New owner for vicarage
THE vicarage were Father Paul Bennett was murdered nine years ago has been sold by the Church in Wales.
THE Cynon Valley vicarage where a vicar was murdered nine years ago has been sold by the Church in Wales.
The village of Trecynon was stunned on March 14, 2007, when highlyrespected vicar Father Paul Bennett, 59, was stabbed by disturbed 23-year-old Geraint Evans as he put the rubbish outside the door of his vicarage at St Fagan’s Church.
The building has been vacant since 2008, and earlier this year we reported that the Church in Wales had instructed Rawlins and Madley Chartered Surveyors to advertise the sale of the vicarage building.
It was marketed in two lots – the listed former vicarage building set in 0.6 acres of adjoining land, and a parcel of 1.35-acre land next door to it.
A spokeswoman for the Church in Wales has confirmed the vicarage build- ing has now been sold, though the land next door to it hasn’t.
In February, a spokeswoman explained the reason for the building being sold. She said: “The former vicarage is being sold by the Church in Wales because it is too large and costly to maintain.
“We purchased a new vicarage nearby in 2008 which is a modern house with significantly lower heating and maintenance costs.
“The former vicarage has been empty since then as we explored other options for its future.”
Popular Father Bennett – who had also worked at parishes in Ynysybwl, Ystrad and Tylorstown in the 21 years since his or- dination – had previously offered counselling to Evans, who had paranoid schizophrenia. Evans was sentenced to an indefinite period in high-security Ashworth Mental Hospital in October 2007.