Penallt
Encyclopedia
Penallt is a village
in Monmouthshire
, Wales
set high on a hill above Monmouth
. In the centre of the village, by the village green, is the 17th century village pub, the "Inn at Penallt", formerly called the Bush Inn.
Nearby, the Penallt Old Church Wood is a 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) nature reserve
managed by the Gwent Wildlife Trust
. This deciduous woodland forms a habitat for Pied Flycatchers, Nuthatch
, Tree Pipit
s, Treecreeper
s and Sparrowhawks, as well as plants such as Wild Daffodils and Moschatel
.
Penallt Old Church is about a mile north of the village. The main part of the building dates from the 15th or early 16th century, while the lower part of the tower may date from the 14th century. The heavy oak door bears the date 1532. The church was restored in 1887. The churchyard cross has a base and lower shaft of 15th century date. The church dedication is unknown, though there is a local tradition that it was St James, the patron saint of pilgrims. Inside is the Royal coat of arms of Queen Anne
dating from 1709.
The Argoed, a 17th century mansion, lies to the south east of the village. It was once owned by the father of Beatrice Webb
, the British socialist, economist and reformer. Robert Plant
also owned it in the 1980s. George Bernard Shaw
stayed with the Webb family and described Penallt as a "special place"
Other residents of the village include Jeremy Cook the BBC's rural affairs correspondent and Television presenter Kate Humble
. Walter Keeler is a renowned potter specialising in salt glaze pottery,
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a much larger area. The largest town is Abergavenny. There are many castles in Monmouthshire .-Historic county:...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
set high on a hill above Monmouth
Monmouth
Monmouth is a town in southeast Wales and traditional county town of the historic county of Monmouthshire. It is situated close to the border with England, where the River Monnow meets the River Wye with bridges over both....
. In the centre of the village, by the village green, is the 17th century village pub, the "Inn at Penallt", formerly called the Bush Inn.
Nearby, the Penallt Old Church Wood is a 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
managed by the Gwent Wildlife Trust
Gwent Wildlife Trust
Gwent Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering the area between the lower Wye and Rhymney rivers which forms the vice county of Monmouthshire in south-east Wales. It is a registered charity and a member of the Wildlife Trusts Partnership.-History:...
. This deciduous woodland forms a habitat for Pied Flycatchers, Nuthatch
Nuthatch
The nuthatches are a genus, Sitta, of small passerine birds belonging to the family Sittidae. Characterised by large heads, short tails, and powerful bills and feet, nuthatches advertise their territory using loud, simple songs...
, Tree Pipit
Tree Pipit
Tree Pipit, Anthus trivialis, is a small passerine bird which breeds across most of Europe and temperate western and central Asia. It is a long-distance migrant moving in winter to Africa and southern Asia....
s, Treecreeper
Treecreeper
The treecreepers are a family, Certhiidae, of small passerine birds, widespread in wooded regions of the Northern Hemisphere and sub-Saharan Africa. The family contains ten species in two genera, Certhia and Salpornis...
s and Sparrowhawks, as well as plants such as Wild Daffodils and Moschatel
Moschatel
Adoxa moschatellina is the sole member of the genus Adoxa. It grows in hedgerows throughout Europe, Asia, and North America, in cool forests, at low altitudes in the far north, to high altitudes in mountains in the south of its range...
.
Penallt Old Church is about a mile north of the village. The main part of the building dates from the 15th or early 16th century, while the lower part of the tower may date from the 14th century. The heavy oak door bears the date 1532. The church was restored in 1887. The churchyard cross has a base and lower shaft of 15th century date. The church dedication is unknown, though there is a local tradition that it was St James, the patron saint of pilgrims. Inside is the Royal coat of arms of Queen Anne
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
dating from 1709.
The Argoed, a 17th century mansion, lies to the south east of the village. It was once owned by the father of Beatrice Webb
Beatrice Webb
Martha Beatrice Webb, Lady Passfield was an English sociologist, economist, socialist and social reformer. Although her husband became Baron Passfield in 1929, she refused to be known as Lady Passfield...
, the British socialist, economist and reformer. Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
also owned it in the 1980s. George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
stayed with the Webb family and described Penallt as a "special place"
Other residents of the village include Jeremy Cook the BBC's rural affairs correspondent and Television presenter Kate Humble
Kate Humble
Katherine 'Kate' Humble is an English television presenter, mainly for the BBC, specialising in wildlife and science programmes...
. Walter Keeler is a renowned potter specialising in salt glaze pottery,