Capel Mair ar y Bryn

 Visit Date: September and November 2020 . 

Capel Mair ar y Bryn (The chapel of St Mary on the hill) has been known by many other names over the years such as the Cryke Chaple, Hen Egwlys and just plain Capel Mair, the place of worship, established circa 1470 was built by the monks of Margam and dedicated to St Mary, for the benefit of local peasants who did not have the right to worship in Margam Abbey.

In the later Middle Ages there was a famous statue of the Virgin Mary here and pilgrims came to see it.

After the Reformation, the chapel was used by local Catholics, who worshipped here in secret.

The chapel is on a stone ridge and is a circular enclosure, suggesting that it may have been built on the site of an older church.

The west side of the chapel has a door with a window above. There has been some discussion about this window as it's style does not fit in with the rest of the chapel and it is thought to be earlier.

One explanation for this is that the window was brought here from the Abbey to be added when the chapel was built.

The east window seen here, however, is very much of the style of the time and in undoubtedly original and in keeping with the time.

The Large East window must have been very impressive for the time.

The north wall has not survived well and there is little in the way of detail.

The south wall has windows but some may have been added at a later date.

The chapel stands on an imposing knoll and can be seen from the road and also Margam Country Park.

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Visit Information:-

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51.56480536863176, -3.730925337099626

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Additional information.

Visiting is relatively easy but is mostly uphill. I visited by parking close by and there is a car park near the start of the walk (51.56361379905241, -3.7338320577891753) and there is also roadside parking. Go get to the car park you leave the M4 at junction 38 head for Margam Park but turn in at the sign which reads "Margam Abby". Once parked you can walk up the pathed steps up but this is very steep. A easier way is to walk up the hill on the road until you see a small marker and a steel barrier on the left hand side. Go through the barrier and you will come to the chapel.

I have made a short "video walk" of my visit here that can be found here:-

Capel Mair ar y Bryn (The Chapel of St Mary on the Hill) - YouTube