(—
Gloucestershire border, situated at the confluence of the
River Wye and
River Severn on the Severn's west bank. It is famous for its
Castle and
Racecourse , which hosts the
Welsh Grand National . Chepstow proper is on the west bank of the Wye, the English part on the eastern bank is
Sedbury .
from the old Wye Bridge]]
Chepstow sits upstream of the confluence of the
River Wye and
River Severn . There has been a settlement on the site since the early middle ages. After the
Norman Invasion it was identified as an ideal site for a
Castle , as it not only controlled a crossing point on the
River Wye , but also because the steep limestone gorge and castle dell afforded an excellent location for a castle.
William The Conqueror ordered its construction in 1067, and it was designed by the master castle builder of the time, William FitzOsborne. The speed with which
William The Conqueror committed to the creation of a castle in Chepstow is testament to its strategic importance. At the time, the kingdoms in the area were independent of the English crown and the castle in Chepstow provided a way to suppress the
Welsh from attacking
Gloucestershire .
Offas Dyke , which begins on the east bank of the Wye and runs all the way to the
Irish Sea in
North Wales was also built (albeit a little earlier) to serve the same purpose.
In the
Middle Ages Chepstow was the largest
Port in Wales, this distinction was lost to the cities of
Cardiff ,
Newport and
Swansea during the industrial revolution, as they were more suitable for handling the export of coal and steel from the
Glamorganshire and
Monmouthshire valleys. The mediæval town wall (locally known as the port wall) still stands, and particularly good sections can be seen at the castle dell cark park, and near the
A48 Road .
Chepstow is located near the old
Severn Bridge which has the second longest span of any
Bridge in the
UK . The town has a recently built a
PFI funded community hospital and two new housing estates, as well as investing over £1 million on redeveloping the town's commercial centre which has encountered considerable local criticism due to the high cost.
There are a number of churches in Chepstow, including a variety of non-conformist denominations. The most significant of these is The Priory Church located at the bottom of the town. It, like the castle, is
Norman .
Nearby are the Royal
Forest Of Dean and the
Wye Valley .
For a history of the Salvation Army in Chepstow see
Chepstow Salvation Army .
Chepstow is
Twinned with
Cormeilles ,
France .
