The Heritage Hiker’s Guide to Bonvilston

Where is Bonvilston?

Bonvilston – Tresimwn is a village in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. The village is located on the A48 near Cardiff. It is named after Simon de Bonville, a Norman nobleman who lived there in the 12^th century. Although its meaning is slightly different in English and Welsh (Bonville’s town – Simon’s town) it refers to the same person.

The village is split by the main road with houses on both sides and as with many villages in the Vale there are a few thatched cottages that line the route. There is a Reading Room and a shop/cafe. ‘The Old Village Shop Cafe’ is a lovely place to stop and top up on refreshments or food as part of any visit to Bonvilston (check ahead for opening times).

The Amelia Trust Farm is only a short drive away located just off the 5 Mile Lane, a road that links the A48 to Barry. It is a small farm with lots of animals, a cafe, picnic areas, on-site parking and toilets. There is an entrance charge and visiting slots do need to be booked in advance at present. As a former volunteer (many moons ago), it is a place that brings an extra something to any day out.

St Mary’s Church

The church of Saint Mary the Virgin’s has stood on this site since the 12th Century. The first mention of the church in the parish is 1189. The present church, rebuilt in 1863, is typical Victorian Gothic, with only the tower and the chancel arch remaining from the original Norman structure. Items of interest include a 13th Century font and a stone plaque which is believed to be a panel from a tomb in the style of Adam & Eve.  

Where once stood the preaching cross there is now a cross in the graveyard that has four steps, surmounted by a Medieval type socket stone and modern cross shaft which has been converted to use as a War Memorial.

Sites Nearby

Whitton Lodge Roman Villa

Whitton Lodge Roman Villa overlays the site of a Prehistoric settlement enclosure. There are no visible villa remains, but cropmarks are visible from the air. The site was heavily excavated between 1956 and 1970.

The settlement consisted of a sub-rectangular ditched and banked enclosure. It is thought to have been occupied from about 50 BC to the 4th century AD. Throughout its lifetime the settlement shows a changing layout made up of from three to five buildings. Initially these were roundhouses, but later examples were in a Roman rectangular style. The site provides clear evidence of the transition from iron-age farm to Roman villa. Finds dated 1st to 4th centuries included pottery, bronze brooches and a bronze steelyard with notches for positioning weights. Two small moulded tablets of baked clay were also found, both stamped from the same die with the letters BOV.

For articles that cover areas near Bonvilston see Wenvoe and St Nicholas