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St Margaret's Chapel is a medieval church located in Wales, protected as a scheduled ancient monument by Cadw under reference GM362. The chapel stands upon bedrock of the South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, a geological sequence formed during the Westphalian period of the Carboniferous. This foundation comprises layers of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone interspersed with seams of coal and ironstone, topped by ferricrete, a hard iron-rich layer formed through ancient weathering processes.
The chapel represents a modest example of medieval religious architecture in Wales. Its construction would have utilised locally available stone from the Coal Measures sequence and perhaps timber from surrounding woodland. The site's location reflects the distribution of medieval settlement and parish organisation across the Welsh landscape, often established in areas of accessible resources and agricultural potential.
The monument's survival as a recognisable standing structure demonstrates the durability of medieval masonry construction, even where built upon the relatively soft mudstones and siltstones characteristic of this coal-bearing formation. Its protection by Cadw ensures that this evidence of medieval religious life and building practice in Wales is preserved for future study and public understanding.
St Margaret's Chapel is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM362. View the official record →
St Margaret's Chapel is a medieval church located in Wales, protected as a scheduled ancient monument by Cadw under reference GM362.
St Margaret's Chapel dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a church. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
St Margaret's Chapel is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is GM362.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Crymlyn Bog Second World War Barrage Balloon Site (1.8 km), Tir-Gwyllt Second World War Barrage Balloon Site (2.4 km), Remains of Brunel Dock, Briton Ferry (3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of St Margaret's Chapel's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
St Margaret's Chapel stands on South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.