Llancaiach fawr in Caerphilly County is an old stately home, which is estimated to be around half a Millenium old, built all the way back in the 16th century. It’s owned and operated by Caerphilly County borough Council, but at the end of the year, the site is set to close.
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00:00Llancaig Fawr, here in Caerphilly, is a site with massive historic importance.
00:07It was built in the 1550s and was home to one of the richest families in area, the Pritchards,
00:12who owned the site for centuries.
00:15But older than that, the site itself had been inhabited for an estimated 4,000 years.
00:21Not one but two kings have stepped through the walls of Llancaig Fawr in Charles I and
00:25then Charles III before he became king back in 2017.
00:30It was used as a historic court and even played a role in the civil war.
00:34Now though, with so much history, the future of the manor is in question, as Caerphilly
00:38Council, who own and operate it, are set to mothball the site with question marks over
00:43what's going to happen next.
00:45The decision was made on Wednesday to mothball Llancaig Fawr, which sparked angry scenes
00:50in the public gallery during the council meeting, with members of the public shouting shame
00:55on you, and called the decision tantamount to cultural vandalism.
01:00Mothballing does not mean clothing, according to councillors, who said they have no intentions
01:04of losing the important site, but are closing it for a short period to find other arrangements
01:10on the best ways of keeping it open in the future.
01:13The local democracy report in service says that the site employs 20 members with a further
01:1718 volunteers, and given the situation, most of their futures are unclear.
01:23The council leader Sean Morgan said he would accept the cries of shame on you, but would
01:27not feel any shame in protecting other frontline services over the historic building, with
01:33the council needing to find ways to plug a £45m funding gap over the next few years.
01:40The massive hole in funding has meant a number of different services are being looked at,
01:44with Llancaig Fawr being seen as a good option given the half a million pound subsidy the
01:49council provides every year.
01:51The council's stance, in simple terms, is that if it's not the manor, then it's something
01:55else, so tough decisions have had to be made.