Historical attractions
in the Royal Forest of Dean, Herefordshire and Monmouthshire are many and varied. You will
find here details of most of the popular venues with tourists to the region.
Abergavenny Castle is located just a short walk from the main shopping area of Abergavenny. Enough of the castle remains to indicate that it must have been a fairly formidable fortress. The castle has Norman origins: the motte was built by Hamelin de Ballon, the Norman conqueror of this area in 1090. Soon after a stone keep was built on the motte and the present Victorian 'keep' probably stands on its foundations. In 1175 Abergavenny Castle was the scene of an infamous act: the Massacre of Abergavenny. Henry, the third son of Milo Fitzwalter was killed by Seisyll ap Dynfnwal in 1175. As there were no other other male heir, the castle and Brecknockshire and Upper Gwent passed to his mother Bertha who was a daughter of Milo Fitzwalter. William de Braose decided to avenge the death of his uncle Henry. He summoned Seisyll ap Dyfnwal, his son Geoffrey and a number of other local Welshmen from Gwent to Abergavenny Castle for a reconciliation meeting. They were all murdered and their lands were taken. Control of the castle passed back and forth during the turbulent years as the Welsh Marches changed hands in the twelfth century between the English and Welsh forces. During the thirteenth and fourteeth centuries a huge amount building work was undertaken on the castle whilst it was in the hands of the Hastings family. The most prominent features that remain from this period are the towers in the western corner of the castle.
The keep along with most of the other castle buildings, was destroyed in the Civil War, between 1645 - 1646. In 1818, the present building - now the Museum - was constructed on top of the motte as a hunting lodge for the Marquess of Abergavenny.
Location
Contact
Castle Street, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire
South of the town, on the A40.
Tel: 01873 854282
Admission
Opening
Daily all year except Sundays November to February
Belmont Abbey, the home of a community of Benedictine monks, is set in extensive gardens. The Abbey Church was built as the pro-Cathedral or Wales in 1859 to the design of E W Pugin. Visitors are welcome to join the monks in their daily round of prayer. Refreshments are available at Hedley Lodge, originally the monastic guesthouse.
Location
Contact Tel:
Belmont Abbey
Hereford HR2 9RZ Tel: 01432 374747
Take the A465, Hereford-Abergavenny road from Hereford. After the 'Tesco' roundabout, take the first right and the Abbey entrance is on the left.
Berkeley Castle is one of the March Castles, built to keep out the Welsh, and has all the trappings to match: trip steps designed to make the enemy stumble during an assault, arrow slits, murder holes, enormous barred doors, slots where the portcullis once fell, and worn stones where sentries stood guard. It is also a fairytale Castle with its warm pink stone that glows in soft sunset light. Outside, the battlements drop some 60' to the Great Lawn below; but inside the Inner Courtyard, the building is on a human scale, with uneven battlements, small towers, doors and windows of every shape and size. The surrounding land would have been flooded for defence.
Berrington Hall was built for Thomas Harley, the son of the 3rd Earl of Oxford. He made a fortune supplying pay and clothing to the British Army in America and became Lord Mayor of London in 1767 at the age of 37. Harley acquired the Berrington estate in 1775 and immediately commissioned 'Capability' Brown to work on the grounds. Brown took advantage of the panoramic situation of the estate and created a beautiful parkland with a artificial lake and island. The house was built between 1778 - 1781 on a site advised by Brown. This was above the wide valley of a tributary of the River Lugg with views to the Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons. The house was designed by Brown's son-in-law, the fashionable architect Henry Holland, who created Carlton House for the Prince Regent. The rooms contain a collection of French furniture, including pieces that belonged to the Comte de Flahault, the natural son of Napoleon's step-daughter Hortense and Talleyrand. Harley's daughter, who inherited the estate, was married to the 2nd Lord Rodney, son of Admiral Rodney. The dining room is decorated with huge panoramic paintings of sea battles, three by Thomas Luny, in tribute to the distinguished Admiral who played a significant role in the American War of Independence.
Notes:- 1. Beautiful ceilings and spectacular hall staircase 2. Good collection of furniture and paintings.
The Rodney family continued at Berrington Hall until 1900 when the estate was sold to Frederick Cawley, later Lord Cawley. Lady Cawley's room displays a photograph of the 1st Lord Cawley and his four sons on horseback in front of the house.
A few years later three of their sons were killed in the First World War.
In 1957 Berrington Hall was accepted by the Treasury in payment of death duty and transferred to the National Trust with some of the contents. The Trust has had to replace much of the pinkish ashlar stonework outside but the remarkable original interior is in a superb state of preservation.
The Heritage Centre is a short walk from Bromyard town centre. This museum is dedicated to Hops and Hop Picking. The displays explore the history of hops and hop growing in some detail and follow the year of the hop from winter maintenance of the hop fields through to the summer and autumn picking. The displays include life-size scenes from hop picking life and many original artifacts and tools.There are workshops for children, which take place during the school holidays. The displays are on the ground floor and accessible to wheelchair users. Admission is free
If you are a member of the Bromyard community and would like to stage a small exhibition at the Heritage Centre, please contact a member of staff on site to discuss the project
Location
Contact
Bromyard town centre
Bromyard Heritage Centre Rowberry Street, Bromyard HR7 4DU
Tel:(01432) 260692
Admission Free
Opening
Please phone for details.Tel: 01432 260692
Thursday to Monday, 6th July to end of November, 10am – 4pm
This 1700 acre estate was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1946 and still maintains traditional farms and extensive areas of woodland, including ancient oak and beech. Located on the Herefordshire/Worcestershire borders.
At the heart of the Brockhampton estate lies Lower Brockhampton House - a medieval 14th-C moated manor house with a beautiful timber framed gatehouse. Visitors can see the Great Hall, open to the rafters which were constructed from wood from the estate. Discover the ruined Norman Chapel near to Lower Brockhampton.
There are miles of walks across the Brockhampton estate through park and woodland and includes sculptures with a local theme.
The Brockhampton Estate is home to a rich variety of wildlife including the dormouse, buzzard and raven.
Sample the local specialities in the tearoom and visit the imaginatively stocked shop selling mostly local produce and crafts.
The ground floor of Lower Brockhampton House and tearoom are accessible. Please telephone 01885 488099 for details of facilities for visitors with disabilities.
Founded by the Normans, developed in royal hands as a stronghold in the Middle Ages and restored as a Victorian family home, the castle is set in 55 acres of beautiful parkland. take an audio tour, explore the medieval towers and enjoy breath-taking views from the battlements.
The Children's Activity Station includes puzzles and games, tree and leaf identification, draw your own shields and armour and the chance to make a castle to take home. Find out about footwear in the past and try on a selection of shoes copied from original historical examples. From medieval slippers and a Tudor buckle shoe, to a shoe from the time of the English Civil War and a Victorian lady's ankle boot, this activity lets you step back in time.
The river Neddern winds its way through areas of woodland and pasture and the wildlife pond is complete with a pond-dipping station.The park offers an ideal setting for picnics and walks against the magnificent backdrop of the medieval castle walls, with picnic tables and barbecue hearths on site.
Location
Contact
From the M4 take junction 23 & the B4245. From the M48 take junction2,the A48 & B4245. Signed from the B4245
Church road, Monmouthshire, NP26 4HU Tel: 01291 420421
The Chained Library at Hereford Cathedral is a unique and fascinating treasure in Britain's rich heritage of library history.
There were books at Hereford Cathedral long before there was a 'library' in the modern sense. The cathedral's earliest and most important book is the eight-century Hereford Gospels; it is one of 229 medieval manuscripts which now occupy two bays of the Chained Library. Chaining books was the most widespread and effective security system in European libraries from the middle ages to the eighteenth century, and Hereford Cathedral's seventeenth-century Chained Library is the largest to survive with all its chains, rods and locks intact.
A chain is attached at one end to the front cover of each book; the other end is slotted on to a rod running along the bottom of each shelf. The system allows a book to be taken from the shelf and read at the desk, but not to be removed from the bookcase. The books are shelved with their for edges, rather than their spines, facing the reader (the wrong way round to us); this allows the book to be lifted down and opened without needing to be turned around - thus avoiding tangling the chain. The specially designed chamber in the New Library Building not only means that the whole library can now be seen in its original arrangement as it was from 1611 to 1841, but also allows the books to be kept in controlled environmental conditions according to modern standards of presentation.There has been a working theological library at the cathedral since the twelfth century, and the whole library continues to serve the cathedral's work and witness both as a research centre and as a tourist attraction.
Location
Contact
Hereford town centre
Hereford Cathedral, 5 College Cloisters, Cathedral Close, Hereford HR1 2NG
Building commenced the year after the Battle of Hastings in 1067, in stone - an indication of the Castle’s importance, as most other Norman fortresses of this time were of Motte and Bailey form and constructed from earth and wood. William Fitzosbern used his Castle to subdue the Welsh of Gwent.His son and successor, Roger, lost the Castle to the King after an unsuccessful rebellion in 1075. During the 12th Century the Castle was massively fortified. In the 13th Century most building was of a domestic character but further fortifications were added to prepare the Castle for the Welsh wars, in which, however it played no part. In the 14th Century it changed hands many times, and its importance declined. It was re-garrisoned in 1403 and its strength prevented it being attacked by Owain Glyndwr.In the 16th Century the buildings were adapted for a more comfortable occupation, and came to resemble more a Great House than a Castle. Yet in the first Civil War, it was held by the Royalists, who surrendered in 1645. During the second Civil War the Castle, once more held for the King, was besieged, using guns which breached the walls. The Castle was taken and its commander, Sir Nicholas Kemeys, killed. It was repaired by the Parliamentarians. During the Civil War and afterwards it was used as a prison - famous “guests” were the Royalist Bishop Jeremy Taylor, and the Regicide Henry Marten, whose name is now applied to the Tower where he spent 12 years in comfortable captivity until his death in 1680.
Chepstow Museum displays the rich and varied past of this ancient town, once an important port and market centre. There are displays of Chepstow’s wine trade, shipbuilding and salmon fishing as well as photographs, programme's and posters recalling the pastimes of local people. The 18th and 19th century paintings and prints illustrate the everlasting appeal of Chepstow and the Wye Valley to artists and tourists alike. The Museum is just across the road from Chepstow Castle in an elegant 18th century house built by a prosperous Chepstow merchant family. The building is named Gwy House and has fascinating tales to tell about prominent people in Chepstow's past. Warren Jane the Younger, an Apothecary, built it in 1796 and the building continued to be linked to the medical profession. It was owned for many years in the 19th century by a respected local surgeon and became a Red Cross Hospital for soldiers in the First World War. A display in the museum brightly demonstrates the changing uses of the building over the years.
Chepstow Museum displays the rich and varied past of this ancient town, once an important port and market centre.
Explore the story of traditional cider making: How apples were harvested, milled and pressed, and how the resulting juice was fermented to produce cider.
You can also walk through a reconstruction farm cider house and see the 300year-old travelling cider maker's 'tack'.
The Cider Museum, which opened to the public in 1981, is an independent Charitable Trust, and was created through the efforts of Mr. Bertram Bulmer, when he retired as chairman of H.P.Bulmer Ltd., the largest cider maker in the world. The collection of machinery and other cider making equipment, advertising material, photographs and newspaper cuttings from 1760, has grown to some 26,000 items.
The Museum is designed to look at the whole cider making industry worldwide, from its earliest beginnings through to the mass production methods which exist today. Unique in the United Kingdom, the Cider Museum is the only registered museum devoted entirely to cider and perry-making.
Croft Castle is now a lavish country mansion but it started life as a Norman stronghold on the border of Wales.
The original castle at this site was an earthen ringwork and has been shown by recent excavation to have been similar to Stokesay Castle. A circular ditch surrounded a curving earthen bank which was topped by a palisade of stout timbers. There were timber buildings within the enclosed area and the ramparts may have been strengthened by the addition of wooden watchtowers.
A larger stone castle was built to replace the earth and timber castle around 1400 AD. The new castle was of quadrangular plan and had high but relatively narrow round towers at each corner. It may also have had projecting square turrets at the mid points of each wall but only the turret on the north side now remains. The four round towers still exist to their original height and their battlements have been restored in later years.
Dore Abbey was founded as a Cistercian Abbey by Lord Robert D'Ewyas in 1147. It was consecrated by the founder's brother-in-law, St. Thomas Cantilupe. The abbey flourished in seclusion for almost four hundred years before Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries swept away the nave and all associated monastic buildings.
The church is an interesting survival of the Dissolution, for essentially it did not survive. It was granted to the Scudamores who used it as a stone quarry for a hundred years. In 1632, however, the 1st Viscount Scudamore influenced by his friend, Archbishop Laud, decided to restore what remained of the chancel and transepts and add the little tower that we see today.
Hence, internally, the church is filled with a fine collection of Carolingian ecclesiastical furniture: the chunky screen proudly displaying the arms of Charles I, Scudamore and Laud. The original twelve foot stone altar slab was restored after being used for making cheese in a local farm.
Other interesting features of note include the musicians' gallery (c.1700), good effigies of D'Ewyas and his half-brother, the heart burial of a Bishop of Hereford, medieval floor tiles and a wide array of fascinating roof bosses (now at ground level). The building is well laid out for visitors with guide books for sale and nicely illustrated information boards to read.
Looking like a Medieval Welsh border fortress, Eastnor Castle was built in the early 19th Century, by John, First Lord Somers, and is a good example of the great Norman and Gothic revival in architecture of that time.
The Castle is dramatically situated in a 5000 acre estate in the Malvern Hills and remains the family home of the Hervey-Bathursts, his direct descendants.
The Castle is as dramatic inside as it is outside, a vast 60 foot high hall leads to a series of State rooms, including a Gothic drawing room designed by Pugin, with its original furniture, and a Library in the style of the Italian renaissance, with views across the lake.
The Fairytale Georgian Castle is surrounded by deer park, lake and famous arboretum. Richly decorated Gothic and Italianate interiors with Medieval Armour. Children's playground, garden centre and maze, special events programme. Eastnor Castle is also a popular venue for corporate private entertainment with luxury overnight accommodation.
Eastnor is all about trees. The arboretum planted by Lord Somers from 1852 to 1883 is now mature, and full of champion specimens. Many are rare, including a tall American beech ({Fagus grandifolia}) and an enormous red hickory ({Carya ovalis}). It is however the conifers which dominate the setting for the neo-Norman Castle, largely because they were planted so thickly and in such great numbers.
Details
Nearest Train Station:
Ledbury
Nearest UK Airport:
Birmingham
Months Open:
Sundays and BH Mondays from Easter - 1st weekend in Oct
Every day in July & Aug except Saturdays 11am - 5pm (last admission 4.30pm)
Gloucester Folk Museum is one of the oldest-established museums dedicated to social history. The collections have been drawn together through mainly gifts from the entire county of Gloucestershire, and represent one of the most fascinating collections of such material.
From treen (small wooden items), to the intriguing story of the river Severn fisheries; from historic costume to the life of the dairy; from the reconstructed Victorian classroom to the original pin factory - all of these plus hundreds of other elements of our local history are to be found here.
Set in Tudor timber-framed buildings, one of which was traditionally associated with the final night of the protestant martyr, Bishop Hooper, the Folk Museum is a complex of rooms on different levels and with a unique ambience that makes it a popular sight for locals and visitors. Behind the chocolate-box facade is a museum which is both larger than seems possible, and constantly surprising. No visit to Gloucestershire is complete without seeing the treasures and curiosities on display here.
Location
Contact
Gloustershire city centre nr the docks
99-103 Westgate Street GL1 2PG
Admission Free
Opening
Tue - Sat 10am - 5pm
Notes 1:Exhibition of domestic life- Kitchen & Laundry 2: Displays of Dairy, Ironmongers and Carpenters
This fortified baronial palace stands majestically on a red sandstone crag, commanding the passage of the river Wye into the picturesque wooded valley of Symonds Yat. Much of the stone used was quarried from the rock around the base of the castle, creating a deep moat.
The history of Goodrich castle can be traced back almost a thousand years to it's early establishment by Godric Marplestone hence it's original name of 'Godric's Castle'. The ruins that remain are those of a castle that was built in the late 1130's in the reign of King Stephen by Gilbert de Clare and later the outer stone walls and turrets were added by Walter Marshal the 5th Earl of Pembroke between 1220AD and 1245AD.
Walter Marshall died in 1245AD childless and the castle passed to the Crown and so to Henry III's half brother William de Valence who continued to add to the castle's defences.
The castle is said to be haunted by Alice Birch (Colonel Birch's niece) and her lover Charles Clifford who were drowned while trying to flee across the swollen River Wye during the siege, it's claimed that on a stormy night their ghostly figures can be seen riding a phantom horse and again trying to make that fateful crossing.
Hampton Court was the estate of King Henry IV of England prior to his ascension to the throne. The estate was then bestowed as a reward for a knight's bravery at Agincourt, and the manor home took shape in the 1430s. Hampton Court became famous throughout Europe in the eighteenth century for its formal gardens. Since its acquisition in 1994, Hampton Court has been carefully restored to its former splendour, and its gardens are once again a sight to behold.
There is a maze of a thousand yews with a gothic tower at its centre. Climb to the top for a panoramic view of the gardens or descend underground to a tunnel that leads to a waterfall in the sunken garden. Beautiful herbaceous borders stretch out from a one hundred and fifty year old wisteria tunnel that leads to vast lawns and ancient trees beside the castle. Beyond the lawns are riverside and woodland walks.
Adjoining the castle, in a grand conservatory designed by Joseph Paxton, is the Orangery Restaurant. Here delicious lunches and teas can be enjoyed.
Location
Contact
A417 near junction withA49
Hampton Court Gardens, Hope under Dinmore, Leominster, HR6 0PN
Clustered around Hartpury church are a unique group of ancient buildings lovingly maintained over the centuries by the parishioners. Many of these now need the careful attention of experts to continue to keep them in good order. Hartpury Historic Buildings Trust was established both arrange this and equally importantly to let others know about this gem lying off the beaten track. Find out more by exploring this site or ideally by visiting Hartpury village. The most significant addition to the group of buildings that surround the church was the construction in 1829 of a chapel attached to a wing of Hartpury Court. It was built for the Dominican nuns who fled to Hartpury during the French revolution. Account books for the period show that Robert Canning, the Lord of the Manor, erected the shell of the building and the nuns were then responsible for the internal fittings. A small cottage consisting of two rooms on the ground floor and two above, was built adjoining the chapel. The ground floor room to the north had a connecting door to the Chapel and was probably used as a vestry. The two rooms on the first floor were no doubt occupied by the nuns' priest.
The published histories were all agreed, the Bee Shelter was medieval, built for the convent of Holy Trinity at Caen in Normandy. The stone came from Caen and the honey and wax when harvested were taken there. The fascinating structure comprised 28 stone recesses or boles supported on Tudor arches ?Tudor? - ?medieval? the 'listing' description said 17th century! The experts even questioned whether it was Caen stone!
Location
Contact
From Gloucester, follow A417 towards Ledbury. Once in village of Hartpury follow brown and white signs
Church Road, Hartpury, Gloucester, GL19 3DE
Tel: 01531 822144
Getting there
By road: A417 Gloucester - Ledbury road, approximately 4 miles north of the junction with the A40, 8 miles south of the junction with the M50 (J2). By rail: Nearest mainline station is Gloucester (Wales & West and Great Western trains) By bus: Service S51 from Gloucester Bus Station (infrequent service)
Standing on the peaceful banks of the beautiful River Wye, Hereford Cathedral occupies a site on which cathedral buildings have stood since Saxon times. The present building contains some of the finest examples of architectural excellence from Norman times up to the present day, including the beautifully restored Shrine of St. Thomas of Hereford in the North Transept, the exquisite Early English Lady Chapel and the ' high-tech Medieval ' New Library Building completed in 1996. Hereford Cathedral's medieval Mappa Mundi and Chained library - two of Britain's most important historical treasures - are now exhibited together in the award -winning New Library Building (designed by Whitfield Partners and funded by a generous gift from Mr. John Paul Getty Jr.) at the West end of Hereford Cathedral. Here the Chained Library can be seen together in its original glory for the first time in 150 years.
The exhibition is open all year round. The stories of these national treasures are told through models, original artifacts and the latest interactive computer technology.
Location
Contact
Hereford town centre
Hereford Cathedral, 5 College Cloisters, Cathedral Close, Hereford HR1 2NG
This property has recently been sold, and is no longer open to the public.
Concealed within its grim and rather daunting exterior, centuries of fascinating history could be discovered, together with detailed architectural evidence showing how the property had evolved from a Saxon Hall to a formal country house. The first Lords of Dene had occupied an open hall, typically Saxon, which was then converted to a Norman hall, comprising first floor and undercroft. But prior to these early buildings being erected, there is now good reason to assume that a Roman settlement had occupied the site at Littledean, and fragments of Roman masonry can be found in the surviving part of the Saxon dwelling. Gradually extended over three centuries, the Norman hall had developed into a substantial medieval manor house by the time it was eventually replaced with a Jacobean house in 1612. Until the end of the 19th century Littledean Hall had remained in the Pyrke family, each generation carrying out extensive alterations, and the present house is largely a reflection of that period. Most of the decor and furniture date from the 17th and 18th centuries, with much memorabilia relating to the Civil War. According to legend, Littledean Hall was no stranger to death, having witnessed several murders, and retaining the gruesome marks of one particular incident at the time of the Civil War. In the dining room, previously forming part of the great hall, a fearsome sword fight erupted between the King's garrison and a troop of Roundheads, and among those that fell were Colonel Congreve and Captain Wigmore, whose bloodstains remain visible today.
