Town in Monmouthshire, Wales
Chepstow
A castle with Britain's oldest stone keep of its kind, a regicide jailed for twenty years and a tide that rises like almost nowhere else: welcome to Chepstow.
Key information
- County
- Monmouthshire
- Nation
- Wales
- Population
- About 12,000 (2021 Census)
- Known for
- Chepstow Castle, the Welsh Grand National, the tidal River Wye, the start of Offa's Dyke Path
- Famous people
- William fitzOsbern, William Marshal, Henry Marten, Isambard Kingdom Brunel (bridge builder)
- Football clubs
- Chepstow Town
About Chepstow
The castle that came before almost every other
Chepstow Castle was started in 1067, just a year after the Battle of Hastings, by William fitzOsbern, a close friend of William the Conqueror. Its Great Tower is generally reckoned the oldest surviving post-Roman stone fortification in Britain. It perches on a limestone cliff above the River Wye, and the site was chosen with a sharp eye: the river was a highway, and whoever held this spot controlled the way in and out of south Wales. The castle also holds a rare treasure. A set of heavy timber doors, dated by tree-ring analysis to the 1190s, is thought to be among the oldest castle doors surviving in Europe. They are now displayed inside, having been replaced long ago. Later lords kept building. William Marshal, the celebrated knight who gained the lordship through marriage in 1189, strengthened the defences, and the Bigod earls added more lodgings and towers in the 1200s.
The king-killer who got comfortable
Henry Marten signed the death warrant of Charles I in 1649. When the monarchy returned in 1660, he was spared execution but locked up for life, and the last chapter of his story played out at Chepstow. He spent about twenty years in prison in all, the last twelve of them at Chepstow Castle from 1668, in the tower that now bears his name. By most accounts his imprisonment was relatively gentle, and his long-term partner Mary Ward was allowed to stay with him. He died there in 1680, and is buried in the town's church of St Mary. The tower is a good place to ponder how quickly fortunes could turn in the 17th century.
A tide that falls off a cliff
The Wye at Chepstow feeds into the Severn Estuary, which has one of the biggest tidal ranges in the world. The water can rise and fall by around 14 metres, so the river looks like a different place from one hour to the next. At low tide there is mud and a trickle. At high tide it can lap up against the quays. That made Chepstow a tricky but important port. Timber, bark, cider and iron came down the Wye, and the town grew rich on the trade. Shipbuilding followed, and during the Second World War local yards worked on parts for the Mulberry harbours used after D-Day. The iron road bridge of 1816 and Brunel's tubular railway bridge, opened in 1852, both cross the river here, a neat pair of engineering milestones in one spot.
Why a market town carries a wall
The name Chepstow comes from Old English for 'market place', and the Welsh name is Cas-gwent. Before the Normans, the area was known as Striguil, a name that survived in the lordship for centuries. The medieval Port Wall still curves around the old town, and the Town Gate, rebuilt over the years, still frames the main street. Few Welsh towns keep their defences so visibly, and walking beneath the gate gives the place its 'Gateway to Wales' feel. The Norman priory church of St Mary, with its massive nave, is another survivor from the earliest years of the town.
Racing, rugby and a very long walk
Chepstow Racecourse is one of the best-known jump racing tracks in Britain, and the Welsh Grand National, held each winter, is its biggest day. The race has a reputation for testing stamina on heavy ground, and the course sits in the grounds of the former Piercefield estate. On the sporting side, Chepstow has its own rugby and football clubs, including Chepstow Town. Walkers know the town for a different reason. Offa's Dyke Path starts at Sedbury Cliffs, just across the Wye, and runs for 177 miles to Prestatyn on the north Wales coast. The Wye Valley Walk heads upstream from Chepstow too, passing through woods and gorges towards the ruins of Tintern Abbey, a few miles up the river.