Bishopston is a large village with a population of around 2,000. A monastic settlement in the Dark Ages, the site grew to become a flourishing centre for market gardening in later centuries. The village takes its name from the fact that it was once owned by the Bishop of Llandaff. Like many places in the area, Bishopston also has a Welsh name - Llandeilo Ferwallt, which translates to the slightly longer 'The church of St. Teilo at the top of the wooded valley near the bubbling brook'.
Barland Quarry, located 1km north of Bishopston, is now disused, but large amounts of limestone have been quarried here in the past. The area is now used mainly by climbers and cavers.
On the nearby Barland Common, evidence of the old Barland Castle is still visible. This was the first medieval earthwork castle excavated in the whole of Glamorgan and is now visible as a broad ditch protecting a level platform some 25 metres across. During its excavation, several pieces of glazed pottery, fragments of a leather shoe and a bronze ornamental buckle were discovered. The site, unfortunately, lies on private land.
