The Strata Florida Trust was set up as a charity in 2006 and bought the farm of Mynachlog Fawr in 2016. It is run by a board of 12 Trustees, led by a chairman, with a broad spectrum of local and national expertise in heritage, tourism, conservation and academia. The aims of the Trust are to preserve and restore all of the buildings, using sustainable methods and the best available technologies; to help people learn about heritage and conservation, environmental issues, and the language and cultures of Wales; give a warm welcome to visitors, residents and local people and help them enjoy the rich environment, history and culture of the area.
The Cistercians first came to Strata Florida from Whitland in 1164, seeking a remote but fertile place at Henfynachlog to practice their faith and make a living. Rhys ap Gruffudd, prince of the kingdom of Deheubarth, re-founded the Abbey in 1184 on its present site, and it became an important religious and cultural centre. The Abbey is run by Cadw with whom the Trust works closely, and the Visitor Centre has recently reopened and is staffed by us.
Part of the Grade II* listed Mynachlog Fawr farmhouse was originally built in the sixteenth century out of the remains of the Abbey’s refectory, as a gentry house, an example of the nobility turning parts of the main monastic buildings into residences. It was then rebuilt as a mansion in 1670-80. We are undertaking major restoration and building projects over the next few years, on the house, and on the farm buildings.
Thanks to the generosity of donors and funders, the Trust has already restored two of the farm buildings: the Beudy (cowshed), a grade II listed building, which was converted in 2019 into a community space and Trust offices; and Tŷ Pair, a detached kitchen, and the adjoining cart-shed, restored and opened to the public in 2021 as the Mynachlog Fawr Exhibition displaying documents, household objects and agricultural equipment from the farm.
Archaeological excavations have been running at Strata Florida for 20 years, and the Trust now runs a public dig open to all, during June and July every year. This is a fully accessible training programme, including a wide variety of archaeological excavation and survey techniques, and it attracts participants and students of archaeology from all over the world. Recent exciting finds from the dig in the square courtyard between the stables, barn and Y Beudy include mediterranean pottery, medieval silver coins, a clasp for holding manuscripts together and, significantly, material dating from the 10th century, proving the suggestion that there was a sacred site here long before the Cistercians arrived.
This year, a re-opening of a previous excavation trench will be undertaken in the field known as ‘Y Mynwent Fawr’, which translates as The Large Cemetery. Previous modest evaluation suggested that the earthworks in this area represent a former mill site and finds recovered included sherds of medieval pottery, iron nails, iron-working waste and roofing slate. Little post medieval material was recovered from this initial evaluation trench.
In 2007, the trench was re-opened and enlarged over what was initially thought to be the remains of a possible wheel-pit, however it was thought that this hollow feature was the result of in-situ firing as evidenced by charcoal and fired fragments of iron, lead and copper. Further finds included abraded medieval pottery and iron slag and other burnt or heavily fired material, indicative of metal working on an industrial scale and perhaps the position of a former medieval Forge Mill.
As well as archaeology and restoration work, Strata Florida also runs a variety of courses, events and other activities throughout the year, including our popular two-day walking festival every September. We work closely with the local community, collaborating in community events like carnivals and shows, hosting local school and organisational visits, and making spaces available for community groups to use.
We are also a partner in the Metal Mines Programme, funded by Welsh Government and jointly delivered by Natural Resources Wales and the Mining Remediation Authority, to protect and improve the water environment for the benefit of people and wildlife by achieving cleaner rivers and contribute to the sustainable management of natural resources. Our role is to promote and develop the Abbey Consols mine as a feature of our visitor engagement, event and education programme by running activities for schools and guided walks for the public up to the mine itself, and carrying out an oral history project to gather memories of those who worked in the industry that may have been passed down to their descendants.
