Llan-maes
Encyclopedia
Llanmaes is a small village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 in the Vale of Glamorgan
Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan is a county borough in Wales; an exceptionally rich agricultural area, it lies in the southern part of Glamorgan, South Wales...

 near the market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...

 of Llantwit Major
Llantwit Major
Llantwit Major is a small coastal town and community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, lying on the Bristol Channel coast. A small stream, the Afon Col-huw, runs through the town.-Local government:...

.

Amenities

It has an old attractive public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...

 called the Blacksmith's Arms Inn. It has one long road going through the middle of the village, linking Llantwit to Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...

.

Llanmaes has a long history for such a humble village. In fields adjacent to the coast road lie remains of a Roman fort and the Churchyard holds one of the largest and oldest Celtic crosses in South Wales (Much restoration work has been carried out both to the cross and the church). The church also holds many pre-reformation murals that have escaped damage and were recently exposed during renovations.

Also along this section of the village (Which is liable to flooding but holds the oldest, most picturesque cottages and houses) lies the remains of the keep to the Norman castle, which is now in some state of disrepair and lies behind a modern house. Much of the village consists of relatively modern detached housing along the main Llantwit Major road. Thankfully the delectable Village green has be preserved, across from the Villages' only remaining pub, "The Blacksmiths Arms" - the old smithy building lies opposite the pub, hence the name. The original Red Lion pub and quaint post-office/village shop building, now both private dwellings, can be seen in the older part of the village.

What ties the whole village, with its village hall and strong community spirit together, is the winding, bubbling Llanmaes Brook, which flows through the heart of the village before bending East and draining away towards Eglwys Brewis.

Finally, Llanmaes House is a grand, white-washed Georgian building sited near the church, communal playing fields and children's playground and is of much historical interest.

The village has won the Vale of Glamorgan Best Kept Village competition on six occasions.
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