Monmouth
Monmouth
| |
---|---|
Flag | |
Location within Monmouthshire | |
Population | 10,508 (2011)[1] |
OS grid reference | SO505125 |
Principal area | |
Preserved county | |
Country | Wales |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | MONMOUTH |
Postcode district | NP25 |
Dialling code | 01600 |
Police | Gwent |
Fire | South Wales |
Ambulance | Welsh |
UK Parliament | |
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
Website | www.monmouth.gov.uk |
Monmouth (
The town was the site of a small
Etymology
The name Monmouth is an English contraction of 'Monnow-mouth'. The Welsh name for the river, Mynwy, which may originally have meant "fast-flowing", was anglicised as Monnow. The town was originally known in Welsh as Abermynwy ("mouth of the Monnow"), replaced by Trefynwy ("Monnow town" – the initial m of Mynwy mutating in Welsh to f, pronounced /v/) by the 1600s.[2]
History
Excavations undertaken by the Monmouth Archaeological Society on sites along Monnow Street have uncovered details of the early history of the town. The Council for British Archaeology has designated Monmouth as one of the top ten towns in Britain for archaeology.[3]
Prehistoric
Evidence of a
The excavations later revealed the remains of a Neolithic dwelling.[5] The dwelling was constructed on stilts on a human-made island away from the lake shore in water up to 10 ft (3 m) deep.[5][6] Oak timbers had been "skillfully" cut with stone or flint axes to form stilts, of posts and poles, which "probably" rested on three parallel fully-grown tree 'sleeper beams', up to 3 feet 3 inches (1 m) wide, laid horizontally on the lakebed.[5][6] Timbers from the structure were radiocarbon dated to 4867 years before present (BP).[7]
Roman times
The first recorded settlement at Monmouth was the small
The Middle Ages
After the end of Roman rule in Britain, the area was at the southern edge of the Welsh kingdom of Ergyng. The only evidence of continuing settlement at Monmouth is a record of a 7th-century church, at an unknown location within the town, dedicated to the Welsh saint Cadoc. In 1056, the area was devastated by the Welsh prince Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, on his way with an army of Welsh, Saxons and Danes to defeat Ralph, Earl of Hereford, and sack the Saxon burh at Hereford, 18 miles (29 km) to the north.[10]
Following the
The town was recorded in the Domesday Book as part of Herefordshire, and expanded thereafter. There was early burgage development along Monnow Street, and the suburb of Overmonnow, west of the river and protected by a defensive moat called the Clawdd-du or Black ditch, began to develop by the 12th century.[8] Charters from the period refer to the town's trade in iron, and to forges making use of local ore and charcoal. The cinders produced by the forges formed heaps, and were used in building foundations; the name of Cinderhill Street in Overmonnow dates from this period.[11]
During the period of turmoil between the supporters of King
King
From the 14th century onwards, the town became noted for the production of
Post-medieval times
In 1536,
By the end of the 18th century, the town had become a popular centre for visitors undertaking the "
The 19th and 20th centuries
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The town was visited in 1802 by
Until the establishment of an official police force in 1857, Monmouth had a parish constable assisted by beadles to keep law and order.[18] The appointed constables held office for a year and were often men who had experience in other local government or community roles.[19] William Fuller who held office as Monmouth's constable for over twenty years in the early to mid 19th century, also served as Inspector of Nuisances, Chief of the Fire Brigade, Inspector of Weights and Measures, Clerk of the Market, and Conservator of the Wye.[18]
Fuller is also recorded as having rescued people from drowning, acted as emergency midwife, and rescued a woman from a flooded house. The types of crime that Fuller and subsequent police officers had to deal with in and around Monmouth as the century progressed were recorded in detail in the local newspapers, the Merlin and the
Four railways were built to serve Monmouth between 1857 and 1883: the Coleford, Monmouth, Usk and Pontypool Railway, the Ross and Monmouth Railway, the Wye Valley Railway, and the Coleford Railway. All of these closed between 1917 and 1964.[20] In 1896 a hydroelectric power station was built on the River Monnow at Osbaston, providing electrical power to the town until 1953. A new hydroelectric station was built on the same site and has operated since 2009, typically generating 670,000kWh annually.[21]
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Monmouth had close links with the
Monmouth remained a relatively quiet town for most of the 20th century; its passenger rail services ended in 1959, but its road connections were improved with the new A40 bypassing the town in 1966, although this "severed the town ruthlessly from the river on which in the past it had depended",[24] and later connecting the town to the motorway system. These improved communications contributed to the development of the town, with suburbs extending beyond the rivers Wye and Monnow to the south-east, west and north of the old town centre.[10] In July 2015 the town adopted a flag.[25]
Monmouthpedia
Monmouth is the focus of MonmouthpediA, the first Wikipedia
Geography
Monmouth is in an area of Devonian age Old Red Sandstone, at the point where the River Wye is joined by its tributary, the River Monnow, and immediately north of the point at which the smaller River Trothy flows into the Wye from the west. Immediately to the south, the Wye enters a valley, incised into sandstone and, in particular, Carboniferous Limestone. The town is surrounded by wooded hills to its north, east and south, including Buckholt Wood (230 m or 750 ft), The Kymin (260 m or 850 ft), and The Graig (258 m or 846 ft), with more gently undulating terrain to the west.[28] The town centre itself is sited on a low-lying spur between the floodplains of the Wye and Monnow, and has frequently suffered from severe flooding.[29] The water-meadows to the north and south of the town centre, known respectively as Vauxhall Fields and Chippenham Mead, have generally remained free of development.[30]
In climatic terms, the town is located between those areas around the
Transport
Since 1966, the
Governance
Monmouth is administered by Monmouthshire County Council, one of the 22 unitary local authorities in Wales formed in 1996. Its offices were located until 2012 at the former Gwent County Hall at Croesyceiliog, Cwmbran; its main offices are now located at Rhydar, just outside Usk.[34][35][36] The town elects five county councillors, for the wards of Dixton with Osbaston, Drybridge, Overmonnow, Town and Wyesham; as of March 2024, three councillors are Welsh Labour, two independent and one Welsh Conservative.[37] The town also has its own town council, comprising 19 councillors elected every five years.[38] The mayor of Monmouth for the year 2023/2034 is councillor Tom Kirton.[39]
Monmouth had a
The town was first represented in
The
Economy
Monmouth developed primarily as a market town, and
Monmouth is now primarily a centre for service industries and tourism, and its good road communications have encouraged commuting to larger centres in the West Midlands, South Wales, and Bristol.[48] The Monmouth and District Chamber of Trade and Commerce represents businesses in the town and aims to support and encourage their development.[49]
The town has a variety of both national and independent shops, most situated along Monnow Street. There are a number of supermarkets, some banks although the numbers have declined in the 21st century, and independent cafes and restaurants.
According to the 2001 census,[53] Monmouth had relatively high proportions of its population working in the retail and wholesale sectors of the economy (19.5%, compared with 16.3% for Wales as a whole), education (11.8%, compared with 8.1% across Wales), and property services (10.8%, compared with 8.5% across Wales). The proportion working in manufacturing was lower than the average (16.5% compared with 17.3% across Wales), as was the proportion in public administration (4.3% compared with 6.8% across Wales). In terms of occupational groups,[54] the proportion of residents in managerial and professional posts was higher than average (30.1% compared with 22.7% across Wales), and the proportions in administrative and processing work were lower (8.7% in each group, compared with 12.2% and 10.2% respectively across Wales).
Demography
The usual resident population in the
Education
There are three
The secondary schooling needs of the town are served by
Health and social care
Health care services are provided by the
The Bridges Community Centre in
Religion
In the 2001 census, 74.2% of the town's resident population gave their religion as
Monmouth contains
Culture and regular events
The Savoy Theatre, on Church Street, is believed to be the oldest working theatre in Wales.[70] Monmouth is also home to the Blake Theatre, which opened in 2004.[71] Local performance groups include the Off Centre Theatre Company, Monmouth Operatic Society, Monmouth Choral Society, and the Merlin Society, one of the largest music societies in the country.[50] The Monmouthshire Show (formerly the Monmouth Show) has been held each year, traditionally on the last Thursday of August, since 1919, though its history can be traced back to 1857. Prior to that there had been an agricultural society in the town dating back to the 1790s, which held ploughing competitions. The show, now held on the third Saturday in July, is the largest one-day agricultural show in Wales, with over 350 trade stands.[72][73]
The
Sport, leisure and tourism
Monmouth is home to Monmouth Town F.C., a football club founded around 1905. It plays in the Ardal League South East (third tier) at the Chippenham Sports Ground.[86] The town has a leisure centre, on the site of the comprehensive school, with a 20m x 10m swimming pool. In 2011 the swimming pool underwent a £300,000 refurbishment.[87] There is an 18-hole golf course on the edge of the town, as well as the Rolls Golf Club at The Hendre. There are also cricket, bowls and rugby clubs.[50] Monmouth is the current training base for the Welsh Men's National Lacrosse team, which trained at Monmouth Girls School before the 2014 world championships. Monmouth has a rowing tradition on the River Wye, with the Monmouth Rowing Club, founded in 1928,[88] whose boathouse also hosts the rowing clubs of Monmouth Comprehensive School[89] and of Monmouth School for Girls,[90] and Monmouth School for Boys Rowing club, which has its own boathouse on the opposite bank of the Wye.[91]
Monmouth has been established as a tourist centre for some 200 years. It is in close proximity to the
Notable people
People associated with Monmouth include
Gallery
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View westwards over Monmouth from The Kymin
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pedestrianisedshopping area
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Part of Agincourt Square, showing theKing's Head Hotel
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Remains of the Great Tower of Monmouth Castle
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Wye Bridge on the River Wye
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The Nelson Garden
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Closed railway lines from Monmouth Troy to Chepstow, Ross-on-Wye thence to either Hereford and Gloucester
See also
References
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External links
- Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 19 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 728. .
- Monmouth Town Council
- Monmouth Town Guide[permanent dead link]
- Old photos of Monmouth Archived 10 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- Old photos and info on Monmouth's railway history