00:00Llancaig Fawr, here in Caerphilly, is a site with massive historic importance.
00:07It was built in the 1550s and was home to one of the richest families in area, the Pritchards,
00:12who owned the site for centuries.
00:15But older than that, the site itself had been inhabited for an estimated 4,000 years.
00:21Not one but two kings have stepped through the walls of Llancaig Fawr in Charles I and
00:25then Charles III before he became king back in 2017.
00:30It was used as a historic court and even played a role in the civil war.
00:34Now though, with so much history, the future of the manor is in question, as Caerphilly
00:38Council, who own and operate it, are set to mothball the site with question marks over
00:43what's going to happen next.
00:45The decision was made on Wednesday to mothball Llancaig Fawr, which sparked angry scenes
00:50in the public gallery during the council meeting, with members of the public shouting shame
00:55on you, and called the decision tantamount to cultural vandalism.
01:00Mothballing does not mean clothing, according to councillors, who said they have no intentions
01:04of losing the important site, but are closing it for a short period to find other arrangements
01:10on the best ways of keeping it open in the future.
01:13The local democracy report in service says that the site employs 20 members with a further
01:1718 volunteers, and given the situation, most of their futures are unclear.
01:23The council leader Sean Morgan said he would accept the cries of shame on you, but would
01:27not feel any shame in protecting other frontline services over the historic building, with
01:33the council needing to find ways to plug a £45m funding gap over the next few years.
01:40The massive hole in funding has meant a number of different services are being looked at,
01:44with Llancaig Fawr being seen as a good option given the half a million pound subsidy the
01:49council provides every year.
01:51The council's stance, in simple terms, is that if it's not the manor, then it's something
01:55else, so tough decisions have had to be made.
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