Monknash was originally known as Aissa or Ash. The monks arrived about 1129, when the land was given to Neath Abbey. The area served as a monastic grange until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1533. Remains include a 20-acre enclosure with traces of buildings.

The chapel which once served the grange, now the church of St Mary Magdalene, is a Grade II* listed building, surrounded by farmland with views across the Bristol Channel.

The churchyard includes the remains of crews of some of the many ships wrecked off the coast and of bones uncovered as a result of cliff erosion. This has been the subject of research by Cardiff University which has been covered in the BBC series Digging for Britain.

The church is a key station in a proposed Pilgrim Trail, which was planned prior to the pandemic and is now being implemented.

There have been some repairs and alterations to the building over the past 900 years notably by the Victorians. Amongst other things, they repaired the roof. Sadly, it needs doing again. In particular, the chancel roof is letting in rain and there is a danger of falling slates. We hope that you may be able to help us fund the repairs.