The Tithe Barn & Swineherd Cottage

Cosmeston Medieval Village

During the development of Cosmeston Lakes Country Park in 1978, excavations uncovered the remains of a community over 600 years old, and so began a unique archaeological project to restore the village of Cosmeston.

It was during the development of Cosmeston Lakes Country Park in 1978 that excavation work undertaken by Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust revealed the remains of 13th -14th century stone buildings which led to a long term research programme being commissioned.

The Trust uncovered the remains of a community over 600 years old, and so began a unique archaeological project to restore the medieval village of Cosmeston. The importance of the medieval village at Cosmeston lies in its scale as most other excavations have been limited in both size and duration.

At Cosmeston the archaeologists have had the opportunity to excavate over long periods of time and these excavations have led to the full-scale reconstruction of a medieval village on its original site and foundations. The excavations have been interpreted and presented by archaeologists and the Vale of Glamorgan Council to provide an authentic picture of the settlement discovered at Cosmeston.


The medieval village seen today is fully accessible to visitors and set in the year 1350. It was a fascinating time in history as the village had been given a new boost of life by the de Caversham family.

There were plenty of exciting things happening - King Edward III ruled a land at war with the conflict with France (the Hundred Years War) in its twelfth year and Britain was slowly recovering from the Black Death of 1348, which killed almost half the population.