The Rise and Fall of Margam Castle

Once a Holy site (apart from Abbot Gilbert's reign of terror) Margam Abbey (not far from present day Port Talbot) was purchased by Sir Rice Mansel on the dissolution of the monasteries and converted into a new ancestral mansion for the mighty Mansel family. We explore the 'convivial habits of the Welsh squirearchy', look at how a Watch Tower on your estate could bring a profit, discuss a baffling illness, and chart the history of Margam, leading to the industrial Talbots, the longest orangery in the country, a devastating fire, and the restoration of the present day. Plus there is a murder. There is always a murder...