This exceptional four-bedroom semi-detached house in the centre of Caerwent sits next to the remains of a Roman market town, now a scheduled monument. A historic temple sits to one side of the home, with views of a classical forum visible through its rear windows. The Grade II-listed house, thought to date to c.1600, is undergoing a meticulous restoration by The Spitalfields Trust, with many of its features restored or reinstated including Yorkstone flags and a moulded front door surround. Situated in the southern part of Monmouthshire, the village is close to the Severn and Prince of Wales bridges, for easy access to Bristol, and to the beautiful rolling hills of the Wye Valley.
For an in depth read about the astonishing history of Caerwent Parva, see our Almanac feature.
Setting the Scene
The Spitalfields Trust was established in 1976 by a group of journalists and architectural historians brought together in the campaign to save the early Georgian houses of Spitalfields, east London. Its original business model remains the same today: to acquire, restore and sell historic properties to protect them, with any profit invested in the next restoration project. Caerwent House was rescued from the brink of dereliction by the Trust in 2017.
The house dates from the early 17th century and was extensively remodelled and extended in the early 1800s. It was among two principal houses in the region named in an early 19th-century gazette of Monmouthshire. The house was divided into two by the trust, naming this side Caerwent “Parva”, Latin for small. Working in tandem with Cadw, the Trust has also sought to protect the Roman ruins found underneath and around it at all costs.
The Trust wrote of the house: “The almost square and attic-like second-floor windows proportioned give the simple elevation a vernacular Palladian feel … confirm[ing] that this seemingly humble building possesses a remarkable degree of architectural sophistication.” For more information, please see the history section.
The Grand Tour
The restoration will be complete by the conclusion of a sale, with only final fixtures, fittings and snagging still ongoing. Entry is through the front stone wall and down a path to the front of the house. The front door opens straight into a light-filled hallway, with stone floors laid in a cabochon pattern. A hallway through an arched opening leads to the rear of the plan, where there is an open-plan kitchen and dining room. The kitchen is yet to be installed by the Trust; a Plain English kitchen will be fitted in collaboration with the future buyer, pre-completion. Stone floors run throughout here too, and two glazed doors bring more light in and open onto the garden. There is also an adjacent utility room/guest WC.
The sitting room lies in the middle, with an exposed stone inglenook fireplace now fitted with a wood-burning stove. New black column radiators have been installed throughout the house and all of its walls have been painted in Clunch by Farrow & Ball, which helps to bounce the light around these already sunny rooms.
The original staircase, complete with refined, decorative stair brackets, leads upstairs, where there are two bedrooms. The principal room has a refined Georgian marble fireplace surround with fluted jambs and roundels. A pair of glazed French doors will soon open onto a Juliet balcony, where it will be possible to see the edge of the picturesque village church. Both bedrooms have en suite bathrooms, the second with an incredible view over the ruins of the Roman forum.
Upstairs are two further bedrooms, both with wonderfully high ceilings and exposed beams. There is a bathroom on this floor too, as well as ample storage. The top two levels of the house have exposed and restored wooden floorboards.
The Great Outdoors
The house is surrounded by its garden on three sides, all tucked behind a stone wall. West-facing, it enjoys the sun for most of the afternoon. In front, a beech hedge divides the two parts of the fore gardens. Elsewhere, following a landscaping project, the garden will comprise a grassy lawn, a driveway and parking for up to three cars. There will be ample space for flower beds – or even a vegetable patch.
Out and About
Caerwent is a pretty village close to the Welsh border. It is a 10-minute drive from the Wye Valley, with its brilliant walking and climbing opportunities, as well as the beautiful Tintern Abbey. The famous Offa’s Dyke trail is also nearby, as is Wentwood, part of an estate managed by the Woodland Trust that extends to about 2,500 acres in total. As a result, there is lots of space for hiking and mountain biking. Caldicot and its castle and grounds are a 5-minute drive from Caerwent.
The village is also home to the Coach and Horses, a cosy pub with a large beer garden for whiling away a summer’s afternoon. Nearby are other great local pubs, including The Woodland Tavern and The Groes Wen. Chepstow is a short drive away and has plenty of small independent shops, bars, restaurants and another striking castle. Local favourites here include Tell Me Wine, which serves delicious tapas, and LT16, a sweet café/restaurant.
Caerwent is also well-connected for travel further afield. Severn Tunnel Junction Station, less than a 10-minute drive away, runs connections to London. Road connections are excellent, with access to the motorway network in easy reach. The Severn and Prince of Wales bridges allow for easy access to Bristol, where there is a station and an airport.
Council Tax Band: TBC
History
The Roman ruins of Caer-went were established in about AD 75-80. A settlement of the Silures – a native tribe who later became Romanised following Britain’s conquest – would have been a busy town, comprising public baths, a market-place, and a temple all laid out in the usual Roman grid. The village Church – the church of St Stephen and St Tathan – has origins in the 13th century, and was arranged around two roman alters which are now found in its porch. Incredibly, one of which is dedicated to the second legion in Augustus, which would have been based in nearby Carleon (a larger site of a notable Roman legionary fortress, Isca Augusta). It was possible that he retired with a plot of land in Caerwent; a practice which was quite normal for the Romans.
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