Monuments to visit Monmouthshire (Sir Fynwy)

It is the most impressive Norman fortress ruin in the valley and the first stone castle built in the United Kingdom. Following the victory of Hastings in 1066, William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, became King of England and organized the defence of his new territory. Hereford County was entrusted to William Fitz-Osbern, who had the first building of Chepstow Castle built to counter the Welsh attacks: the Great Tower, now at the centre of the overall structure. In 1189, the building passed into the hands of William Marshal. This knight, renowned for his military knowledge, had defensive walls added on either side of the Great Tower, which corresponded to the castle's current enclosure. The entrance was built under his reign, flanked by round towers, a revolutionary detail at a time when the towers were square. The impressive oak doors, also built by Marshal, are the oldest castle doors in Europe!

The Marten's Tower was added between 1285 and 1293, under the reign of Roger Bigod. The castle houses a museum that reconstructs the entire history of the building, particularly through its constant architectural improvements, from a defensive point of view. It is considered by specialists as exemplary in this respect, having always known how to adapt to new attack techniques and often in an innovative way. Aesthetically, it is a pleasure to walk through the impressive volumes of the fortress and contemplate the river.

At the bottom of Monnow Street is the old fortified bridge of the city and the door that marked the entrance to the th century.

It is undoubtedly the most popular market in the region and one of the best places to enjoy the atmosphere of the area. Tuesday is the most important day, the day when people come from all over the Brecon Beacons to buy vegetables, fish and meat. In addition to food, there is a little bit of everything: clothes and jewellery, craftsmen working with wood, leather or wool. A hundred stands animate the huge covered hall every day: you will probably not be disappointed by the atmosphere!

There really remains very little of the castle: The tower, built in the th century, and the structure of the lobby of which one can see the three windows and the chimney.

A bridge leads to the imposing fortress surrounded by water. Built between the 12th and 13th centuries, it impresses by its volume, its thick walls, its massive towers. This masterpiece of masonry has all the characteristics that can be expected of a medieval fortress. Built on a superb natural site, from the heights of the castle you can contemplate the surrounding landscape. It is probably the most spectacular and best preserved of the "Three Castles" (White, Skenfrith and Grosmont), whose threatening profile can be seen from the outset on the horizon.

Despite the assaults of the civil war against which the castle had to resist, its ruins remain impressive. And yet, he had to manage to endure a ten-week siege! The main entrance is imposing, with its semi-hexagonal towers with projecting edges, set like crowns of stones at their top.

To the left of the entrance, the Great Tower, a building by William ap Thomas, is considered a masterpiece of defensive innovation. It was Thomas, Earl of Pembroke, who began to give the castle its palace character.