Cof Cymru: National Historic Assets of Wales · Wales
The Cold Bath: Piercefield
St. Arvans, Monmouthshire, Wales
A scheduled monument in St. Arvans, Monmouthshire, recorded as Bath House (Post Medieval/Modern).
The record
- Designation
- Scheduled monument
- Site type
- Bath House
- Period
- Post Medieval/Modern
- Date of designation
- 25 August 2000
- Community
- St. Arvans
- Unitary authority
- Monmouthshire
- Country
- Wales
- Coordinates (centre of the scheduled area)
- 51.66808, -2.68844
- SAM number
- MM281
- Cadw record number
- 1609
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
5 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1608 map "(13) Cambriae Typus." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Historical maps covering this location
- 1608 · (13) Cambriae Typus. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1636 · Cornubia : Devonia, Somersetus, Dorcestria, Wiltonia, Glocestria ... (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1895 · Sheet 11. Ordnance Survey of England and Wales. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1897 · 250 Chepstow (Outline) (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1905 · 250 Chepstow (Hills) (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
Cadw's description
Summary description and reason for designation
The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument.
The monument consists of a bath-house, dating to the 18th century. It is a small rectangular stone and brick building constructed to house a cold water plunge bath and a small dressing area heated by a small corner hearth. The tile-lined pool within was fed by water from a stream via a stone-lined and capped culvert. To the south-west of the Cold Bath are the remains of a dry-stone building of uncertain function, possibly used as a changing room. The Cold Bath was one of the principal structural features of the famous 18th century Piercefield Walks.
The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of post-medieval settlement organisation. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits. The structure itself may be expected to contain archaeological information concerning chronology and building techniques, together with a strong probability of environmental evidence. A bath-house may be part of a larger cluster of monuments and their importance can further enhanced by their group value.
The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.
Nearby in the register
- Wall and Gatepiers (known as Temple Doors) to Piercefield Park at The WyndcliffDomesticunder 1 mi
- Milestone on the A466 at the foot of the WyndcliffTransportunder 1 mi
- The Giant's Cave, PiercefieldCaveunder 1 mi
- The Eagle's NestDomesticunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.