Sitting proudly on it's foundations, on a plateau high above the river Neath, sit's St. Mary's Church, or as it was originally called Y Capel Bach. The history of Y Capel Bach (The Small Chapel) is both long and complex, therefore I have portrayed it below as a...

Introduction: One of the most colourful characters associated to Y Capel Bach (St Mary’s Church) was the reverend Thomas Davies who was know as “Y Ffeiriad Coch" (The Red Priest), probably so named for his red hair and beard. He was born in 1715 in West Wales in the...

Background: Imagine waking up on a Sunday morning and realising you had to walk over 6 miles, over the nearly 2000 foot Craig y Llyn mountain through bogs and marshes, to be able to worship at your local Parish church. Blaengwrach was at this time in the parish of...