Margam Park

I've sketched the buildings of Margam Park on a number of occasions. It's the site of the medieval Cistercian Margam Abbey. There are few remains, although the second sketch down from the top of this page shows the remains of the Chapter House. The top picture shows the Abbey Church which was constructed around the nave of the former Abbey church.

 In the 19th century one of the richest men in the world, Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot built the gothic mansion, Margam Caste, which is in the third sketch. He also built the Orangery in the 4th photo. 

The top picture was sold privately, while the third sketch of the gothic castle was sold for Oxfam.

100) Talbot Memorial Park War Memorial and Bandstand

Yes, dearly beloved, I decided that I would return to the subject of my very first sketch, the war memorial for this one hundredth. 

1) Talbot Memorial Park War Memorial

Of course, I wasn't going to show just the memorial, which is why I've included the bandstand. A grade II listed structure in its own right, the bandstand is typical of the sort of thing that almost every park in every town could boast once upon a time. It's in a bit of a state at the moment, but the calls on the public funds are many, and I understand that repairing the bandstand is not a priority. 

75) Margam Abbey Chapter House

Well, look, I know that I already sketched quite a similar subject(Number 65) Margam Abbey Ruins and Margam Castle) I have to justify it to myself for two reasons. That particular sketch wasn't a real study of the ruins as such, they may have been in the foreground, but it was more a case of making one part of a frame for Margam Castle and steps in the distance. The other reason is that it's another attempt at line and wash, and in some ways I quite like it, I think it's got enough for me to be able to tell myself that I'm making a little progress with line and wash. 

65) Margam Abbey Ruins and Margam Castle

The building on the left is the ruined Chapter House of the medieval Margam Abbey, a Cistercian Abbey originally founded in 1147.  It’s very possible that there was a much older monastic community on the same site, or close by, since early Celtic stone crosses have been found on the site, and they are on display in the nearby Margam Stones Museum. In the background, the large building is Margam Castle, a 19th century gothic confection that I’ve sketched before. The view looking up the steps towards the castle is actually one of my favourite views in the whole of Port Talbot. I managed to get the figure in when she stopped for a minute, to have a breather, I think. It was a beautiful bright day sketching this, but there was a cold wind blowing, and the bench I sat on to make this sketch was in the shade. I know that we can get 4 seasons in one day in Britain, but come on, shivering in July?!

57) Talbot Memorial Park Gates and Lodges

The Talbot Memorial Park is next door to St. Theodore’s Church, which is significant since I believe that this was also largely the creation of the Talbot family of Margam Park. The inscription shows that the Park was first opened in 1925. It’s a grade II listed structure, as are the two lodge houses on either side of the gates. As you enter the park, the house on the right is occupied, but the house on the left is in need of some renovation, and is fenced off to prevent access.

54) Vivian Park Lodge, Sandfields/Aberavon

I would guess that this rather appealing house was something to do with the park itself once upon a time , since it’s set back from the road and actually within the boundaries of the park so it seems, although it is fenced off from the rest of the park. Vivian Park is home to one of Sandfields’ only listed buildings, the War Memorial.

15) Forest Veterinary Practice, Theodore Road

I still think of this building as the Afan Arts Centre, which was a previous incarnation of the same building. This sketch was made from the adjacent Talbot Memorial Park, ad I have to say it's possibly my most successful ink and wash picture. There's loads of things I like in architecture, and a hotch potch of pitched roofs is one of them, and this has a great collection of roofs, which I concentrated on in this sketch. This is one of the last three sketches I made before the trip to Prague, which I mentioned in the introduction post, and which was so important to me for the reasons I've already gone into.

1)War Memorial - Talbot Memorial Park - Graphite HB Pencil

This HB pencil sketch is one of the first sketches I made after reading about the Urban Sketching movement. I was still very much experimenting with materials for sketching , and so this was pretty much a case of using what I know - and ordinary pencil. The statue stands on top of the War Memorial in Talbot Memorial Park in Taibach. I made the sketch sitting on a park bench close by. As I was doing so, a young lad approached me, had a good look at it, and then passed judgement with the words - "You quite a good draw-er, aren't you." Thank you very much. 

The memorial itself was rected in 1925; since then names of men of the town who died in the forces in World War II have also been added. It was sculpted by Louis Frederick Roslyn, and was unveiled on 4 July 1925 by Sir William R. Robertson. The park in which it stands was donated to the town by Miss Emily Charlotte Talbot of Margam Castle, and opened to the public in 1926. Currently the memorial is one of Port Talbot's Grade II listed buildings.