Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
At the top end of Monnow St is Agincourt Sq, dominated by the arcade of the 1724
art Rolls (1877-1910). One half of the team that founded Rolls-Royce, Rolls was not only
a pioneering motorist and aviator, he was the first British citizen to die in an air accident
(his statue is clutching a model of the Wright biplane in which he died).
Nelson Museum &
Local History Centre
OFFLINE MAP
MUSEUM
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(
01600-710630;
www.culture24.org.uk/am22451
; Priory St;
10am-1pm & 2-5pm Mon-Sat, 2-5pm Sun)
Admiral Horatio Nelson visited Monmouth twice in 1802, officially en route to in-
spect Pembrokeshire forests for ship timber (though it may have had more to do with his
affair with local heiress Lady Emma Hamilton). Despite this tenuous connection, Lady
Llangattock, local aristocrat and mother of Charles Stewart Rolls, became an obsessive
collector of 'Nelsoniana', and the results of her obsession can be seen in this endearing
museum. It's fascinating to see how fanatical Nelson-worship was in 19th-century Britain,
with forged items, such as locks of his hair, displayed alongside banal relics of the great
man himself (his first attempt at left-handed writing being a case in point). Monmouth his-
tory is also covered, including a display on Rolls, naturally, and some interesting old pho-
tographs.
Monmouth Castle
OFFLINE MAP
CASTLE
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(Castle Hill)
The meagre remains of Monmouth Castle, where in 1397 Henry V was
born, are set back from Monnow St. Except for the great tower (no public access), it was
GOOGLE MAP
next door, now headquarters of the Royal Monmouthshire Regiment. Inside is
www.monmouthcastlemuseum.org.uk
; admission free; 2-5pm Easter-Oct)
, a labour of love squeezed into
a cupboard-sized space, tracing the regiment's history from the 16th century.
Monmouth Canoe &
Activity Centre
OFFLINE MAP
WATER SPORTS
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