For a real taste of local history on your next adventure in Monmouthshire with a senior, our team recommends that you stop by one of these great locations in the local area.
Monmouth Castle is a wonder to find this ruin, tucked away as it is in a lane off Monmouth’s main shopping street. Strategically located at crossings of the River Wye and River Monnow, only fragments remain of this once-important castle, ruins of the 12th-century Great Tower and 13th-century hall.
Norman lord William fitz Osbern founded the castle in the 11th century, then in the mid-14th century Henry of Grosmont modified the tower with large, decorated windows whose outline can still be seen in the east wall. September 1387 is when the most notable event in the tower’s history occurred on, when King Henry V of Battle of Agincourt fame was born here, an occasion commemorated at Monmouth’s Agincourt Square.
The bridge crosses the river Wye, linking Monmouthshire (Wales) and Gloucester (England), it was first opened on the 24th July 1816, and is the World’s largest iron arch road bridge and was built within the first 50 years (1780-1830) of iron and steel construction, it is an architectural marvel and feat of engineering that has stood the test of time. See the bridge for yourself in Chepstow and check out the fantastic views of the Lower Wye Valley and Chepstow Castle.
This historic building in the heart of Monmouth was built in 1724, shire hall was used a centre for the Assize Court (court presided over by judges from the higher courts based in London). 1839/1840 Shire Hall saw the trial of the Chartist leader John Frost along with others involved in the Newport Rising.
Built in 1922 by Charles Leigh Clay, Wyndcliffe Court is a Grade II-listed house with a large, picturesque garden. The house now belongs to Anthony and Sarah Clay, who open the gardens to the public every year, from May to September. Flora-wise, look out for anything from foxgloves to sweet pea to rhubarb. They deliver a ‘gardening school’ programme. featuring agricultural workshops that teach guests about different gardening techniques and horticultural tips.
Cistercian monks founded Tintern Abbey in 1131, in 1269 they began to build a new abbey church and didn’t stop until they’d created one of the masterpieces of British Gothic architecture situated on the bank of the river Wye at the border of Wales and England. The Abbey was ruined in the 16th Century through the dissolution of monasteries.