Secret Chepstow

Chepstow’s location by a crossing of the River Wye, close to the Severn estuary has meant that the Monmouthshire town has always occupied a strategically important position. A Norman castle still stands above the town and until the 1960s the road bridge across the river was a major routeway between Wales and England, as was Brunel’s Chepstow railway bridge across the Wye. Secret Chepstow explores the history of the town from its early history as an Iron Age and Welsh settlement on the border with the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, through the Norman invasion of the Welsh Marches and the construction of the castle, to the present day, revealing unusual stories, tucked away historical buildings and remarkable characters along the way. The castle, with its stone Great Tower still stands, extended in the 12th century by William Marshal, but there is also an abandoned mediaeval village by the town with the ruins of its church and the town was also linked to nearby Tintern Abbey, which became a popular picturesque tourist destination in the 18th century. Chepstow’s location on the River Wye has shaped its history; the Old Wye Bridge was the lowest crossing point of the river until the Severn Bridge was built. Its importance as a port is also revealed, as a centre for the wine and salmon trade as well as shipbuilding, and the author also investigates every-day life in the town, including its workhouse.Secret Chepstow explores the less well-known episodes and characters in the history of the town through the centuries. With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away buildings, it will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this Monmouthshire town.