Abergavenny, South Wales

A small town with a long and violent history

Abergavenny is a town in south-east Wales, 15 miles west of Monmouth, with a population of around 14,000 people. It lies in the valley of the River Usk at the point where it is joined by the smaller River Gavenny, hence the town’s name. It has a very long history, elements of which can still be seen.

Although there was a fort here in Roman times, the earliest remains to be seen are from the 11th century, belonging to a castle and a Benedictine priory. Of the latter, only the tithe barn and prior’s house remain of the original buildings, but the priory chapel was extended to become the parish church of St Mary, in which there is very little of the original fabric to be seen.

The tithe barn has been restored in recent years and is open to the public as a free museum of the history of the Priory. The display includes the splendid “Abergavenny Tapestry” that was a millennium project that took six years to complete. This tells the 1000-year story of the town.

The priory church, which is sometimes called the “Westminster Abbey of Wales”, was mainly built in the decorated and perpendicular styles of medieval architecture and contains many memorials that date from as early as the 13th century. The choir stalls include some 14th century work.