Brockweir | |
---|---|
![]() The River Wye and old quayside at Brockweir | |
Location within Gloucestershire | |
OS grid reference | SO539011 |
Civil parish | |
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Chepstow |
Postcode district | NP16 |
Police | Gloucestershire |
Fire | Gloucestershire |
Ambulance | South Western |
UK Parliament | |
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 the River Wye. A road bridge links it across the river to Monmouthshire, Wales, about a mile (1.6 km) outside the village of Tintern and 7+1⁄2 miles (12.1 km) north of Chepstow. The village is close to both the Offa's Dyke Path and the Wye Valley Walk.
Brockweir is first attested in an annotation on the now lost place-name Pull Brochuail (Welsh pwll ‘pool, lake, pit’ + Welsh personal name Brochfael) in the Book of Llandaff , in a charter dated to c. 620. All later spellings of Brockweir, however, suggest the present place-name is derived from Old English brōc ‘brook’ + wer. Brockweir is located where a small brook meets the Wye; however, there remains the possibility that the first element might be a shortened form of the personal name Brochfael. [1] [2]
Brockweir has been an important crossing point of the River Wye throughout history, and is approached by a reputedly ancient cross-peninsular trackway. The weir from which the village gets its name is first documented as a gift to Monmouth Priory from Baderon, Lord of Tintern in c 1120; it was held by Tintern Abbey in 1331. The remains of the weir can be seen as shallows under Brockweir bridge. This was obviously a lucrative weir which, coupled with the river crossing, would have made Brockweir an important location; settlement probably sprang up there at an early date. [3]
The village existed from at least the 13th century, as a hamlet within the parish of Hewelsfield. The oldest existing building, the Malthouse, dates in part from the 15th century and probably formed part of a grange owned by Tintern Abbey. Another house, the Manor House, dates from about 1600, and many other houses date from the 18th century. [4]
For centuries many inhabitants of Brockweir were employed in the trade of the river Wye. Among them was John Gethin, who left two boats to his sons in 1571 (one of his sons was probably the John Gethin who was killed on his boat in the Bristol Channel, during an affray with Bristol merchants in 1587). Brockweir was the highest point reached by a normal tide on the Wye, and a key transhipment point where the cargoes of sea-going ships of up to 90 tonnes were transferred onto barges to be sent upstream, and the products of Herefordshire, Monmouthshire and the Forest of Dean (principally iron and timber) were sent back to Bristol and beyond. [4] [5]
Brockweir, approached as much by water as by road, was an isolated community with an independent character. The minister appointed to its new Moravian church in 1832 (see below) described the life of its watermen as being centred on beerhouses, skittle alleys, and cockfighting and said that it had the reputation of a 'city of refuge' for lawless elements. Only one narrow road led into the village, and goods were usually carried by donkeys or by water, with a ferry taking travellers to and from the Welsh bank of the Wye. [4]
Several chapels, a school, the decline of its trade, and an influx of outsiders to the area gradually changed the character of the village. [4] During the early 20th century several Nonconformist groups, including Quakers, Pentecostalists, and Christian Scientists, held meetings in Brockweir and the surrounding area. The Grade II listed lattice girder road bridge, linking Brockweir to the main Chepstow to Monmouth road (now the A466), was built in Chepstow by Edward Finch & Co., and was opened in 1906. [6] La Belle Marie, a wood twin-screw steam boat of 31 tons, was bought by James Dibden of Brockweir in about 1905 and ran on the Wye as a market boat until the First World War. She was then laid up and dismantled; a few remains of the boat were still visible near Brockweir bridge as late as 1934. [7] In 1929 Brockweir Halt was opened on the Wye Valley Railway on the Monmouthshire side of the bridge. The halt closed in 1959.
Trows and barges have been built in Brockweir from at least the eighteenth century. From the mid-1820s, seagoing vessels, including brigs, schooners and barques began to be built in Brockweir, using local timber. The ships were not fitted out in Brockweir – the hulls were floated down to Chepstow or Bristol for fitting out. There were two yards in Brockweir: one owned by John Easton of Hereford; and one owned by Hezekiah Swift of Monmouth, a timber merchant. Swift’s business was continued by his son Thomas. The building of seagoing vessels had ceased by 1850, but the building of small craft continued at Brockweir until the end of the century. The largest recorded Brockweir-built vessel was the barque Constantine, built in 1847, measuring 506 tons and 121 ft. long. Manoeuvring such large hulls down the Wye must have been a difficult business, only possible in times of spate. [4] [7]
The writer Flora Klickmann (1867–1958), who wrote several popular books about her experiences of living in the Wye valley near Brockweir, is buried in the churchyard of the Moravian Church. [8] [9]
In 1831 a Tintern doctor, worried about the spiritual state of the villagers as well as their physical health, wrote about the situation to the Moravian Minister in Bristol, Rev. C F Ramftler. In 1832 Rev. Ramftler held services in Brockweir and received an encouraging response; following which the building of the Moravian Church began, on ground given for the purpose by the Duke of Beaufort, financed by voluntary contributions. Before the church was built, the site, then in the parish of Woolaston, is reported to have been used by the villagers for their ‘rustic sports’—cockfighting, gambling, dancing and quarrelling. [10] [11] [12]
The first minister was Lewis West, who drew congregations of up to 200 people. [11]
The interior was modified in 1902, and now contains good Art Nouveau windows and joinery, including a gallery at the entrance end of the church. [13]
An inn called the George, on the south side of the road to the river bank, was recorded from 1793 and had changed its name to the New Inn by 1840. In 1840 the village had three other public houses, called, in connexion with its trade, the Ship, the Severn Trow, and the Bristol. There was then also a beerhouse called the Spout north of the village in a row of cottages that was later formed into a single dwelling called Spout House. The Bristol was called the Sloop in 1844. By 1891 the New Inn and another called the Royal Arms were the only public houses in the village; the latter closed after 1959, leaving only the New Inn, which by 1994 had changed its name to the Brockweir inn. [4] The Brockweir Inn is currently (November 2019) closed for renovation.
The Brockweir and Hewelsfield Village Shop and Cafe was set up after the previous village shop closed in 2000. It is a non-profit making community enterprise, staffed by volunteers from the local community, owned and managed by the Brockweir and Hewelsfield Village Shop Association Limited. The Association was first registered on 25 September 2001 under the Industrial and Provident Societies Acts 1965-1978. It is currently registered under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 as a ‘Registered Society’, Registration Number 29285R. The site includes a café, general store and food outlet, library kiosk, art gallery and IT training suite. It also provides basic postal facilities. [14] [15]
The Village Shop and Cafe was opened by the Prince of Wales in December 2004, when he described the project as "a triumph of community spirit".
The building is traditionally built from local green oak, but it is combined with sustainable technology, and aims to be environmentally friendly. Photovoltaic roof shingles produce electricity, and any excess can be exported back to the national grid. The building also has a geothermal heating system, drawing energy from the ground under the village playing field. [15]
The project cost around £375,000 and support came from many different sources, including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Countryside Agency. About £20,000 was raised by the sale of bonds, and local fundraising, donations, and volunteer labour added another £10,000. [16] Charity Bank provided a £100,000 bridging loan to get the project going in 2003. [15]
Listed buildings in the village of Brockweir are listed in the table below, with links to the relevant Historic England list entry. Listed buildings in the village Hewelsfield are given in the Wikipedia article on Hewelsfield. For the purposes of the table, 'Brockweir' is taken to include all buildings in the Civil Parish of Hewelsfield and Brockweir to the west of Offa's Dyke; 'Hewelsfield' is taken to include all buildings in the Civil Parish of Hewelsfield and Brockweir to the east of Offa's Dyke.
Building name | List Entry Number | Grade |
---|---|---|
Moravian Chapel | 1299144 | II |
Woolaston House | 1122679 | II |
Glen Wye | 1122690 | II |
Malt House | 1186590 | II* |
Post Office | 1186591 | II |
Spring Cottage | 1186593 | II |
Manor House and Adjoining House | 1299145 | II |
Abbey House | 1338192 | II |
Barn at Honeyfield Farm Approximately 75 metres South of Farmhouse and Across Road | 1186592 | II |
Brockweir Bridge | 1393683 | II |
Old Tramway Bridge (Formerly Wireworks Bridge) | 1393682 | II |
Brockweir is also home to a notable contemporary building, the eco-home The Outhouse off Hillgay Road to the north of the village. It was designed by architects Loyn & Co and was the winner of several architectural awards, as well as being shortlisted for the 2016 RIBA House of the Year and shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling prize. [17]
The River Wye is the fourth-longest river in the UK, stretching some 250 kilometres from its source on Plynlimon in mid Wales to the Severn Estuary. The lower reaches of the river forms part of the border between England and Wales. The Wye Valley is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Wye is important for nature conservation and recreation, but is affected by pollution.
Chepstow is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the tidal River Wye, about 2 miles (3 km) above its confluence with the River Severn, and adjoining the western end of the Severn Bridge. It is the easternmost settlement in Wales, situated 16 miles (26 km) east of Newport, 28 miles (45 km) east-northeast of Cardiff, 18 miles (29 km) northwest of Bristol and 110 miles (180 km) west of London.
Tintern is a village in the community of Wye Valley, on the west bank of the River Wye in Monmouthshire, Wales, close to the border with England, about 5 miles (8 km) north of Chepstow. It is popular with tourists, in particular for the scenery and the ruined Tintern Abbey. Modern Tintern has been formed by the coalescence of two historic villages: Tintern Parva, forming the northern end of the village, and Chapel Hill, which forms the southern end. The village is designated as a Conservation Area.
Beachley is a village in Gloucestershire, England, near the border with Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located on a peninsula at the confluence of the rivers Wye and Severn, where the Severn Bridge ends and the smaller secondary bridge over the River Wye begins, both bridges carrying the M48 motorway between England and Wales though the motorway is not directly accessible from the village. The tidal range on this stretch of water is the highest in the UK. Before the construction of the bridge it was a ferry port from where the Aust Ferry operated until 1966. The population in 2011 was 764.
Tidenham is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean of west Gloucestershire, England, adjoining the Welsh border. Tidenham is bounded by the River Wye to the west and the River Severn to the south. Offa's Dyke runs through the western part of the parish, terminating at Sedbury cliff above the River Severn.
St Briavels, is a medium-sized village and civil parish in the Royal Forest of Dean in west Gloucestershire, England; close to the England-Wales border, and 5 miles (8 km) south of Coleford. It stands almost 800 feet (240 m) above sea level on the edge of a limestone plateau above the valley of the River Wye, above an ancient meander of the river. To the west, Cinder Hill drops off sharply into the valley. It is sheltered behind the crumbling walls of the 12th century St Briavels Castle.
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 of Dean in Gloucestershire, England. The 2011 census population was 547.
The Wye Valley is a valley in Wales and England. The River Wye is the fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom.
The A466, also known as the Wye Valley Road, is a road from Hereford, England to Chepstow, Wales via Monmouth, Tintern and the Wye Valley.
Woolaston is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean district of Gloucestershire in South West England. It lies on the north side of the Severn Estuary approximately 5 miles from the Welsh border at Chepstow and is surrounded by woodland and agricultural land.
Mathern is a historic community (parish) and village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, about 3 miles (4.8 km) south west of the town of Chepstow, close to the Severn estuary, the Bristol Channel and the M48 motorway. The village is designated as a Conservation Area. It is now bisected by the motorway, which passes over the road through the village, with the original village located to the south and the more recent development, known as Newton Green, to the north.
Tutshill is a village within the parish of Tidenham in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the eastern bank of the River Wye, which forms the boundary with Monmouthshire at this point and which separates the village from the town of Chepstow. The village of Woodcroft adjoins Tutshill to the north, and across the A48 road to the south is the village of Sedbury. A short walk over the river is Chepstow railway station on the Gloucester–Newport line.
Newchurch is an extensive rural parish and small hamlet in Monmouthshire, south east Wales. It is located 6 miles south east of Usk and 6 miles north west of Chepstow, between the B4235 and B4293 roads.
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.
The Wye Valley Railway was a standard gauge railway that ran for nearly 15 miles (24 km) 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 worked by, the Great Western Railway (GWR), before being fully absorbed by the GWR in 1905.
Hewelsfield is a village in Hewelsfield and Brockweir civil parish, in the Forest of Dean district of Gloucestershire, England.
Lancaut is a deserted village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Tidenham, in the Forest of Dean district, in Gloucestershire, England, located alongside the River Wye, around two miles north of Chepstow. It occupies a narrow-necked promontory formed by a curve of the river, which acts as the border between England and Wales. Little remains of the village today, except for the roofless church of St. James.
Mathern Palace is a Grade I listed building in the village of Mathern, Monmouthshire, Wales, located some 3 miles (4.8 km) south-west of Chepstow close to the Severn Estuary. Between about 1408 and 1705 it was the main residence of the Bishops of Llandaff. After falling into ruin, it was restored and its gardens laid out between 1894 and 1899 by the architectural writer Henry Avray Tipping. The garden surrounding the palace is listed on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.
Monmouthshire is a county and principal area of Wales. It borders Torfaen and Newport to the west; Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the east; and Powys to the north. The largest town is Abergavenny, with the other major towns being Chepstow, Monmouth, and Usk. The county is 850 km2 in extent, with a population of 95,200 as of 2020. The present county was formed under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, which came into effect in 1996, and comprises some sixty percent of the historic county. Between 1974 and 1996, the county was known by the ancient title of Gwent, recalling the medieval Welsh kingdom. In his essay on local government in the fifth and final volume of the Gwent County History, Robert McCloy suggests that the governance of "no county in the United Kingdom in the twentieth century was so transformed as that of Monmouthshire".
Hewelsfield and Brockweir is a civil parish in Forest of Dean District, Gloucestershire. The parish was called Hewelsfield until 1994. It contains two distinct villages, Hewelsfield and Brockweir, with scattered settlement on Hewelsfield common.
'Flood and Flow' is a two-year research project funded by the Leverhulme Trust involving the universities of Leicester, Nottingham, Southampton, and Wales.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)