top of page

LLANRUMNEY HALL COMMUNITY TRUST

“One of Cardiff’s hidden treasures” – The Guardian

Who We Are
News & Updates
What's On
Room Hire
The Pantry
Cafe
Volunteering
Contact Us
More
More

Use tab to navigate through the menu items.

THE HISTORY

LLANRUMNEY HALL:
THROUGH THE YEARS

After the Norman Conquest of Britain in 1066, the lands of Llanrumney were given to the Monks at Keynsham Abbey who built a small chapel where Llanrumney Hall now stands. The monks resided at Llanrumney until the Dissolution of the Monasteries that was enforced between 1536 to 1541 by Henry VIII disbanding monasteries priorities convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland.

The original hall was built in 1450 and is thought to have passed to the Kemeys family of Cefn Mably in the mid-1500s. The Cefn Mably branch of the Kemeys family is said to be descended from one Stephen de Kemeys, who held land in what is now Monmouthshire c. 1234. the first connection with Cefn Mably came when David Kemeys son of Ievan Kemeys of Began married Cecil daughter of Llewelyn ab Evan ap Llewelyn ap Cynfig of Cefn Mably c. 1450.

William Kemeys left the estate to his daughter, who was married to Thomas Morgan. Llanrumney Hall was then occupied by five generations of the Morgan family whose ancestral home was Tredegar House in Newport. Perhaps the most well known member of the Morgan family is Sir Henry Morgan who was born in 1635. Captain Morgan was a privateer, landowner, slaveholder and later Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica.

Legend has it that John Hodder Morridge who inhabited Llanrumney Hall from 1812-1823 came across a stone coffin that was said to contain the headless corpse of Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffydd who was the last prince of independent Wales before its conquest by the English. Llywelyn, who was born around 1223, was the son of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, himself the son of Llywelyn the Great and Senena Rhoda's daughter.

In the mid 19th century, the Hall was occupied by Professor Edward Augustus Freeman who was an English historian, architectural artist and Liberal politician during the late-19th-century heyday of the Prime Minister, William Gladstone. As well as a one-time candidate for Parliament, he held the position of Regius Professor of Modern history at Oxford, where he tutored Arthur Evans. Later he and Evans would be activists in the Balkan uprising of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1874 - 1878) against the Ottoman Empire.

The Hall was rebuilt and refurbished in 1852 by Captain George Crofts Williams - Llanrumney Hall's last Lord of the Manor. He was a prominent figure who was an alderman, several times Mayor of Cardiff and also, Master of the Glamorgan Hunt. His family lived at the Hall until the development of the surrounding housing estate, when it was occupied by George Crofts Williams Great Nephew, Llewellyn Williams. Llewellyn, amongst other activities, was a governor of Howells school in 1884, through his connection with the Charities of the Drapers' Company. It became his main residence including the time he was Sheriff of Monmouthshire in 1925.

Llanrumney Hall was compulsorily purchased by the Local Authority in 1952 and became a public house in 1956. The Hall fell into a state of severe disrepair and was desperately in need of significant redevelopment. The Llanrumney Hall Community Trust have since transformed the Hall into a thriving community asset whilst protecting and preserving the areas fascinating history.

Click on the images below to read the history on each time period.

Home

Privacy policy

Contact

What's On

Trustees

AGM Reports

News and Updates

Careers

COVID-19

Volunteering

Donate

Calendar

Get directions

FAQ's

bottom of page