Visit Chepstow Places

Welcome to Visit Chepstow Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Chepstow

  

Chepstow Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Chepstow

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Chepstow history

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Early settlement

The oldest site of known habitation at Chepstow is at Thornwell, overlooking the estuaries of the Wye and Severn close to the modern M48 motorway junction. There are also Iron Age fortified camps in the area, at Bulwark, 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the town centre, and at Piercefield and Lancaut, some 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the north.

The Normans

After the Norman conquest of England, Chepstow was a key location. It was at the lowest bridging point of the River Wye and controlled river access to Hereford and the Marches. A Benedictine priory, now St Mary’s Church, was also established nearby.

Later history

Chepstow was given its first charter in 1524, and became part of Monmouthshire when the county was formed. During the period 1790 to 1795, records show a greater tonnage of goods handled than Swansea, Cardiff and Newport combined. The town reached the peak of its importance during the Napoleonic Wars, when its exports of timber, for ships, and bark, for leather tanning, were especially vital. The castle and town changed hands during the English Civil War, and the regicide Henry Marten was later imprisoned and died in the castle.

Chepstow etymology

The name Chepstow derives from the Old English ceap/chepe stowe, meaning market place or trading centre. The word “stow” usually denotes a place of special significance, and the root chep is the same as that in other placenames such as Chipping Sodbury and Cheapside.

Chepstow landmarks

Chepstow contains five Grade I listed buildings – the Castle, Priory Church, Town Gate, Port Wall and Old Wye Bridge – and several with Grade II* listed status.

Chepstow Castle

Chepstow Castle overlooks the River Wye, a short distance downhill from the town centre. The Great Tower is the oldest part of the complex and dates from the late 11th century. The castle is under the management of Cadw, and is open to the public every day of the year.

Town Gate and Port Wall

Much of Chepstow’s late-13th-century Port Wall remains intact, although the stretch south of the railway line was demolished when the National Shipyard was constructed in 1916. The wall is best seen adjoining the main town car park in Welsh Street or beside the main A48 road at the top of School Hill.

Priory Church of St Mary

Chepstow Priory was established in 1067, at the same time as the castle. Its Norman west doorway remains intact, as do some mediaeval and later interior features including Jacobean tombs. The Priory Church of St Mary became the town’s parish church after the English Reformation.

Bridges and the riverside

The Old Wye Bridge below the castle was built in 1816, on the site of earlier wooden bridges. It now carries a single carriageway road controlled by traffic lights. The Chepstow Railway Bridge, slightly downstream, was built to an innovative and functional design by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1852.

Medieval and later buildings

The town contains several notable post-mediaeval buildings. Grade II* listed buildings include Castle Terrace, Powis Almshouses and Raglan Lodge. The heyday of the town’s prosperity as a trading port in the late 18th and early 19th century is shown.

Chepstow Racecourse and Piercefield

Chepstow Racecourse was opened in 1926 in the grounds of Piercefield House, 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the town centre on the road towards Tintern. Piercefield was a mansion house rebuilt in the late 18th century, now ruined. Its wooded grounds contain landscaped features from the time when visits to the estate were an important component of the “Wye Tour”

Chepstow geography / climate

Chepstow is located on the west bank of the River Wye, some 3 miles (4.8 km) north of its confluence with the Severn estuary. The bedrock of the town is limestone, mudstone and sandstone, overlain in places with some gravels and the clay and silt of the river’s tidal flats, which are of marine origin and up to two million years old. The river was established as a boundary between England and Wales by Athelstan in 928.

You can visit Chepstow places with Walkfo Chepstow to hear history at Chepstow’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Chepstow has 60 places to visit in our interactive Chepstow map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Chepstow, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Chepstow places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Chepstow & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 60 audio facts unique to Chepstow places in an interactive Chepstow map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Chepstow Places Map
60 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Chepstow historic spots	Chepstow tourist destinations	Chepstow plaques	Chepstow geographic features
Walkfo Chepstow tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Chepstow

  

Best Chepstow places to visit

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Chepstow has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Chepstow’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Chepstow’s information audio spots:

Chepstow Town F.C. Chepstow Town Football Club were founded in 1878. They play in the Ardal Leagues South East, tier 3 of the Welsh football pyramid.

Chepstow War Memorial Chepstow War Memorial commemorates the men of the town who died in the First and Second World Wars. It was designed by Eric Francis, a locally-born architect. The memorial site also includes a German Naval deck gun, donated to the town by George V.

Raglan Lodge Raglan Lodge is a Grade II* listed building in Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales. The frontage dates from the early 19th century, but parts of the building date from the medieval period. The ground floor vaulted hall was probably the town’s 14th century moot hall.

Mounton House Mounton House, Mounton, Monmouthshire, is the last major country house built in the county. Built between 1910 and 1912 by architect and writer Henry Avray Tipping for himself. Formerly a school, which has now relocated to the grounds, the house has been divided into apartments.

Pennsylvania Fields, Sedbury Pennsylvania Fields, Sedbury (grid reference ST542929) is a 27.03-hectare (66.8-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire. The site is listed in the ‘Forest of Dean Local Plan Review’ as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS)

Mathern Mill Mathern Mill is a watermill dating from either the late 18th or early 19th century. It continued in use as a functioning mill until 1968. It is now open to the public on an occasional basis.

St Tewdric’s Church St Tewdric’s Church is a Church in Wales parish church in Mathern, Monmouthshire, Wales. It is purportedly built over the resting place of Saint Tewrrig for whom it is named. A church has been located on the site since the 6th century. It was reconstructed by the Normans in the Early English style.

Moynes Court Moynes Court is a Grade II* listed building in the village of Mathern, Monmouthshire, Wales. An earlier building was rebuilt as a private residence by Francis Godwin, Bishop of Llandaff, in 1609/10.

Mathern Palace Mathern Palace was the main residence of the Bishops of Llandaff between 1408 and 1705. It was restored and its gardens laid out between 1894 and 1899 by Henry Avray Tipping. In recent years it has been in private hands and used as a guest house.

Caerwood and Ashberry Goose House Caerwood And Ashberry Goose House is a 0.01-hectare (0.025-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1991. The site lies within the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Visit Chepstow plaques