£646,000 for historic buildings

Heritage minister Alun Ffred Jones at one of the buildings near Caernarfon to benefit from the grant money

Historic buildings around Wales are to be offered a cash boost of £646,000 from the Welsh Assembly Government.

Thirteen of Wales' historic buildings will get grants marking the 25th anniversary of environment body Cadw.

The money is designed to carry out essential repairs and restoration work to the buildings across Wales.

The grants include money for a 19th Century cottage near Caernarfon and a former chapel now used by an Islamic society.

The grants range from £4,444 to £140,000 and should preserve the structures for the future.

In all £646,472 is to be shared between 13 projects.

Heritage minister Alun Ffred Jones AM, visited one of the buildings receiving a grant, Tal y Braich cottage at Rhosgadfn, near Caernarfon.

'Fragile resource'

"Tal y Braich is a powerful testament to the people who once lived and worked in this inhospitable landscape. Simple vernacular buildings of this type were once common in this area, but they are a fragile resource and most have been lost through unsympathetic adaption and alteration.

"The cottage has not been used since the 1950s and its survival is remarkable.

"I'd also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Cadw on their 25th anniversary and for the role that they have played over the years in safeguarding our historic environment.

"Over the last 25 years Cadw has granted some £70m for historic buildings and ancient monuments the length and breadth of Wales,"

The £646,472 will be shared between the following projects:

• Bob's Bookshop, Knighton, Powys. A grant of £4,444 offered towards re-roofing and associated repairs.
• Plas Coch, Llanedwen, Anglesey - a 16th Century house which retains much of its original detail. Grant of £100,000 offered towards a comprehensive scheme of historic fabric repair.
• Llanyrafon Manor, Llanyrafon, Cwmbran, Torfaen. Listed grade II building of 16th and 17th Century. Grant of £120,000 offered towards a comprehensive scheme of repairs.
• Tal Y Braich, Rhosgadfan, Caernarfon, Gwynedd a well preserved early 19th Century smallholder's cottage and attached cowhouse. A grant of £52,500 towards a scheme of works including re-roofing, re-pointing and re-instatement of windows.
• Adulam Baptist Chapel, Felinfoel, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire Late 19th Century chapel. A grant of £140,000 offered towards work on the vestry.
• Islamic Society for Gwent, Victoria Road, Newport. Originally a 19th Century chapel, now used for a multi-denominational place of worship. Grant of £135,000.
• Our Lady & St Michael Roman Catholic Church, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire. Grant of £36,000 offered towards a scheme of conservation repairs.
• Churchbank, Church Lane, Beaumaris, Anglesey. A well preserved Georgian house. Grant of £25,000 offered towards works to restore the exterior of the building.
• 1 Seaview, Cemaes Bay, Anglesey. Grant of £3,750 offered for work to the front of the house.
• 14 Albany Terrace, St Thomas Green, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire. One of a row of low 18th century houses. Grant of £8,250 offered towards a scheme of external repairs to the building.
• 17 Hamilton Terrace, Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire. Grant of £7,000 offered towards repairs to the exterior of the building.
• 3 Bute Esplanade, Cardiff. A well-preserved house from the early development of the Butetown area of Cardiff. Grant of £10,000 offered towards repairs to the external shell of the building.
• Cromlech House, St Davids, Pembrokeshire. A late Victorian property in the St David's conservation area with interesting original detailing. Grant of £4,528 offered towards a scheme of works to reinstate external features.

Geoffrey Foster of Haverfordwest civic society said: "Sometimes public support is unavoidable. There is still enough of Haverfordwest which is worth preserving and grants may be needed."

Huw John, a trustee of Adulam chapel in Llanelli said the money would be spent on an art-deco vestry.

"This is a tremendous response from Cadw. It will make a huge difference," he said.

Fida Hussain Shah, of the Islamic Society for Gwent, said they had bought the old United Reformed church in Newport's Victoria Road more than a year ago, and were looking to create a community hall for use by young and old in the area, as well as a prayer room, which could be used by different religious denominations.

"There's a lot of work to be done and alterations inside - there's a big crack in the wall that needs to be repaired, " said Mr Shah.

"But the old look of the building is being conserved and there won't be any external changes at all."