Established | 1892 (1932 in current building) |
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Location | SS80078632, Port Talbot, South Wales, SA13 2TA |
Coordinates | 51°33′48″N 3°43′50″W / 51.56327°N 3.73057°W |
Type | Museum of early Christian carved stones |
Curator | Cadw |
Nearest car park | On site (free) |
Website | cadw.wales.gov.uk |
Margam Stones Museum is a small Victorian schoolhouse near Port Talbot, South Wales, which now provides a home for one of the most important collections of Celtic stone crosses in Britain. All originally found within the locality of Margam, and mostly assembled as a collection in the 19th century, they provide enduring testimony to a Welsh Christian culture between the 6th and 16th centuries. The striking Cross of Conbelin is the most celebrated example. From around 1000 AD, it is a huge disc cross with Celtic interlace and plaitwork patterns, figurative scenes including a hunting scene, and inscriptions telling us who made it and who erected it. There are 17 early Christian stones, plus 11 memorials and other stones from the post-Norman periods. The museum is run by Cadw, the Welsh historic sites agency, and is close to Margam Abbey Church and the ruins of the Abbey buildings.