A466
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The A466, also known as the Wye Valley Road, is a road from
Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
to
Chepstow Chepstow () is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the tidal River Wye, about above its confluence with the River Severn, and adjoining the western end of the ...
,
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
via
Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...
,
Tintern Tintern () is a village in the community (Wales), community of Wye Valley (community), Wye Valley, on the west bank of the River Wye in Monmouthshire, Wales, close to the border with England, about north of Chepstow. It is popular with tourist ...
and the
Wye Valley The Wye Valley () is a valley in Wales and England. The River Wye () is the Rivers of Great Britain#Longest rivers in the United Kingdom, fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The upper part of the valley is in the Cambrian Mountains an ...
. The road was largely developed during the late 18th and early 19th centuries by
turnpike trust Turnpike trusts were bodies set up by individual Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom, Acts of Parliament, with powers to collect road toll road, tolls for maintaining the principal roads in Kingdom of Great Britain, Britain from the 17th ...
s in Herefordshire and Monmouthshire. It replaced the
River Wye The River Wye (; ) is the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, fourth-longest river in the UK, stretching some from its source on Plynlimon in mid Wales to the Severn Estuary. The lower reaches of the river forms part of Wales-England bor ...
as the principal means of transport to Tintern before the construction of the
Wye Valley Railway The Wye Valley Railway was a standard gauge railway that ran for nearly along the Lower Wye Valley between the towns of Chepstow and Monmouth, crossing several times between Wales and England. Opened on 1 November 1876, it was leased to, and w ...
in the late 19th century. The A466 remains an important route for local residents and tourists, and now provides access to the
Severn Bridge The Severn Bridge () is a Controlled-access highway, motorway suspension bridge that spans the River Severn between South Gloucestershire in England and Monmouthshire in South East Wales. It is the original Severn crossing, Severn road crossi ...
on the
M48 motorway The M48 is a motorway in Great Britain, which crosses the Severn near Chepstow, Monmouthshire, linking England with Wales via the Severn Bridge. This road used to be the M4, and as a result is anomalously numbered: as it lies to the north o ...
.


Route

The A466 is about long and runs through the counties of
Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...
and
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
in England, and
Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...
in Wales. It runs south from Kingsthorne, on the A49 south east of
Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...
to
Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...
, crossing the A40. After crossing the
River Wye The River Wye (; ) is the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, fourth-longest river in the UK, stretching some from its source on Plynlimon in mid Wales to the Severn Estuary. The lower reaches of the river forms part of Wales-England bor ...
at the
Wye Bridge, Monmouth The Wye Bridge in Monmouth is a bridge across the River Wye. The A466 passes over it and immediately meets the A40 at its western end. The bridge is a grade II listed building. The total span of the bridge is . History The original wooden brid ...
and Bigsweir Bridge near
Llandogo Llandogo is a small village in Monmouthshire, south Wales, between Monmouth and Chepstow in the lower reaches of the Wye Valley AONB, two miles north of Tintern. It is set on a steep hillside overlooking the River Wye and across into the Forest o ...
, it follows a picturesque route south down the
Wye valley The Wye Valley () is a valley in Wales and England. The River Wye () is the Rivers of Great Britain#Longest rivers in the United Kingdom, fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The upper part of the valley is in the Cambrian Mountains an ...
through
Tintern Tintern () is a village in the community (Wales), community of Wye Valley (community), Wye Valley, on the west bank of the River Wye in Monmouthshire, Wales, close to the border with England, about north of Chepstow. It is popular with tourist ...
and Chepstow to the
M48 motorway The M48 is a motorway in Great Britain, which crosses the Severn near Chepstow, Monmouthshire, linking England with Wales via the Severn Bridge. This road used to be the M4, and as a result is anomalously numbered: as it lies to the north o ...
at junction 2. The road crosses the border between England and Wales at three places along its length: at Buckholt,
Redbrook Redbrook is a village in Gloucestershire, England, adjoining the border with Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located on the River Wye and is within the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. History Both Upper and Lower Redbrook were ment ...
, and
Bigsweir Bigsweir Bridge is an 1827 road bridge crossing the River Wye, straddling the boundary between the parish of St. Briavels, Gloucestershire, England, and Llandogo, Monmouthshire, Wales. Location The bridge carries the A466 road, and is located a ...
. It runs through an
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is one of 46 areas of countryside in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Since 2023, the areas in England an ...
, and is popular with tourists, offering good views of the area around the Wye valley. Most of the road is maintained by the respective county councils except for the southernmost section from Chepstow to the M48, which is a
trunk road A trunk road is a major highway with a specific legal classification in some jurisdictions, notably the United Kingdom, Sweden and formerly Ireland. Trunk roads are planned and managed at the national-level, distinguishing them from non-trunk ro ...
and funded by the
National Assembly for Wales The Senedd ( ; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, Its role is to scrutinise the Welsh Government and legislate on devolve ...
.


History


Turnpikes

Between Kingsthorne and Monmouth, the road passes through open countryside several miles to the west of the River Wye, and the villages of
Wormelow Tump Wormelow Tump is a village in Herefordshire, England, south of Hereford and north-west of Ross-on-Wye. Most of the village lies in the parish of Much Birch, but it extends west across the parish boundary – which here follows the A466 – i ...
,
St Weonards St Weonards () is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, located south of Hereford, west of Ross-on-Wye and north of Monmouth, on the A466 road. Within the parish and also on the A466 is the hamlet of Sandyway. St Weonards li ...
, Llancloudy and
Welsh Newton Welsh Newton is a small village and civil parish in the county of Herefordshire, England. It is located close to the border with Wales to which the parish extends towards Monmouthshire. It should not be confused with Newton, a township-chapelry ...
. This part of the road was turnpiked incrementally in short stages in the late eighteenth century and became known as "The Great Road to the Town of Monmouth". The initial turnpike in 1730 ran as far as
St Weonards St Weonards () is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, located south of Hereford, west of Ross-on-Wye and north of Monmouth, on the A466 road. Within the parish and also on the A466 is the hamlet of Sandyway. St Weonards li ...
, and was extended to Llancloudy in 1769. A
tollhouse A tollhouse or toll house is a building with accommodation for a toll collector, beside a tollgate on a toll road, canal, or toll bridge. History Many tollhouses were built by turnpike trusts in England, Wales and Scotland during the 18th and ...
survives at Monkgate, Monmouth. The Wye Bridge at Monmouth has existed in one form or another since the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
. The current bridge was built in 1879 by Edwin Seward of Cardiff from red and bluff sandstone. After crossing the river at Monmouth, the road passes through
Redbrook Redbrook is a village in Gloucestershire, England, adjoining the border with Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located on the River Wye and is within the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. History Both Upper and Lower Redbrook were ment ...
,
Llandogo Llandogo is a small village in Monmouthshire, south Wales, between Monmouth and Chepstow in the lower reaches of the Wye Valley AONB, two miles north of Tintern. It is set on a steep hillside overlooking the River Wye and across into the Forest o ...
,
Tintern Tintern () is a village in the community (Wales), community of Wye Valley (community), Wye Valley, on the west bank of the River Wye in Monmouthshire, Wales, close to the border with England, about north of Chepstow. It is popular with tourist ...
and
St Arvans St Arvans () is a village and community (equivalent to a parish) in Monmouthshire, south-east Wales. It is located two miles north west of Chepstow, close to Chepstow Racecourse, Piercefield House and the Wye Valley AONB. It is connected by a s ...
, in the deeply incised river valley, before reaching
Chepstow Racecourse Chepstow Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing course located just north of the town of Chepstow in Monmouthshire, Wales, near the southern end of the Wye Valley and close to the border with England. It is one of 16 racecourses operated by t ...
and the town of Chepstow. Until the early nineteenth century, the road between Chepstow and Monmouth passed through St Arvans,
Devauden Devauden () is a village and community in Monmouthshire, southeast Wales. It is located between Chepstow and Monmouth near the top of the Trellech ridge on the B4293 road. The community covers an area of , and includes the villages of Itton and ...
and
Trellech Trellech (occasionally spelt Trelech, Treleck or Trelleck; ) is a village and parish in Monmouthshire, south-east Wales. Located south of Monmouth and north-north-west of Tintern, Trellech lies on a plateau above the Wye Valley on the souther ...
(the current B4293); the riverside villages of Llandogo,
Brockweir Brockweir is a village in Hewelsfield and Brockweir civil parish, in the Forest of Dean District of Gloucestershire, England. The civil parish also includes the separate village of Hewelsfield. The village is located on the eastern bank of ...
and Tintern, with their associated
tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...
, metalworking and shipbuilding industries, were more easily accessed by river. The route between Monmouth and Redbrook was part of the main road between Monmouth and Coleford. The road between Crossway Green, just north of Chepstow, and St Arvans was improved soon after 1760 by Valentine Morris, the owner of the adjoining Piercefield estate, and again around 1800 by its subsequent owner Mark Wood. In about 1809, proposals were made to cut a new road along the valley, to improve access to Tintern in particular. Little progress was made until 1824, when legislation was passed "for Making a Turnpike Road from Redbrook to St Arvans" and a bridge at Bigsweir, under the authority of the Monmouth Turnpike Trust. The new road was constructed between St Arvans and Tintern in 1825, and by 1829 the road had been opened along its whole length. Bigsweir Bridge was opened in 1827 as part of the new road. Two turnpike houses from this period are still standing; one at St Arvans is Grade II listed, while another is by Bigsweir Bridge. The trusts were wound up in 1873, with control ultimately passing to the relevant county councils. The turnpike was superseded in 1876 by the
Wye Valley Railway The Wye Valley Railway was a standard gauge railway that ran for nearly along the Lower Wye Valley between the towns of Chepstow and Monmouth, crossing several times between Wales and England. Opened on 1 November 1876, it was leased to, and w ...
, which led to a huge increase in tourist traffic to the valley and Tintern.


Motor traffic

The southernmost section of the A466 is the Wye Valley Link Road, which was a project built in conjunction with the first
Severn Bridge The Severn Bridge () is a Controlled-access highway, motorway suspension bridge that spans the River Severn between South Gloucestershire in England and Monmouthshire in South East Wales. It is the original Severn crossing, Severn road crossi ...
. It opened to traffic in 1963. The remainder of the road north of this is under local government control; the
Ministry of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...
dismissed calls in the late 1960s for them to improve the road to deal with increasing congestion.


References


External links


SABRE entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:4-0466 Roads in England Roads in Wales Transport in Herefordshire Transport in Gloucestershire Transport in Monmouthshire