Bridges over the Cothi river at Pontargothi - geograph

Pont-ar-gothi (otherwise Pontargothi or Cothi Bridge) is a village in

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...

West Wales West Wales () is a region of Wales. It has various definitions, either covering Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, which historically comprised the Welsh principality of ''Deheubarth'', and an alternative definition is to include Swa ...

. The village takes its name from the bridge where the

A40 Road The A40 is a trunk road which runs between London and Goodwick (Fishguard), Wales, and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road (A40) in all legal documents and Acts. Much of its length within England has been superseded by motorw ...

trunk road crosses the

River Cothi The Afon Cothi (also known as the River Cothy) in Carmarthenshire is the largest tributary of the River Tywi in south Wales. From its source at Blaen Cothi in the north of the county, north of Pumsaint, it flows south-east and then turns south ...

. It lies some east of

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, ; , 'Merlin's fort' or possibly 'Sea-town fort') is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community (Wales), community in Wales, lying on the River Towy north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. At the 2021 United Kingdom cen ...

Cothi Bridge Show

Cothi Bridge Agricultural Society was established in 1898. The Cothi Bridge Show contains breeders and exhibitors and attracts visitors from a large area. It also has a ladies section that was introduced in 1972.

Holy Trinity Church

The building of Holy Trinity Church was mostly funded by Henry Bath, whose family made a fortune as Cornish tin producers. When the tin ran out, they exported coal from Swansea and imported copper ore and guano. The coming of the railway to the Tywi Valley had allowed Bath to buy land to build a mansion and commute to Swansea. Alltyferin, a substantial Victorian house, was completed in 1868. An ardent churchman, Bath did not want to enforce English services on the parish church in

Llanegwad Llanegwad () is a village and community located in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The population taken at the 2011 census was 1,473. Llanegwad is built up mainly of small farms and detached homes. The community is bordered by the communities of: Lla ...

but was unwilling for his household to attend services in Welsh. Construction of Holy Trinity Church began in 1865, but it was not dedicated until 1878.Works at Church of the Holy Trinity, Pont-ar-gothi, Carmarthenshire in Stained Glass in Wales
/ref> It is a

Grade II* In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

-listed building The church was built on land which had belonged to

Talley Abbey Talley Abbey () is a ruined former monastery of the Premonstratensians ("White Canons") in the village of Talley in Carmarthenshire, Wales, six miles (10 km) north of the market town of Llandeilo. It lies in the River Cothi valley. Access ...

, a half-mile from the mansion and linked to it by a wooden bridge over the Cothi.Pontargothi's 'Painted' Church
/ref> The bridge was later taken down at the same time as Alltyferin Mansion. The architect was Benjamin Bucknall, who was a friend of the Baths and had worked with them on

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

Docks. Bucknall employed his friend Alfred Stansell to richly decorate the interior with painted murals. Biblical scenes form a frieze and the ceiling, and the walls are covered in Gothic patterns. Over the years fumes from a coke heater blackened every surface until the paintings were hardly visible. In 2007, the interior was restored to the original colours. The restoration uncovered a further signature near the roof, "Rawlins, Taunton", who was presumably an assistant to Stansell. Bath only saw the plans of the church, as he died on a voyage home from Chile in 1875 at the age of 54. His nephew, Edward, inherited and continued the work. Bath and his wife, having no children, had been generous benefactors to the locality, building a school so that the tenants' children did not have to walk to

War Memorial Hall

The village hall was built in remembrance of local men who died in WW1. The Hall is used for a wide range of activities and events.

References

External links

Aerial photographPhotos of Trinity ChurchMore photos of Alltyferin Mansion
{{authority control Villages in Carmarthenshire