
The Port Wall in
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
, is a late thirteenth century stone wall, which was constructed for the twin
purposes of defence and tax collection by permitting users of the town's market only one point of access through the wall at the
Town Gate. The wall originally formed a semi-circle extending for some , roughly southwards from
Chepstow Castle
Chepstow Castle () at Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales, is the oldest surviving post-Roman stone fortification in Britain. Located above cliffs on the River Wye, construction began in 1067 under the instruction of the Normans, Norman Lord William ...
to 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 ...
. It enclosed an area of , including the entire town and port as it existed at that time. Substantial sections of the wall remain intact, and both the Port Wall and the Town Gate are
Grade I listed buildings
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
. The Port Wall is a
Scheduled monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...
.
History

After the
Norman conquest of England
The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...
and
parts of south Wales, Chepstow developed as an important port and trading centre within the
Marcher Lord
A marcher lord () was a noble appointed by the king of England to guard the border (known as the Welsh Marches) between England and Wales.
A marcher lord was the English equivalent of a margrave (in the Holy Roman Empire) or a marquis (in Fra ...
ship of
Striguil
Striguil or Strigoil is the name that was used from the 11th century until the late 14th century for the port and Norman castle of Chepstow, on the Welsh side of the River Wye which forms the boundary with England. The name was also applied to t ...
, the town's name deriving from meaning a trading place. The town and
its priory were defended by its castle, established in 1067 and reconstructed and extended in stone on several occasions. The port was known for its exports of timber and bark, and its imports of wine from
Gascony
Gascony (; ) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part of the combined Province of Guyenne and Gascon ...
,
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
and
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
. Because of its status as a Marcher lordship, dues were levied by the local lord, outside any direct control by the
English crown
This list of kings and reigning queens of the Kingdom of England begins with Alfred the Great, who initially ruled Wessex, one of the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms which later made up modern England. Alfred styled himself king of the Anglo-Sax ...
.
It has been suggested, but not confirmed, that the priory, castle and river crossing may originally have been defended by earthworks in a line some way to the east of the later stone wall, and that the market place initially grew up outside that line.
[R. Shoesmith, ''Excavations at Chepstow 1973–1974'', Cambrian Archaeological Association, 1991, , pp.156-172]
In 1270 the lordship came under the control of
Roger Bigod, 5th Earl of Norfolk
Roger Bigod (c. 1245 – bf. 6 December 1306) was 5th Earl of Norfolk.
Origins
He was the son of Hugh Bigod (Justiciar), Hugh Bigod (1211–1266), Justiciar, and succeeded his father's elder brother Roger Bigod, 4th Earl of Norfolk (1209� ...
, after the death of
his uncle. Bigod undertook a substantial building programme within and around Chepstow, including, at the castle, a new range of buildings for accommodation for himself and his family, and a massive new defensive tower (now known as "Marten's Tower"); and also, a few miles to the north, the rebuilding of
Tintern Abbey
Tintern Abbey ( ) is a ruined medieval abbey situated adjacent to the village of Tintern in Monmouthshire, on the Welsh bank of the River Wye, which at this location forms the border between Monmouthshire in Wales and Gloucestershire in England. ...
. He was also responsible for the building of the Port Wall, usually dated at 1274–78, and the Town Gate; and, in 1294, for granting to his close associate, John ap Adam of
Sedbury
Sedbury is a village in the Forest of Dean district of west Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the eastern bank of the River Wye, facing the town of Chepstow in Monmouthshire. The village is in the parish of Tidenham. It had a populatio ...
, the right to hold a regular market at Chepstow. The Port Wall and Town Gate together ensured that only those paying tolls to the lord could attend the market; and had the additional purpose of keeping out undesirable elements, including the occasionally hostile
Welsh people living in the countryside to the west of the town.
[Rick Turner and Andy Johnson (eds.), ''Chepstow Castle – its history and buildings'', Logaston Press, 2006, , pp.207-211][ Chepstow Town Council: The Port Wall]
. Accessed 11 February 2012 Much of the land within the walls was never built on, but was used as pasture, orchards and gardens, with wharves and shipyards on the river.
[John Newman, ''The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire'', Penguin Books, 2000, , pp.182-183]
Construction

The wall is, on average, about high and thick. It was built without any substantial foundations, and is faced with roughly squared blocks of stone
ashlar
Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones.
Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...
and filled with rubble.
It originally had a walkway along the inside and battlements along the top, and at least 11 outward-facing semi-circular towers, each about 8 metres in diameter. In some stretches there was a dry ditch outside the wall.
It is uncertain whether the wall originally extended from the castle wall itself, or from a point across the Dell, a steeply sided valley which forms a natural moat on the south side of the castle.
Remains
The wall remained wholly intact until it was breached in 1846 to allow the construction of the railway line between Chepstow and
Newport. The stretch of wall running south of the railway line to the river was then demolished in 1916 for the development of the
National Shipyard No.1 during the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, and a further gap was opened up in the wall shortly afterwards to enable the children of shipyard workers in the newly built Hardwick Garden City estate, just outside the wall, pedestrian access to their school. Gaps in the wall were later opened to give vehicle access to the main town car park at Welsh Street in the 1960s, and for a new relief road (
A48 A48 may refer to:
* A48 motorway (France), a road connecting the A43 and Grenoble
* A48 road (Great Britain), a road connecting Gloucester, England and Carmarthen, Wales
* Autovía A-48, a motorway under construction connecting Cadiz and Algecira ...
) in the early 1970s.
The Port Wall was given Grade I Listed Building status on 24 March 1975.
See also
*
List of Cadw properties
Cadw is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government which manages historical buildings and ancient monuments in Wales.
Location map
See also
*List of National Trust properties in Wales
Below is a list of the stately home ...
*
List of town walls in England and Wales
This list of town walls in England and Wales describes the city wall, fortified walls built and maintained around these towns and cities from the 1st century AD onwards. The first town walls were built by the Romans, following their Roman conq ...
References
{{coord, 51.640153, -2.67571, type:landmark_region:GB-MON, display=title
Grade I listed buildings in Monmouthshire
City walls in the United Kingdom
Chepstow
Scheduled monuments in Monmouthshire