Prince Charles to visit 900-year-old tithe barn

A medieval monastic barn once used to store tithed grain and produce will be visited by the Prince of Wales on Thursday.

The 900-year-old tithe barn, believed to be the oldest of its kind in Wales, is adjacent to St Mary's Priory Church, Abergavenny. Parishioners bought it back in 1999 and £1.6m has been spent transforming it into a centre for exhibitions, education projects and hospitality.

After attending a service of thanksgiving for the work of the St Mary's Priory Development Trust, Prince Charles, who is patron of the trust, will be given a tour of the barn. He will meet with a variety of people who have been involved in the restoration process, as well representatives of those 60 stitchers responsible for the attractive Millennium Tapestry, now on view in the tithe barn.

More than £500,000 has been spent on state-of-the-art technology in the exhibition and learning space and the Prince will see pupils from local primary schools learning what everyday life was like for the monks and exploring various aspects of the priory's distinguished history using interactive software and hands-on exhibition material.

The Rev Canon Jeremy Winston, vicar of St Mary's Priory Church, said the restoration of the tithe barn had been an inspiring challenge.

"The building was brought back into church ownership through the generosity of members of the congregation at St Mary's at a time when it was thought the building was in danger of collapse," he said.

"Addressing that challenge has taken a few years and has involved an innovative use of engineering skills in order to secure the building for the future. The internal transformation from what was once a carpet warehouse is simply staggering.

"I am delighted with the result and am confident the tithe barn will become a valuable resource for both the church and the wider community."

The major church project has benefited enormously from public goodwill and the generous support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, Welsh European Funding Office and Monmouthshire County Council.

Dan Clayton-Jones, Chair of the Heritage Lottery Fund Committee for Wales, added, "Bringing the tithe barn back into full use is a great way to secure its future. The project has been driven by great enthusiasm and will be of huge benefit to the whole of Abergavenny - creating a fantastic resource for locals to learn more about the past on their doorstep as well as providing a real pull for visitors to the area."

In addition to the exhibition facility, Prince Charles will also see the new Taste of Wales Food Hall café which has been partly funded through Welsh Assembly Government initiatives and which will serve locally produced food.

In opening the tithe barn, Prince Charles will be celebrating his second visit to St Mary's as patron of the trust. He will also see the remarkable transformation of the public spaces attached to the church, including the tithe barn courtyard and the new church piazza.