Lower Machen(Welsh:Machen Isaf) is a smallhamletof 19 houses on theA468 roadat the very western edge of thecityofNewport,South Wales.
Lower Machen
| |
|---|---|
 St Michael and All Angels' Church | |
  Lower Machen Location withinNewport | |
| OS grid reference | ST215895 |
| Principal area | |
| Preserved county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | NEWPORT |
| Postcode district | NP10 |
| Dialling code | 01633 |
| Police | Gwent |
| Fire | South Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
Machenitself lies further west in thecounty boroughofCaerphilly,although both lie within thehistoric boundariesofMonmouthshire.
Lower Machen holds an annual festival ofchamber musicconcerts in the 12th-centurychurchof St. Michael and All Angels.Ruperra Castleis also located in Lower Machen.[1]Lower Machen was formerly served byChurch Road railway station,which closed in 1957. The Conservative politician,Peter Thorneycroft,lived atMachen Housein the hamlet, during his time asMember of ParliamentforMonmouthfrom 1945-1966.[2]Plas Machen,to the south-east of the village on the other side of the A468, is anElizabethanmanor house,the ancestral home of theMorgans of Tredegar.It is aGrade II* listed building.[3]
St Michael and All Angels' Church
editIt is believed that the church (51°35′11″N3°06′57″W/ 51.5863°N 3.1157°W) was founded during theCelticperiod in the 6th century. The current building dates back to the 12th century. The church has connections with theMorganfamily of the nearbyTredegar Housein Newport. There are eleven hatchments connected with the family and the Morgan Family Chapel contains monuments to the family. Three of the hatchments appeared inBBC One'sAntiques Roadshowbroadcast on 23 November 2014 and were valued at around £3,000 each.[4]
The church has eight bells which are rung at festivals and weddings.
References
edit- ^"Ruperra Castle for sale".Southwalesargus.co.uk. 10 September 2010.Retrieved16 August2012.
- ^Ridout, Jane (22 July 2022)."Country estate in need of modernisation".Wales Online.Retrieved25 July2022.
- ^Cadw."Plas Machen (Grade II*) (2905)".National Historic Assets of Wales.Retrieved24 March2024.
- ^"BBC One - Antiques Roadshow, Series 37, Tredegar House 1".
External links
editLower Machen Festival - www.lowermachenfestival.co.uk - an annual chamber music festival founded in 1967
- City of Newport: Lower Machen Conservation Area
- St Michaelschurch website