Margam Castle, South Wales

The lands of Margam Abbey, were purchased by Sir Rice Mansell from the crown in 1540, and began the construction of a large house in the 16th Century. His house was dismantled in the 18th Century to make way for an orangery which still stands today. The lands remained in the Mansell family until 1750, when they passed through marriage to the Talbot family.

Christopher Rice Mansell Talbot commissioned the construction of the castle which was started in 1827 and was completed by 1840. The castle was designed by architects Thomas Hopper and Edward Haycock, they were encouraged to take inspiration from Lacock Abbey, the ancestral home of the Talbot Family