Talley Abbey

Talley Abbey stands in the quiet village of Talyllychau, six miles north of Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire. It is a ruined Premonstratensian monastery founded by Rhys ap Gruffydd about 1185. The order was founded in 1120 and reached England in 1143. The abbey once claimed to be the burial place of the medieval Welsh poet Dafydd ap Gwilym, though this is now discredited. Two lakes near the ruins were used for fish farming to support the monks. The tower survives amid steep wooded hills, reached by a winding lane. The Premonstratensians spread quickly across Europe, reaching 1,300 houses by the mid-14th century. In England there were 35 houses before Henry VIII dissolved them. Talley Abbey was dissolved and its stone taken by villagers to build homes and the nearby chapel. The ruins remain in care of Cadw and are well signposted from the main road. The site lies in the River Cothi valley, surrounded by a landscape of hills and dales. Visitors find a ruined tower standing among trees with views over the valley. The two lakes still lie near the abbey, their waters reflecting the stone remains. The lane to the site winds through the hills and is clearly marked. Nearby stands the rebuilt church of St Michael, partly constructed from abbey stone in 1773. The village retains traces of its Victorian past, with chapels and old schools still in use. The abbey’s history and setting offer a quiet glimpse into Wales’s monastic past.