Whitland Town Council is delighted to announce that they have recently taken on the lease of the Whitland Abbey ruins site.

Situated just to the north of the town of Whitland, the Abbey was founded by Cistercian Monks in 1151 from Clairvaux in north east France, and monks from Whitland went on to form daughter houses in Strata Florida, Strata Marcella and Cwmhir in Wales, as well as Comber and Tracton in Ireland.

It was chosen by Rhys ap Gruffudd ‘the Lord Rhys’ as the venue for his homage to Henry ll in 1171. Whitland became a mausoleum for its Welsh royal patrons, including Rhys’ sons Cadwaladr in 1186 and Maredudd 1239.

It was dissolved, as so many other religious establishments were, during the reign of Henry VIII.

Even after the monks left, there is evidence of there being ironworking on the site, and evidence of forges being in use into the early 19th century.

All in all, for such an important site, there is little known about it in comparison to other places.

Whitland Town Council hope that they will be able to raise its profile and help more people discover this historic place which is just on our doorstep.

As part of that there will be a guided walk on August Bank Holiday Monday which includes Whitland Abbey .

Contact the Clerk on [email protected] for more information.