Symonds Yat to Monmouth

Lady Park is a National Nature Reserve which was established by the Forestry Commission in 1945 as a long-term ecological project. Completely unmanaged, it is being studied in detail to see how natural woodland develops over time without intervention like tree felling, thinning or coppicing. A group of professional artists, The Aborealists, have also been studying this wood and have created a fascinating book, Art Meets Ecology at Lady Park Wood, illustrating how natural woodland works.

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A church called Llan Tydwg is first mentioned here in AD 735, in the Book of Llandaff. It was probably destroyed by the Welsh prince, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn in 1055, when he led a raid up the Wye to Hereford. It’s likely the church was rebuilt soon after the Norman invasion and re-dedicated to St Peter. Steps down to the river are a reminder that it was common for people to arrive afloat, including the vicar who lived on the opposite bank. Inside, brass markers record numerous floods.

Monmouth’s Shire Hall was the scene of one of the most infamous trials in British history when, in 1839/40, John Frost and other Chartists were tried for their involvement in the Chartist Riots in Newport. Three Chartists were found guilty of high treason and sentenced to death by hanging and quartering, the last time this sentence was given in Britain. Queen Victoria intervened and the three were deported to Van Dieman’s Land for life. Annual Parliaments is the only Chartist demands not to have been achieved.