Monmouthshire, maritime county, in W. of England, bounded N. by Herefordshire and Brecknockshire, E. by Gloucestershire, S. by the Bristol Channel, and W. by Glamorgan; greatest length, N. to S., 32 miles; greatest breadth, E. to W., 27 miles; area, 370,350 acres; population 211,267. On the coast-line (22 miles) the only indentation is that formed by the mouth of the Usk. The county has a hilly appearance in the N. and NW., and culminates in the Sugar Loaf (1954 ft.). The chief rivers are the Wye and Usk; the latter is navigable for large vessels as far as Newport. Wheat and rye are the chief crops produced in the fertile valleys of the Usk; oats and barley are grown in the uplands. While farming and grazing are leading employments, there are in the W. large industries connected with coal mines, iron mines, and iron mfrs. The mineral district of the county contains over 100 coal mines. Monmouthshire has a powerful interest for antiquaries. It has many remains of ancient feudal castles, and amoug its ecclesiastical ruins are the splendid remains of the abbeys of Llanthony and Tintern. The co. contains 6 hundreds, 147 parishes, the Monmouth Boroughs (Monmouth, Newport, and Usk), and the municipal boroughs of Monmouth and Newport. It is entirely in the diocese of Llandaff.
– John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887)
[Note: Monmouthshire only officially became a part of Wales in 1974.]
Abergavenny Museum
The Castle
Abergavenny NP7 5EE
01873 854 282
www.abergavennymuseum.co.uk
Housed in a Regency hunting lodge, which is known as ‘the keep’, Abergavenny Museum is set within the ruins of a Norman castle. The museum presents the story of this historic market town from prehistoric, Roman and Norman times through to the present day.
Bedwellty House & Park
Morgan Street
Tredegar NP22 3XN
01495 353370
www.bedwelltyhouseandpark.co.uk
Bedwellty House is a listed Regency villa in the town of Tredegar in South Wales. It is surrounded by a historic garden that was established in the early 19th century for the Master of Tredegar Iron Works. Bedwellty House and Park are intimately linked with the early social history of Industrial Wales. Its relevance continued when the house and park were given to the people of Tredegar and consequently became a centre of the labour movement in Wales, and Britain at large. Probably the most famous name associated with Bedwellty House and Park is Aneurin Bevan, credited as the founder of the National Health Service
Blaenavon Ironworks
North Street
Blaenavon NP4 9RQ
01495 792615
Blaenavon Ironworks, which commenced production in 1789, is the best preserved blast furnace complex of its period and type in the world and is one of the most important monuments to have survived from the early part of the industrial revolution. Today you can view the extensive remains of the blast furnaces, the cast houses and the impressively restored Water Balance Tower. Through exhibitions, advanced interpretation features and reconstructions, you can learn about the international significance of the iron industry and the scientific processes involved in the production of iron. A fascinating insight into the social history of industrial Britain can be gained by glimpsing into the past at the reconstructed company shop and the refurbished workers’ cottages, at Stack Square and Engine Row.
Blaenavon World Heritage Centre
Church Road
Blaenavon NP4 9AE
01495 742333
www.visitblaenavon.co.uk
Visit a modern attraction in the first school in Wales built (in 1816) by ironmasters for their workers. Inside you will find interactive exhibitions telling the story of the Blaenavon World Heritage Site and its residents through history – it should be your first port of call to understand the World Heritage Landscape.
Caerleon
High Street
Caerleon NP18 1AE
01633 422518
With over 50 acres to explore, you can spend a whole day at the Roman military base of Isca, the home of the Second Augustan Legion for more tha 200 years. Up to 5,500 soilders could be stationed here at any time.
Caldicot Castle Country Park
Caldicot Castle, Church Road
Caldicot NP26 4HU
01291 420 241
www.caldicotcastle.co.uk
Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the castle’s exciting past. The castle was developed as a fortress by Royal hands in the Middle Ages and restored as a Victorian family home.
Collections: The Cobb Collection includes furniture, fittings and other decorative objects which the family used to furnish the castle when it was their home (1880s to 1940s). This collection also includes costume with some fine 18th century clothing.
Castle & Regimental Museum
The Castle
Monmouth NP25 3BS
01600 772175
www.monmouthcastlemuseum.org.uk
This small volunteer-run museum, with free admission, tells the story of the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers – the only present-day regiment to have survived from the Militia. From a muster in 1539 it evolved into a Posse Comitatus and, after enduring sieges in the Civil War, was a Militia Regiment for two centuries.
Chepstow Castle
Chepstow Castle, Bridge Street
Chepstow NP16 5EZ
01291 624065
www.cadw.wales.gov.uk/default.asp?id=6&PlaceID=50
Substantial remains of one of the earliest stone-built castles in Britain – the centre of the medieval Marcher lordship of Chepstow. The castle was modified and developed in successive stages throughout the Middle Ages and saw further action during and after the Civil War.
Chepstow Museum
Gwy House, Bridge Street
Chepstow NP16 5EZ
01291 625981
Chepstow Museum reveals the rich and varied past of this ancient town, once an important port and market centre. Wine trade, shipbuilding and salmon fishing are among Chepstow’s many industries featured in displays with atmospheric settings.
Gwent Archives
Steelworks Road, Ebbw Vale
Blaenau NP23 6DN
01495 353363
Gwent Archives was established in 1938 as the Monmouth- shire Record Office, serving the ‘old’ county of that name. In 1974, it became the Gwent County Record Office.
Gwent Family History Society
11 Rosser Street, Wainfelin
Pontypool NP4 6EA
Our Society exists to encourage an interest in both family history and genealogy amongst the people of Gwent, and amongst those living elsewhere who may have ancestral connections with the historic county of Monmouthshire.
Llanyrafon Farm
Llanfrecha Way, Llanyrafon
Cwmbran NP44 8HT
01633 861 810
www.llanyrafonmanor.org/en/Home.aspx
Llanyrafon Manor, called Llanyrafon Farm by some, has hugged the banks of the Afon Llywd since the mid 1550s – yet many residents of Cwmbran have no idea that there is such an important building with a diverse heritage right in the middle of their community.
Nelson Museum & Local History Centre
New Market Hall, Priory Street
Monmouth NP25 3XA
01600 710630
The Nelson Museum was founded in 1924, based on a collection of material relating to the famous admiral. The local history centre, in the same building, deals with Monmouth and its people, including Charles Rolls of Rolls-Royce fame and Henry V.
Newport Museum & Art Gallery
John Frost Square
Newport NP20 1PA
01633 656656
www.newport.gov.uk/museum
The history of the people who lived in this area is traced from the earliest evidence 250,000 years ago through to the 20th century. Themes covered by the social history collections range from domestic and personal life to local industrial developments and agriculture. The most significant collections are the Transporter Bridge archive and the Chartist collection; weapons, broadsheets, silver and prints from the 1839 Chartist protest in Newport.
Pontypool Museum
Park Buildings
Pontypool NP4 6JH
01495 752036
The museum collects artefacts from the history, archaeology, geology, social and industrial histories, art, craft and ecology of the Torfaen Valley (including the towns of Blaenafon, Pontypool and Cwmbran).
Raglan Castle
Raglan Castle
Raglan NP15 2BT
01291 690228
www.cadw.wales.gov.uk/daysout/raglancastle
Raglan Castle was one of the last medieval castles to be built in England and Wales. Although it was designed with comfort and luxury in mind, the castle was pretty formidable too. It held off Oliver Cromwell’s forces for 13 weeks in one of the last sieges of the Civil War.
Tredegar House – National Trust
Tredegar House
Newport NP10 8YW
01633 815880
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/tredegar-house
Set in a beautiful 90 acre park, Tredegar House is one of the best examples of a 17th century Charles II mansion in Britain. The earliest surviving part of the building dates back to the early 1500s.
Usk Rural Life Museum
The Malt Barn, New Market Street
Usk NP5 1AU
01291 673777
Based in the historic town of Usk, the museum aims to conserve and display aspects of the history, heritage and traditions of rural life in the county of Monmouthshire.