2011 Tours

Castles of SE Wales and the March  

Led by Dr. Pamela Marshall

4 nights: 13th - 17th June 2011     

   

Control of the Welsh marches was identified by William the Conqueror as crucial to the success and expansion of the Norman Conquest. The southern march was entrusted to one of William’s oldest and closest friends, William Fitz Osbern, whom he created Earl of Hereford. The earldom was a springboard for the Norman conquest of south Wales, in the wake of which some magnificent castles were built. Unlike the northern part of the country, the Normans were able to make good their hold on southern Wales, where castle building flourished throughout the medieval period.

This tour will visit some fine specimens, but will also take the opportunity along the way to look at good examples of medieval churches, sponsored by the same patrons who built the castles. These sites have the additional advantage of wonderful landscape settings, like Chepstow, where the Norman nucleus of the castle sits dramatically on a limestone ridge with a sheer drop into the River Wye with a gentler slope towards the town that grew up beside it. Our visits will chart the development of the castle from its inception to the end of the Middle Ages and its impact on the settlement pattern of the region.

The tour will be based in the Allt Yr Ynys Country Hotel, originally a manor house belonging to the celebrated Cecil family. Their ownership of the estate can be traced to their ancestor, Robert Sitsylt (Cecil), who acquired it after assisting Robert Fitzhamon in his conquest of Glamorgan in 1091. Parts of the building and original features date back to the 17thC.

The hotel is set in beautiful countryside, close to Offa’s Dyke. It has extensive gardens, including an Elizabethan knot garden and lawns running down to the River Monnow. Facilities also include a bar and an indoor heated swimming pool. www.allthotel.co.uk

The hotel is a few miles north of Abergavenny, which can be reached by train from most parts of Britain by 2.00pm. The hotel is a 10-15 minute taxi ride from the station and there will be a drop at this station on the last day.

There is ample parking at the hotel for those travelling by car.

 

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A full itinerary of daily visits will include

Day 1 Monday:
Convene at the hotel. 3.00pm: walk to view Offa’s Dyke and the ruins of Llanthony Priory.

Day 2 Tuesday: 
Drive to Chepstow. Visit to St. Mary’s church, originally belonging to the Benedictine Abbey founded by William Fitz Osbern. Walk through the town to the visit the castle, he founded shortly after the Norman Conquest. Dominated by a great tower built by the Conqueror, one of the most important early Norman buildings in Britain, the castle continued to develop throughout the medieval period under William Marshal and his descendants, then under the Bigod earls of Norfolk. Afternoon visit to Caldicot Castle and a short stop at Roman Caerwent on the way back to the hotel.

Day 3 Wednesday:
Drive to Tretower Court, where the early Norman castle dates to the 11thC. Reworked in stone and developed during the succeeding centuries, it was abandoned in the mid-15thC in favour of a fine new courtyard manor house, next door, which housed the manor court until the mid-17thC. We shall drive on to visit two almost perfect examples of 13thC castles: White Castle, and Skenfrith.

Day 4 Thursday:
The day will be split between two truly magnificent castles: Raglan and Goodrich, across the border in Herefordshire. We shall explore the more palatial elements of these very impressive castle sites. A detour on the way back will enable us to take in Kilpeck church, to appreciate its delightful Romanesque decoration.

Day 5 Friday:
First we shall drive to Grosmont to see its fine parish church and the castle, built by Hubert de Burgh after 1219, before ending the tour in Abergavenny with a visit to St. Mary’s Priory church. Now a most impressive parish church, this also houses a stunning collection of medieval funerary monuments relating to the Hastings and Herbert family and others.

14.00: Drop-off at Abergavenny Station and return to the hotel for those who travelled by car.

 

 

 

Travel arrangements:

Details of travel arrangements to be advised when timetables are updated for 2011. (Anti-social travel times will be earnestly avoided, however.)

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Cost:

The price includes: en-suite accommodation for 4 nights with full English breakfast and 3-course dinner; excursions, including transport, entrance fees & tuition; gratuities.

Cost: £695 (£80 single supplement)

Reductions: £10 pp for each booking received by Jan 31st 2011.  
£10 for individuals who can use their own English Heritage, Cadw or Historic Scotland membership passes to enter some ofthe sites.

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