive in the beautiful parkland here today. A place of religious faith and learning in the Middle Ages, evidence from Margam shows traditions stretching back much further.

The stone Celtic crosses now housed in the Stones Museum suggest a long devotional history here, and the Iron Age hillfort behind Margam Castle (nineteenth century) was occupied by the Silures tribe who fought against Roman occupiers in the first century AD.

Margam Abbey survived threats to its existence throughout the Middle Ages, including a severe attack by Welsh rebels during the revolt of Owain Glyn Dwr (1412), due to its perceived English allegiances. The Abbey was dissolved under Henry VIII in 1536.

(Read more about Margam and download a local historical walk here on the St Thomas...