CWMCARVAN (Welsh Cwmcarfan)

A small rural community, on a tributary of the river Trothy. It lies approximately 4 miles south west of Monmouth and 4 miles east of Raglan, near the old road from Monmouth to Abergavenny. The land sloping upwards to the south provides far reaching views towards the Black Mountains.

The village church, (St Catwg) is said to date from the 13th or 14th century in the Early English and Perpendicular styles, and was heavily restored in the 1870s. One mile to the north east of the church lies the hill of Craig-y-Dorth, reputedly the site of a battle in 1404 between the Welsh forces of Owain Glyndwr and the English.

On the ridge to the south east lies High Glanau, a house in the Arts and Crafts style, built in 1923 for the writer and garden designer H Averay Tipping. The recently restored garden is sometimes open for garden tours, plant sales etc.

 

DINGESTOW (pronounced DINJ-stow)

Welsh name Landdingad is a small village on the River Trothy. It lies 4 miles south-west of Monmouth and approximately the same distance north-east of Raglan. The village has a shop, a post office and a well used village hall.

A Norman motte and bailey ‘castle’ was later replaced by a larger, stone-built one, the site of which is the large rectangular mound to the west of the church (St Dingad or Dingat). A feature of the village is Dingestow Court, a Grade 2* listed building, described as "one of the county's major houses”. It is a private home, not open to the public but the grounds, a mid-19th-century park with a lake and a late-19th-century garden layout by Edward Milner, are occasionally opened for charitable events. Approximately one mile north east of Dingestow lies Treowen, a Grade 1 listed 17th century house, now a venue for conferences and weddings.

The area around Dingestow is popular with holiday makers with several holiday properties and camp sites for tents and caravans.

 

MITCHEL TROY (Welsh – Llanfihangel Troddi)

Lies 2½ miles west of Monmouth. The English name is derived from the River Trothy (Troddi in Welsh) and possibly the 13th Century church dedicated to St Michael and All Angels. The village straddles the former A40 and there is another scattered community to the south – Mitchel Troy Common and part of Lydart. The A40 dual carriageway runs to the north of the village, following the route of the former railway.

The community is a mixture of farming and dormitory properties with people working locally and as far afield as Cardiff and Bristol. There are approximately 30 small businesses operating in Mitchel Troy and the surrounding area, excluding the farms. Although there is no longer a school, pub or shop in the village there is a thriving village hall which is well used by many groups and runs an events programme.

From the River Trothy the land climbs quite steeply to the south, providing wonderful views of Monmouthshire towards the Black Mountains. There are circular walks that start from the village car park adjacent to the church.

 

TREGARE

A community approximately 6 miles west of Monmouth and 2 miles east of Raglan in a largely agricultural area.

The church of St. Mary is an ancient building of stone in the Early English style.

 

WONASTOW (Welsh name, Llanwarw)

A community which has a twelfth-century church dedicated to St. Wonnow and believed to have been built on a seventh-century religious site.