
A Brief History of Tyn Cellar Farm
Tyn Cellar Farm is a Grade II listed property, with its origins dating back to the 1300s, when it was constructed as part of Margam Abbey. Records trace the history of the farm's tenants from 1536, following the dissolution of the Abbey during Henry VIII’s Reformation.
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The name Tyn Cellar translates to "The House of the Cellar Man," referring to the second-in-command at the Abbey, who was responsible for managing the trade of goods and labour. It is believed that Tyn Cellar was used as a storage facility for wool, a highly valuable commodity during the 13th and 14th centuries, which was shipped from the Abbey to Somerset for processing.
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In the early 1300s, sand from the Severn Estuary began encroaching on the land, gradually burying much of the farmland over the next fifty years, including the nearby Norman Kenfig Castle, leading to its abandonment.
In 1830, the farm underwent a major renovation by the owners of the Margam Estate. The dressed stonework and tiled roof from this period remain intact, making this the only farm on the estate to receive such an upgrade due to the high cost involved.
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When refurbishing the B&B and cottages, we have been committed to preserving as much of the original character as possible. All walls have been lime-plastered by hand, lime mortar has been used to restore doorways and stonework, and where possible, timber has been recycled from previous buildings or sourced locally.
The pine floors in the B&B are reclaimed from the Victorian engine sheds at Wern Tarw Colliery in Pencoed, while the oak flooring in most of the cottages comes from a school in St Mellons, Cardiff, marked with "Japan 1948" part of WW2 War reparations. The maple flooring in some areas was salvaged from Archbishop McGrath School in Ynysadwre during its rebuild.