Visit to the Old Place

Three years ago soon after Anton Jones of Swimbridge Farm, Llantwit Major acquired the Old Place Castle ruins he invited the our Rotary Club to have a look round.

The club was invited to a return visit to see what progress has been made since then. The one-time overgrown ruin is now coming back to life.  Anton has concentrated his efforts in restoring the east wing of the ‘U’ shaped structure - a monumental task that is now nearing completion.

The large building which was started in the early 1500’s was occupied for the best part of two hundred years.  Records show that by the early 1700’s one old woman lived there alone; pigs probably occupied parts of the west wing.  In the years that followed the empty building was plundered for stone, wood, window mullions, etc.  By the mid to late 1900’s the structure has become unsafe and overgrown.  Notices warned people to stay out for their own safety.  For some years the Vale Council owned the ruin but were unable to develop it.  Anton Jones who still lives about fifty yards away always loved the Old Place/Castle and remembered playing there as a boy.  As a professional stonemason and builder he decided to buy the property when it became available with the intention of making the structure safe and then a wing habitable.  He also bought some adjoining land on the north side in order to protect open views of the property.

Gareth Rees, Club President, said that what has so far been achieved is truly remarkable. The east facing walls have been lime-washed and the unique to the Vale pebble-dashed walls preserved.

Stone window frames have been installed which faithfully copy the original ones. (Anton knew what the frames had looked like because one original bricked-up window still remains in the west wing.)

The kitchen has a new fire-place with an ancient oak lintel recovered from a sixteenth century farmhouse in west Wales.  It now houses the Aga.  For the imposing adjacent sitting room Anton has carved a magnificent new one in stone.  Soon people will again be able to live in this imposing building only known as a ruin for generations of people from Llantwit Major.  Gareth Rees in thanking Anton said that he has done a great service to the community with his work of restoration.  Anton invited the group back to see it at least once more in a year’s time.  They gratefully accepted.

(Note: The building is often known as The Old Place or The Old Castle.  As the nearby cottage is now called The Old Place, Anton thinks that The Old Castle is the appropriate name for the restored building.)