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Chepstow (Cas-gwent) lies just inside the border between England and Wales. The town lies near Offa’s Dyke, built approximately 1200 years ago as a formal boundary between the two countries. Formerly a major port and market town - the name comes from the old English for ‘market place’ - Chepstow’s origins began with the castle which today remains at the centre of the town. The first stone castle built in Britain, the castle’s foundations are of Norman origins. Its construction was commissioned in 1067, the year after the Norman conquest of Britain by William the Conqueror. Its location, both on the river Wye and the Welsh/English border gave it a prime defensive location, largely to prevent the Welsh invading the nearby county of Gloucestershire.
The town itself grew around the castle, and by the middle ages Chepstow was the largest river port in Wales, trading in timber and oak, and importing wine. Chepstow port was also the point from which the three organisers of the Chartist uprising on Newport were ousted to Tasmania after the Chartist March of 1839. Trade in Chepstow declined during the 19th century as the port towns of Newport, Swansea and Cardiff began to grow. However, it did see a brief resurgence in activity as a shipyard during World War I.
Today, Chepstow’s close links to the M4 mean that transport around the area is easy to navigate. Its proximity to the English border, being the first major town on the Welsh side of the Severn Bridge, and its location within Monmouthshire and the Wye Valley, make this fairly anglicised Welsh town the perfect base from which to explore further into South Wales or the nearby English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire. Chepstow and the surrounding area also house a number of historical attractions. As well as Chepstow Castle, there is a museum in the town centre, documenting the town’s history as a commercial centre. A short drive away are a wealth of historical fortifications: there are no less than 10 more castles to be found in Monmouthshire, a result of Roman, Norman and English occupation of Wales over the ages. The Wye Valley itself is a designated Area of Outstanding National Beauty, and there are a number outdoor activity centres and structured walking routes available which allow visitors to enjoy the scenery and the history of the area at the same time. One such walking trail takes hikers from Chepstow centre to Tintern Abbey, built by Cistercian monks in 1131. The abbey was dissolved in the 16th century by Henry VIII but remains an impressive example of medieval religious architecture, to the extent that it inspired Wordsworth to write the poem Lines Written a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey.
Contact: 0118 971 4700 |
