Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

Fire . . . Fire! The call went out loudly and startled everyone present at the opening of Gavin Evans’ talk on the fire which destroyed the Bishop’s Palace in Abergwili in April 1903. Once the panic had died down, Gavin Evans gave his audience a rare insight to the events of that fateful night in April 1903 when the Bishop’s Palace was burnt down. The Bishop of St Davids at the time was Bishop John Morgan who was residing there with his family, his staff and a visiting cleric from Merthyr. As soon as the fire was discovered by one of the Bishop’s maids, she woke everyone and enabled his family and others to escape down the backstairs. At the same time, the visiting priest saved much of the important papers held by the Diocese by throwing them out of the window. Some of the staff ran for help to Carmarthen town but by the time the fire pump arrived and the men had fixed their cumbersome hoses, it was all over. The Bishop and his family moved to Golden Grove for a brief while and late...

The Friends of the Carmarthenshire County Museum have held a talk on the famous Bishop Laud, Bishop of St David’s from 1621-27. This month’s Gallery Talk was by Brenig Davies on Bishop Laud’s Chapel as part of a series of talks on the first Saturday of the month. The interesting facts revealed by Brenig Davies included that Bishop Laud only visited Abergwili, the home of the Bishop's Palace, on two occasions, too embroiled as he was in London with personal advancement as well as affairs of state. The museum in Abergwili was the Bishop's Palace for many years and as such had its own chapel which is named after Bishop Laud. Brenig Davies' talk was given in the chapel. He contended that, as the chapel was reconsecrated for Christian services in 2007, it was paving the way forward in church unity by welcoming people from all denominations in stark contrast to the divisive policies pursued by the authoritarian Bishop Laud. "With its oak carvings and peaceful atmosphere, ...

On Saturday, July 21 (11-4pm), Carmarthenshire’s County Museum will be the venue for a great Roman Treasure Hunt. The search for a ‘hoard of Roman coins’ is part of a full day of activities based on the Roman period and Carmarthen’s Roman past. The day is organised by the museum for people of all ages, especially children and their families and there is no charge to attend. During the day, there will be live exhibitions of activities which would have been common in Roman times, for example, pottery making and iron working. Youngsters will enjoy roaming the museum and its grounds, following clues to find the Roman hoard. There will be a photographer present to record them should they want to dress up as Romans. For more mature visitors, there will be a series of interesting talks on Carmarthenshire’s Roman past and a chance to ‘ask the experts’ about life in Roman times. The day is being co-ordinated by the County Museum’s curator, Gavin Evans and is supported by the Frie...