Home
Our society
Lectures
Plaques
Town history
Buildings
Castle
Museum
Priory church
People
Your say
Booklist
Links
Heritage trail
The society has marked some of the historical sites in the town with circular blue plaques. The map, below, shows where the nine original plaques, chosen in 1981, are situated.
In 2003, 14 new plaques were added to the town's heritage
trail, making a total of 23. In the near future, these will be supplemented
by children's plaques to encourage youngsters to learn more about the
history of Abergavenny.
If you would like to learn more about the town then take a heritage
walk, led by society guides, which are held during the Abergavenny Festival
in late July / early August.
1 Tan House: A tannery once existed in the grounds of this building which has now been turned into flats for the retired. The tannery was part of a thriving shoe-making industry in the town. The building is now part of Pegasus Court, a retirement housing complex.
2 The Gunter Mansion, Cross Street: A large house once owned by the Gunters, a prominent Catholic family. Here St David Lewis, said Mass in a secret Catholic chapel in the loft. He was arrested and executed in Usk in 1679. Shops now occupy the ground floor of the building.
3 Site of the medieval South Gate: Now occupied by the Coach and Horses Inn. Plaques also mark the sites of three other town gates in the Norman town wall, erected c. 1250.
4 Site of the Medieval Gate to St Mary's Priory which was built and endowed c 1100 by the first Norman baron of Abergavenny, Hamelin de Ballon.
5 North Gate: Site of the medieval gateway leading to what is now Frogmore Street; now occupied by HSBC bank.
6 St John's: King Henry VIII Grammar School: This was established in what was then St John's Church in 1542. It was supported for many years by tithes gained from the dissolved St Mary's Priory and from other properties. A new school was built in Penypound in 1898, and St John's then became a Freemasons' Lodge.
7 The Cow Inn, Nevill Street (now The Trading Post): In the 16th century it was a substantial two-storied town house. There has been a restoration of the richly carved window sills and lintels, showing the crest of the Vaughan family (of Tretower Court) and various animals including dragons. The upper floor and horned cow-heads were almost certainly added when it became the Cow Inn. There is evidence that the east side of Nevill Street and the St John's Square area was once an early market site: The regular burgage plot divisions, so obvious on the west side of Nevill Street, are absent on this side. The old name of Rother Street (Rother = horned cattle) and the names of two pubs - the Bull Inn and Cow Inn - reinforce this evidence. Drovers' cattle may well have been rested on the nearby Usk meadows on their long journey to English border markets.
8 The Old Court: Site of the medieval West Gate. But there is little evidence today of the two busy streets that once existed each side of the gate - Castle Street within the town walls and Tudor Street outside.
9 The Bull Inn, Nevill Street: Nothing of the old building remains above ground. Its front was on Nevill Street, and the plaque is on the Post Office which has been built on the area where the rear of the premises stood (see 7 above).
These nine plaques were selected by a sub-committee formed in 1981. The members were Peter Campbell; John Cook, secretary; William Farley, chairman; Arthur Hinshelwood; Gwyn Jones, society chairman.
NEW PLAQUES
10, Back of the Boots the
Chemist building in Flannel Street: Site of 18th century Welsh flannel
mill.
11, British Legion building in Nevill Street:
Abergavenny was known for the manufacture of white periwigs. On this site
lived James Jones, hair bleacher, circa 1741
12, Nevill Street: Georgian House circa 1750
13, Bailey Park: In 1883 Crawshay Bailey
II leased the Priory Meadows. In 1894 the town purchased the park for
£5,000
14, St Mary's Priory Tithe Barn:Tithe Barn,
mainly 14th century on a 12th century site
15, Abergavenny Town Hall: The Town Hall
was built in 1870 to replace John Nash's Market Hall. Note the black face
of the clock on the north side.
16, Angel Hotel: Town's largest coaching
inn during the 19th century
17, Kings Arms in Nevill Street: One of town's
oldest inns. See 1660 Charles II coat of arms on wall
18, Junction of High Street and Cross Street:
High Cross
19, Market Street: Jettied row of shops,
16th century in origin, remodelled circa 1800
20, Castle Street car park: Sheep market
on this site until 1863
21, Cross Street - Pinches & Fulgoni's premises:
Site of boot and shoe industry until 1865
22, Castle Street car park - back wall: Site
of Roman barracks and granary, and also line of the 1241 Norman town wall
23, 37 Frogmore Street: Birthplace of author
Ethel Lina White.
