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35-552: Margam Country Park is a country park estate in Wales, of around 850 acres (3.4 km). It is situated in Margam , about 2 miles (3 km) from Port Talbot in south Wales . It was once owned by the Mansel Talbot family and is now owned and administered by the local council, Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council . Situated within the park are three notable buildings: Margam Abbey ,

70-587: A Cistercian monastery; Margam Castle , a neo-Gothic country house that was once the seat of the Mansel Talbot family; and the 18th-century Orangery . The park is designated Grade I on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales . Margam Park owes its location and beginnings to the monastery, which was acquired by Sir Rice Mansel in 1540 after the Dissolution of

105-403: A car park, toilets, maybe a cafe or kiosk, paths and trails, and some information for visitors. Some have much more, with museums, visitor centres, educational facilities, historic buildings, farms, boating, fishing, and other attractions. Many larger country parks organise entertainment for visitors, and are venues for firework displays, shows and fairs and other large, outdoor events. There

140-480: A country park is to provide a place that has a natural, rural atmosphere for visitors who do not necessarily want to go out into the wider countryside. Visitors can enjoy a public open space with an informal atmosphere, as opposed to a formal park as might be found in an urban area. For this reason country parks are usually found close to or on the edge of built-up areas, and rarely in the wider countryside. A country park usually has some more formal facilities, such as

175-492: A field of 1,448 qualifying open spaces. The park is designated Grade I on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales . Access is free but there is a charge for car parking and for some events. The park has been used for the Wales Rally GB . The park was used as a filming location for two episodes of Doctor Who in 2007 (" The Sontaran Stratagem " and " The Poison Sky "), and in 2023 for

210-564: A number of shorter (less than three miles (5 km)) walks waymarked in the park. There are no major rivers in the park, but there are lakes and ponds, and it is possible to fish some of the ponds. Nant Cwm Philip is a 2.68 km long stream that sits in the Cwm Philip valley and is surrounded by mixed woodland. It feeds into the Margam Park fish pond. The 2 ft ( 610 mm ) narrow gauge Margam Park Railway conducts visitors around

245-583: A virtual edition was staged during the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020 with all contributions submitted via video and judging conducted on live video calls. During the 1950s the Eisteddfod began evolving away from the celebration and marching aspect towards more competitive events, mirroring the National Eisteddfod. An art exhibition was introduced in 1955 and a classical concert was included in 1958. One of

280-457: Is Er Mwyn Cymru ( Welsh for 'For Wales' Sake'). The first Urdd National Eisteddfod was held in 1929 at Corwen . Originally held over two days, the festival has grown in recent times into a week-long celebration of competition and socialising. The initial festivals, which focused more on the celebration of young people enjoying the Welsh language, saw a few thousand visitors, but in 1935

315-539: Is Grade I listed. The banqueting house, also known as the Temple of the Four Seasons, is the façade of a 17th century banqueting house, repurposed and attached to a gardener's cottage, Ivy Cottage, during the construction of the new house in the 1830s. It comprises a double triumphal arch and is listed at Grade I. On the escarpment above the motorway is one of a network of early warning radar stations that were built around

350-698: Is an annual Welsh-language youth festival of literature, music and performing arts organised by Urdd Gobaith Cymru . It is the youth counterpart to the National Eisteddfod of Wales . Arguably Europe's largest youth festival, it is usually held during the last week of May, coinciding with schools' half term holiday. Locations alternate between north and south Wales. The Eisteddfod consists of competitive singing , recitation , art, composition, dance and instrumental events for contestants aged between 7 and 24 years. Regional qualifying heats are held in advance around Wales. Eisteddfod yr Urdd 's original motto

385-454: Is not necessarily any public right of access to country parks, and visitors are usually subject to byelaws when they enter the park. Some charge for car parking, some are free. These parks vary tremendously from one to another, and really have only their purpose in common: to provide easy access to the countryside for those living in the towns and suburbs . They do not necessarily have any great nature conservation interest, although often this

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420-414: Is noted for its peacock population. Also on the estate are deer , which have existed on the site since at least Norman times. The majority are fallow deer (numbering around 230); red deer (about 60) and the non-native Père David's deer (about 30) were introduced in the 1990s, the latter as part of a breeding programme. Venison from the management of the deer herd is sold to the public. Aviaries on

455-430: Is the case. In Hong Kong a large part of the territory's countryside is officially designated as country parks. Most of these are reservoir watersheds, serving the dual purpose of providing recreational facilities and contributing to Hong Kong's water supply. Urdd National Eisteddfod The Urdd National Eisteddfod ( Welsh : Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Urdd Gobaith Cymru or Eisteddfod Genedlaethol yr Urdd )

490-452: The Orangery and the former Banqueting House. Mynydd y Castell Camp is a large hillfort enclosing 2.7 hectares (6.7 acres) in a D shape, on an isolated hill 500m east of Margam Abbey. There has been some quarrying, and possible other uses, which may have disrupted layouts of banks and entrances. Half Moon Camp is a small Hillfort on a hilltop north of Margam Abbey, on the opposite side of

525-567: The 1970s, under the Countryside Act 1968 , with the support of the former Countryside Commission . In more recent times there has been no specific financial support for country parks directly and fewer have been designated. Most parks are managed by local authorities, although other organisations and private individuals can also run them. The 1968 Countryside Act empowered the Countryside Commission to recognize country parks. Although

560-445: The Act established country parks and gave guidance on the core facilities and services they should provide it did not empower the designation of sites as country parks, as it was left to local authorities to decide whether to endorse a site calling itself a country park. In England, country parks can be accredited by Natural England , and some also have Green Flag status. The purpose of

595-563: The Eisteddfod at Carmarthen was heavily reported by the press resulting in 12,000 people attending and increasing the visibility of the event. The Urdd Eisteddfod has become an annual tradition since its inauguration, but has not been staged on three occasions: during the Second World War, as a result of the foot-and-mouth crisis in 2001 and due to the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020. The 1940 Eisteddfod, held in Rhyl , still went ahead, but coming in

630-519: The Monasteries in 1537. A Tudor mansion was later built on the site of the former monastic ranges by Sir Rice Mansel as a county residence. In 1661, the first mention of a garden is referenced, including walled areas and by 1727 the estate's gardener drew up a catalogue of the plants at the gardens. 1793 saw the completion of the Orangery, the masterpiece of eighteenth century architect Anthony Keck , and by

665-736: The Temple of the Four Seasons, the stone facade and the gardener's cottage. The Margam Estate was acquired by Glamorgan County Council in July 1973, and the next year, after a Local Government re-organisation , the Park fell under the ownership of West Glamorgan County Council . The park was opened to the public in 1977. in 1985 a sculpture park was established by the Welsh Sculpture Trust which exhibited work by internationally famous sculptors including Henry Moore , Barbara Hepworth and Elisabeth Frink . The sculpture park has since closed. The estate

700-560: The Urdd National Eisteddfod can be split into two main groups. The performing arts; which take place in the Pavilion, and the plastic and compositional arts which are judged prior to the Eisteddfod but are revealed as part of the festival. The performing arts which are traditionally performed in the pavilion include: The plastic arts, compositional and literature awards are announced on the pavilion stage at various points throughout

735-509: The Welsh universities. According to the Urdd's own reporting, they estimate that roughly 40,000 children and young adults apply through regional rounds for places in the Eisteddfod competitions. Of these roughly 15,000 qualify through to take part at the National event. Preliminary rounds for the performing arts are then conducted on the day to establish a final three competitors who perform in front of

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770-630: The coast of Britain from 1941, to detect German bombers and shipping during World War II . Earlier Chain Home stations were able to spot aircraft at higher altitudes, so a second network, the Chain Home Low stations, of which Margam was one, were built to detect low-flying planes and shipping. The Margam station, which is a Scheduled Ancient Monument , has the inland route of the Wales Coast Path running past it. Three flat-topped buildings stand high on

805-431: The episode " Rogue ". The country park has six Scheduled Ancient Monuments and a large number of listed buildings within it. Of the scheduled monuments, two are Iron Age hill forts , two are medieval religious sites, one is a museum and one is a World War II installation. Of the listed buildings, those graded at the highest grade, Grade I, include the abbey itself, and its chapterhouse and undercroft , Margam Castle,

840-584: The escarpment, overlooking Port Talbot and Swansea Bay. They would have housed generators and control equipment, with a large antenna on the roof. Country park In the United Kingdom, the term country park has a specific meaning. There are around 250 designated country parks in England and Wales attracting some 57 million visitors a year, and another 40 or so in Scotland. Most country parks were designated in

875-576: The estate house a number of rescued birds of prey . The rare breed Glamorgan cattle are raised on the estate. The Coed Morgannwg Way, the Ogwr Ridgeway Walk and the St Illtyd's Walk long-distance paths all begin/finish around Mynydd y Castell within Margam Country Park. An inland section of the Wales Coast Path runs through the park along the escarpment above the motorway, and there are

910-517: The grounds in the summer. The Orangery has a licence for civil marriages. Events on the estate are held through the summer: ranging from fairs selling particular goods to car rallies. The Margam Country Show is held in August. In 2003, the park was host to the Urdd National Eisteddfod . In a 2013 the park came first in a national vote to find the public's favourite Green Flag Awarded park from

945-413: The late 18th century the gardens were fenced off from the park to keep out the deer, and a main gate was erected. An 1814 estate map shows that a working park had been realised, with a 'Great', 'Little' and 'Upper' Parks, and by 1830 the construction of a new manor house, to become Margam Castle, had begun. Before the end of the decade, plans show the inclusion of several new buildings and features, including

980-669: The locality, and placed them in and around the Abbey Chapter House, within what is now the Park. In 1892 they were put in the care of the Commissioners for Public works, and in 1932 they were moved into the nearby Church schoolroom, to become the Margam Stones Museum, now managed by Cadw . The Park also houses Margam Castle, a Tudor Gothic mansion built by Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot in the early nineteenth century. Sculptures and artwork are placed at different places along

1015-566: The more notable events to occur at the Urdd Eisteddfod took place in 1969 at the Aberystwyth event. Prince Charles was invited to attend and he was given a public platform to speak to the crowd. This was the year of his investiture as the Prince of Wales, a role that divided many Welsh people, and around a hundred people stood up and left as the Prince arrived on the stage. The fallout afterwards

1050-521: The paths which connect the house with the Orangery. The mansion is listed at Grade I. The Margam estate had a famed collection of citrus trees and when the Mansell Talbots abandoned the estate for Penrice, they determined to maintain the collection and Keck was commissioned to design an orangery to house it. The result was "longer and more capacious than any other in Great Britain". The orangery

1085-490: The pavilion audience. A single judge then ranks the final three competitors to give the winning order. In its earlier competitive years, children competed as part of their county , and a large scoreboard would tally the points to find an overall winner. Today the competitors compete for themselves, though their school or college plays a large part. The younger children will compete under their school's name and normally wear their school uniform while performing. Competitors for

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1120-571: The same week as the Dunkirk evacuation , it was a reduced festival, covering all the events in a single day. The Eisteddfod returned after the cessation of hostilities by returning to its roots at Corwen in 1946. In 2001, Gŵyl yr Urdd replaced the Eisteddfod with competitions and performances taking place at two venues (one in North Wales, one in the South) to minimise travel during the foot-and-mouth crisis and

1155-498: The valley from Mynydd y Castell. It is crossed by an upland section of the Wales Coast Path . In 1147, Margam Abbey was built. When the abbey was dissolved in 1536 the Abbey Church nave was retained as Margam Parish Church, whilst the ruins of various other of the abbey buildings stand in the park today, including a spectacular twelve-sided Chapter House. A small chapel known as Hen Eglwys, also called Cryke Chapel and dated to 1470,

1190-501: Was a grange of the Abbey on the hillside of Craig-y-capel. The gable-ends, with window tracery are the principle survivals, and provided a gothic landmark and viewpoint for the 19th-century parkland of Margam Castle. There was a burial ground and a nearby holy well known as Ffynnon Mair. During the 19th Century the Talbot family gathered together a collection of early Christian memorial stones from

1225-477: Was also heated, with an editorial in the Welsh-language paper Y Cymro angering the then director of the Urdd. The Eisteddfod is usually held in a large open field (maes). Accompanying peripheral attractions are designed to help fund the festival and include exhibition stalls, displays and sporting activities. Local and national corporations, retailers and other institutions are invited to participate, notably

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