About us - Hanes Llandoch

The Coach House project began in 1999 when St.Dogmaels Community Council commissioned a Feasibility Study into the use of the abbey and the nearby disused Victorian coach house. In 2000 Hanes Llandoch, a community based organisation and charitable trust, was formed in the village to identify and promote the culture and heritage of West Wales and in particular North Pembrokeshire and the village of St.Dogmaels. The most effective use of the ruined abbey and the coach house were to be the initial focus of attention.

The Coach House Heritage Centre

The renovation and extension of the old coach house started in March 2007 with its official opening taking place on September 11th, 2008. Rhodri Morgan, the Welsh First Minister, opened the new Coach House Heritage Centre with the help of Tim Rees, our Chairman of Hanes Llandoch. Rhodri Morgan confirmed his local links with the area through his family ties and holiday destination of choice for many years.

The Coach House represents 9 years of endeavour by the village, through the Hanes Llandoch organisation, to establish a permanent home for many of the surviving artefacts from the historic abbey. The Coach House will use the considerable energy within the local community to stimulate wider interest in the abbey, the village and the surrounding area. It will also expand its activities to make the best economic use of the wealth of resources we have within the area: the people, the heritage, the landscape and its flora and fauna. The Coach House will promote a wide range of social enterprise and economic development within the area. 

Our Royal Visit 2007

In 2006 Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, visited the site and made the trustees aware of his support for the project and the preservation of the heritage of our village. www.villageoftheyear.org/royal-visit.htm