Chepstow

Chepstow (Welsh: Cas-gwent) is a border town straddling the Monmouthshire—Gloucestershire border, situated at the confluence of the River Wye and River Severn on the Severn's west bank. It is famous for its castle and racecourse, which hosts the Welsh Grand National. Chepstow proper is on the west bank of the Wye, within Wales; the English part on the eastern bank consists of Tutshill and Sedbury.

Chepstow Castle from the old Wye Bridge

History

Chepstow sits upstream of the confluence of the River Wye and River Severn. There has been a settlement on the site since at least the early middle ages, and there is some evidence of a small Roman settlement. It was named Striguil in Norman times - from the Welsh word ystraigyl meaning a bend in the river - but became known as Chepstow from the old English ceap / chepe stowe meaning market place.

The oldest area of known habitation is the Iron Age fortified camp at Bulwark. The town is close to the southern point of Offa's Dyke, which begins on the east bank of the Wye and runs all the way to the Irish Sea in north Wales. This was built in about the 8th century as a boundary between English and Welsh kingdoms, although recent research suggests that the part near Chepstow may not actually be part of the original Dyke.

Chepstow Castle is the oldest surviving stone fortification in Britain. After the Norman Invasion Chepstow was identified as an ideal site for a castle, as it not only controlled a crossing point on the River Wye, but also because the steep limestone gorge and castle dell afforded an excellent location for a castle. William the Conqueror ordered its construction in 1067, and it was designed by the master castle builder of the time, William fitzOsbern. The speed with which William the Conqueror committed to the creation of a castle in Chepstow is testament to its strategic importance. At the time, the kingdoms in the area were independent of the English crown and the castle in Chepstow provided a way to suppress the Welsh from attacking Gloucestershire.

From the 14th century, with the end of the wars between England and Wales, the castle's importance declined. Henry Marten, one of the commissioners who signed the death warrant of King Charles I, was imprisoned here before his death in 1680. In 1913, the movie "Ivanhoe", starring King Baggot, was made in the castle.

The 13th century town wall (locally known as the Port Wall) still stands, and particularly good sections can be seen at the Welsh Street car park, and either side of the A48 road. The Town Gate through the wall at the top end of the High Street was rebuilt in the 16th century.

There are a number of churches in Chepstow, including a variety of non-conformist denominations. The most significant of these is the Parish and Priory Church of St Mary, located at the bottom of the town. It, like the castle, is Norman in origin, although much rebuilt and extended in later centuries. Benedictine monks from Cormeilles in Normandy, Chepstow's twin town, were there until the Dissolution of the Monasteries from 1536.

Industries

In addition to being a market town, Chepstow was from medieval times the largest port in Wales. Although it mainly traded in timber from the Wye Valley and with Bristol, records show that Chepstow ships sailed as far afield as Iceland and Turkey, as well as to France, Portugal and Ireland. In 1840, leaders of the Chartist insurrection in Newport were transported from Chepstow to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania).

The port function and local shipbuilding trade declined during the 19th century as ship design developed and the cities of Cardiff, Newport and Swansea became more suitable for handling the export of coal and steel from the Glamorganshire and Monmouthshire valleys. Shipbuilding was briefly revived during the First World War when the first prefabricated ships were constructed. The area known as "Garden City" and parts of Bulwark Village were built to house the workers that were brought to Chepstow from 1917 to work in the new National Shipyard no.1. The Bulwark area is now home to about two thirds of the population of Chepstow, and much of the industry of the town is based at the Bulwark Trading Estate.

The shipyard developed on the site where the Wye railway bridge had been constructed, and was subsequently taken over by the engineering firm Fairfield Mabey, who specialise in steelwork for bridges and other structures. Other local industries have included the material for artificial ski slopes, developed at the "Dendix" brush factory.

Transport

Chepstow railway station is on the Gloucester to Newport Line. The railway bridge over the Wye was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1852, but the original structure was replaced in the 1960s.

The old cast iron road bridge across the Wye, dating from 1816 and designed by John Rastrick, is an elegant example of engineering from the Regency period. It succeeded a number of wooden predecessors which had been built on or near the same site. Until the Severn Bridge - now part of the M48 - was opened in 1966, and a new A48 bridge over the Wye in 1988, the old bridge carried all the road traffic between England and South Wales. The Severn Bridge has the second longest span of any bridge in the UK; it replaced the Beachley Ferry.

The town today

Chepstow has a recently built PFI funded community hospital and several new housing estates. Over £2 million has recently been invested in regenerating the town centre. This scheme, which includes new sculptures and other public art, encountered some local criticism over its high cost, but has gained several national awards reflecting its high design quality.

The town centre has a good range of shops, pubs and restaurants. The area beside the river has been attractively landscaped as part of a flood defence scheme. The town holds a biennial festival, and in most recent years has also organised major son et lumiere pageants covering aspects of local history, using local residents under professional direction.

Chepstow also has many excellent schools with one of the best co-education semi-boarding schools St Johns on the Hill being located on the outskirts towards Tutshill.

Chepstow racecourse is the leading horse racing course in Wales. It is located on the edge of the town, in the grounds of the ruined Piercefield House.

Nearby are the Royal Forest of Dean and the Wye Valley. Tintern Abbey is about 5 miles distant. Many current residents of the town commute to Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and elsewhere.

For a history of the Salvation Army in Chepstow see Chepstow Salvation Army.

Notable people from Chepstow

*James Stephens (1821-1889), stonemason, Chartist, and leading Australian trade unionist.
*Eleanor Anne Ormerod (1828-1901), leading entomologist, was born at nearby Sedbury Park.
*J K Rowling (born 1965), author of the Harry Potter books, lived in the adjoining village of Tutshill from the age of 9, and attended secondary school at Wyedean School and College. (Some other websites state wrongly that she was born in the town; she was actually born in Yate and in early childhood lived at Winterbourne, Gloucestershire.)
*Grant Nicholas (born 1967) of the band Feeder grew up in Chepstow.

Chepstow: Encyclopedia BETA