The Cilwendeg Shell House Hermitage

About

The Cilwendeg Shell House Hermitage near Boncath in Pembrokeshire is a fascinating ornamental historic building built in the 1820s as a small rustic garden retreat for the Morgan Jones family of Cilwendeg Mansion (the wealthy owners of the Skerries Lighthouse). The building and 1.27 acres of surrounding woodland were restored by The Temple Trust in 2004- 2006. The trust is a historic building preservation trust for England and Wales, a registered charity. Rough local white quartz boulders and notched Cilgerran slate decorates the front exterior of The Shell House Hermitage, while the interior is lavishly decorated with shellwork and mineral patterns, and there is also a rare knucklebone tile floor. Visits to the Shell House can now be booked online ( for any day of the week Monday-Sunday from March 1st to the end of December, 9am to 6pm)

At a glance

• Typical visit: about 30 minutes