Port Wall

Cadw's description

Location

Extending from the curtain wall? of Chepstow Castle, uphill to the town gate and crossing to the quarry above the station.

History

Probably built between 1272 and 1278 by Roger Bigod III. It follows a course along defensible high ground to S of the medieval town; to N the town is bordered by the River Wye. The railway created a breach in the SE part of the wall in 1846 and the section leading down to the River Wye was destroyed in 1916 during the development of the shipyards. In later C20 a section was destroyed to create car-park access from Welsh Street and another for the route of the inner relief road.

Exterior

Town wall built entirely of unworked stone rubble. The area enclosed is 130 acres. The wall originally ran from the west end of the Castle to a point on the river bank to E, thus enclosing the peninsular. It is over two-thirds of a mile long, over 2m thick and from about 5 to 7m high. It was embattled with a wall-walk. Bastions were c 9m in diameter and D-shaped without arrow slits and open at the back, formerly with timber staging. Only wall openings are a series of square slots to drain water from the wall-walk. In places some coping stones survive. From a square turret in Castle Dell the wall extends S. It is clearly visible in the car-park and turns SE to link with the Town Gate, on either side of which it is incorporated into other buildings. It is visible again on high ground S of the relief road and then along the crest of the quarry by the station; in this latter section are five bastions.

Reason for designation

Graded I as an important medieval town wall, an integral part of the town's historical development and plan. Chepstow Town wall and Gate are Scheduled Ancient Monument 13/0703/MM002 (MON) G.