The Coach House Visitor Centre at St Dogmaels Abbey

ARTS, ENTERPRISE, COMMUNITY & HERITAGE CENTRE

Tel. 01239 615389

Hanes Llandoch Community Charity

Hanes Llandoch was set up as a Registered Company Limited by Guarantee and as a Charity in 2001. It has an open and expanding membership across the local community of St Dogmaels (Llandudoch) from which a body of trustees are elected annually to undertake the development work and management of the project.

The establishment of the charity was catalysed by a number of factors that had adversely affected the community of St Dogmaels. In 1997 St. Dogmaels had suffered a devastating landslip as a consequence of flooding that had damaged homes and lowered the morale of the community as a whole. The village is in an area formerly classified as an Objective 1 region, indicative of low economic prosperity. These factors galvanised the Community Council into seeking ways of regeneration that would potentially offer social, economic and cultural benefits. After a broad consultation with cross sector agencies a potential vehicle for driving regeneration was identified, namely that a redundant Victorian Coach House located centrally in the village should be utilised in order to be a hub of community development. The location was perfect nestling in the cradle of the magnificent abbey ruins so vital to the heritage of the area. It was decided that the establishment of a charity committed to these objectives was the correct forum to take the project forward. Hence in 2001 the first Board of Trustees of Hanes Llandoch was elected to take on the huge task of gaining possession of the building (then in the ownership of The Church in Wales) and equally as important seek funding to achieve the capital refurbishment and extend the building.

  

This was not the end of it, as what use is a refurbished empty building? The board of Trustees set about developing a business plan to ensure the sustainability of the project. The intention was that this should be a multi-functional community hub offering educational opportunities, the generation of enterprise opportunities, a social space for the community and to provide local employment. In addition it was to be a museum and interpretation centre not only for the historic abbey but also the unique heritage of the community of St. Dogmaels.

HRH Prince Charles and Camilla visit the Coach House in 2006

 

Rhodri Morgan offcial opening of the Coach House summer of 2008

 

After 10 years of dogged hard work by our founding trustees, The Coach House Heritage Centre opened its doors to the public on September 11th 2008. With the careful guidance of the board of Trustees it has held true to its founding principles. Hanes Llandoch has been generously supported by a number of funding bodies, not least The Big Lottery, the Rural Development Project (RDP), Heritage Lottery Fund, WEFO, St Dogmaels Community Council, Pembrokeshire County Council as well as numerous private benefactors. Visitors to the centre can see that it is a hive of activity proud to be supporting individuals and organisations throughout the community see Projects

Hanes aims to:

  • provide an Arts & Heritage Centre see Gallery and Museum
  • conserve and display a collection of fine early Christian and post – conquest stones, largely associated with St.Dogmaels Abbey
  • provide a staffed information centre for visitors
  • provide “lifelong learning” educational facilities for visiting schools, colleges, adult education organisations and the local community
  • provide a venue for a local history society and for courses, Events and demonstrations involving local scholars, artists, craftspeople and food producers of the area
  • provide a venue for a rolling programme of exhibitons in the Coach House Gallery, of creative arts, crafts, local and natural history
  • provide, in conjunction with the Abbey, an attraction for tourists and a stimulus to the social economy of St Dogmaels

 

OPENING TIMES

Monday 10:00-4:00
Tuesday 9:30 - 4:00
Wednesday 10:00-4:00
Thursday 10:00-4:00
Friday 10:00-4:00
Saturday 10:00-4:00
Sunday CLOSED

Entry to the Abbey is Free but donations to the charity are always welcome.

 

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