(Above) Alun Ffred Jones at Tal Y Braich
The Welsh Heritage Minister, Alun Ffred Jones, has awarded more than £600,000 to carry out urgent repair works to 13 of the country’s most historic buildings.
The series of investments, marking the 25th anniversary of Welsh built heritage guardian body Cadw, will boost bookshops, monuments, key religious sites and ancient properties.
"I am delighted to offer these grants for historic building repairs which will ensure that some of our most important buildings are restored and maintained for the enjoyment of future generations," said Jones.
"I'd also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Cadw on their 25th anniversary and for the role that they have played over the years in safeguarding our historic environment."
Jones singled out Tal Y Braich, an unaltered early 19th century smallholder's cottage and cowhouse in Caernarfon, as a particularly worthy beneficiary of the funding.
"Tal y Braich is a powerful testament to the people who once lived and worked in this inhospitable landscape," he said, announcing a £52,500 grant towards re-roofing, pointing work and window restoration at the relic.
"Simple vernacular buildings of this type were once common in this area, but they are a fragile resource and most have been lost through unsympathetic adaption and alteration.
"The cottage has not been used since the 1950s and its survival is remarkable."
Fellow recipients range from Anglesey’s Plas Coch and Cwmbran’s Lanyfraron Manor – a pair of"centuries-old gentry houses each awarded more than £100,000 for "comprehensive” repairs – to a £4,444 gift for Bob's Bookshop in Knighton, which was assessed as playing a critical role in the "character of the historic townscape".
The 19th century Adulam Baptist Chapel in Llanelli (£140,000), the Victorian Our Lady and St Michael RC Church in Abergavenny and the multi-denominational Islamic Society for Gwent were among the holy winners.
Cadw has provided around £70 million in funding since being formed in 1984.
