Skenfrith

Skenfrith Castle (Welsh: Castell Ynysgynwraidd) is a ruined castle in the village of Skenfrith in Monmouthshire, Wales. The fortification was established by the Normans in the wake of the invasion of England in 1066, to protect the route from Wales to Hereford. Possibly commissioned by William fitz Osbern, the Earl of Hereford, the castle comprised earthworks with timber defences. In 1135, a major Welsh revolt took place and in response King Stephen brought together Skenfrith Castle and its sister fortifications of Grosmont and White Castle to form a lordship known as the "Three Castles", which continued to play a role in defending the region from Welsh attack for several centuries. At the end of the 12th century, Skenfrith was rebuilt in stone. In 1201, King John gave the castle to a powerful royal official, Hubert de Burgh. During the course of the next few decades, it passed back and forth between several owners, including Hubert, the rival de Braose family, and the Crown. Hubert levelled the old castle and built a new rectangular fortification with round towers and a circular keep. In 1267 it was granted to Edmund, the Earl of Lancaster, and remained in the hands of the earldom, and later duchy, of Lancaster until 1825. Edward I's conquest of Wales in 1282 removed much of Skenfrith Castle's military utility, and by the 16th century it had fallen into disuse and ruin. The castle was placed into the care of the state by the National Trust in 1936, and is now managed by the Cadw heritage agency.

The Church of St Bridget (or St Bride) lies at the north end of the village of Skenfrith, Monmouthshire, Wales. It is an active parish church and a Grade I listed building. The church is dedicated to St Brigit (Welsh: Sant Ffraid), to whom 17 churches are dedicated across the country.

Crossway (the form used by the Ordnance Survey) or Crossways (the form preferred by most residents) is a hamlet near the village of Newcastle in north Monmouthshire, Wales. It lies on the B4347 road, just to the northeast of Hilston Park, about 1 mile (1.6 km) southwest of Skenfrith and about 7 miles (11 km) north west of Monmouth. Welsh manuscripts mention Ty Gwyn at Crossways as a "slight building; a sort of hunting place, built with white rods". Ty Gwyn farm is now known for its Ty Gwyn cider, made since 1969 and marketed since 2007, and supplied to Waitrose and the Royal Opera House. Hilston Park lies just to the southwest of the hamlet.

Norton Court, Norton Brook, Skenfrith, Monmouthshire is a country house dating from c.1600. Its origins are older, beginning with its ownership by the monks of Grace Dieu Abbey, but the present building was constructed by the Walters of Grosmont at the beginning of the 17th century. It was extended and reconstructed in the 18th and 19th centuries. The court is a Grade II* listed building.

Hilston Park is a country house and estate between the villages of Newcastle and Skenfrith in Monmouthshire, Wales, close to the border with Herefordshire, England. The house and park are in the Monnow valley, beside the B4347 road, 7.9 miles (12.7 km) by road northwest of Monmouth and just over 1 mile (1.6 km) southwest of Skenfrith. The Palladian mansion, built in 1838 for Bristolian banker George Cave, is a Grade II* listed building, the grounds and landscape park are registered on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales and the park's flower meadow is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The park includes an early 20th century lodge at each of the two entrance gates; a ruined coach house; a lake, boathouse, and pond; several streams, gardens, and wooded areas; and Hilston Tower, a late 18th-century folly of red sandstone in the grounds's northeastern corner. The house served as a residential outdoor education centre, operated by Gwent Outdoor Centres and supported by the local authorities of Newport, Torfaen, Blaenau Gwent and Monmouthshire until 2019. In 2020, the councils decided to consolidate their outdoor education facilities on a single site, and Hilston Park was deemed surplus to requirements. The house was sold at auction in 2021.

Garway Dovecote stands close to the Church of St Michael in the village of Garway, Herefordshire, England. Historic England dates the dovecote to the early 14th century. The original structure was built by the Knights Templar, and later reconstructed by their successors, the Knights Hospitaller. The dovecote is a Grade I listed building and a scheduled monument.

Garway is a civil parish in south-west Herefordshire, England. The population of the civil parish was 430 at the 2011 census. It is set on a hillside above the River Monnow about 6 1/4 miles (10 km) northwest of Monmouth. It is a sparsely populated area, mainly agricultural in nature. There are several small centres of population including Garway itself, Broad Oak, The Turning and Garway Hill.

St John the Baptist's Church is a redundant Anglican church in Llanrothal, Herefordshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. It stands in a remote position close to the Wales–England border overlooking the River Monnow.

Trivor Farmhouse, St Maughans, Monmouthshire is a house dating from the late 17th century. Extended and reconstructed in the 18th century, it was originally the home of the recusant James family. In the 19th century it was bought by the Rolls family of the nearby Hendre estate. The house is Grade II* listed.

Archenfield (Old English: Ircingafeld, Middle English: "Irchenfield") is the historic English name for an area of southern and western Herefordshire in England. Since the Anglo-Saxons took over the region in the 8th century, it has stretched between the River Monnow and River Wye, but it derives from the once much larger Welsh kingdom of Ergyng.

The Battle of Pencon or Pencoed was a battle won by the Britons (modern Welsh), possibly against the Mercians or against themselves, around the year 720.

The Church of St Maughan in St. Maughans, Monmouthshire, Wales, is a parish church with its origins in the 13th or 14th century. It was reconstructed in the mid 19th century by John Pollard Seddon for John Etherington Welch Rolls of The Hendre in 1865. It remains an active parish church and is a Grade II* listed building.