The Heritage Hiker’s Guide to Cowbridge

Where is Cowbridge?

Cowbridge – Y Bont Faen is a small town in the Vale of Glamorgan. It is an important historic market town and part of a designated conservation area along with nearby Llanblethian. Archaeological evidence suggest it is built upon a Roman settlement and there are many clues to its later Medieval growth in the modern layout. It is said to have been founded around the late 11^th century by Robert St Quentin. The current plan of the town still reflects the making of the early town with its medieval burgage plots matching the modern layout. The town was defended by the building of a curtain wall and four gatehouses around the 1300s, the south gate is the only one remaining today.

Famous connections to the town include Edward Williams (1747-1826), better known as ‘Iolo Morganwg’ who kept a book shop at 14 High Street in the 1790s and David Lloyd George, Britain’s only Welsh Prime Minister who was given freedom of the borough in 1933.

 It is a lovely town with great character, plenty to see and do. Lots of car parking (charges may apply) with shops along its High Street and places to eat and drink all around the town. Sticking to it’s tradition of a rural market town there is a Farmers Market every Saturday morning based at Arthur Johns Car Park on North Road.

Bronze Age Cowbridge

The Vale of Glamorgan has a rich prehistoric landscape that includes the Neolithic burial tombs at both Tinkinswood and St Lythan’s. The story of Prehistoric Vale continues to be added to with recent findings during road improvements near Barry. Closer to Cowbridge near the A48 a Bronze Age axe was found, and in the grounds of the former Cowbridge Girls High School a Bronze Age skeleton was found with a Bronze Age knife.

Iron Age and Roman Cowbridge

Roman material from a bath house with dated stamps on tiles date it to around the 1^st century AD. They are stamped with “Legio II Augusta”, the same legion that established the fort at Caerleon (Isca) a few years earlier.  To the east of Cowbridge is the Iron Age Llanquian Wood Hillfort and this along with Caer Dynnaf Hillfort nearby might suggest why the legion came to this area. Finds of an Iron Age Bracelet to the east and a Roman ring found to the north of the modern town are held in the National Museum of Wales collections.

Cowbridge a Medieval Town

The Medieval town grew from the late 11^th century founded by Robert St Quentin on a site of previous Roman settlement. It received its’ borough charter in 1254 from Richard de Clare. It was fortified around 1266 when Gilbert de Clare called for the building of walls around the boroughs of Cowbridge, Neath and Cardiff. A large curtain wall was built around the town with four gatehouses. Only one remains today, the South Gate. The present walls in Cowbridge probably date from early 14^th century.

The town maintains its original medieval plan, and a good portion of the early town wall survives. By the 14^th century the town had grown to be one of the largest in Wales.

Medieval castles called St Quentin Castle and Llanquian Castle are located close by. St Quentin’s in Llanblethian to the south of Cowbridge is heavily tied by association to the town’s early beginnings. The remains of the 12^th century Llanquian Castle are further away to it’s east.

The Church of the Holy Cross

The Church of the Holy Cross at Cowbridge was a chapel of ease to the medieval parish church of Llanblethian. It was most likely built after 1254 but its earliest documentary reference is 1443. The nave and chancel are probably 13^th century and the tower is 14^th century. In the 15^th century a south aisle and chantry chapel were added and in 16^th century the east end was added to. Heavy restoration and remodelling work took place from the mid-19^th century onwards, including work on the windows, tower and internal layout.

Cowbridge Physic Garden

A physic Garden is a garden primarily created to house plants with medicinal properties. This type of garden has a long history of use starting with monks planting within monastic gardens during the medieval period. The garden in Cowbridge has been restored, its origins are based in the mid-1700s purchase of Old Hall and its gardens by the Edmonde family. By the end of the 1920s the garden had become a kitchen garden for the old Cowbridge Grammar School opposite and a tree nursery for the local authority. It then slowly became heavily overgrown. In 2005 locals came together with groups and organisations to clear the site and work began on planting. In 2008 it was opened officially by the then HRH The Duchess of Cornwall.

The Physic Garden is a lovely place to sit and enjoy nature, located a little way from the hustle and bustle of the main high street. It is open everyday except Christmas Day (although times vary – check ahead) and entry is free.

Cowbridge Town Hall

A Guildhall once stood at the crossroads on the town’s main thoroughfare, High Street. As the town grew it became necessary to demolish this building in favour of building a new Town Hall. The present Town Hall was built in 1829. It was built over a much older building which had had been used as a prison for many years, latterly as the County Jail . It was first licensed as a prison in 1576, but there is some evidence that it was being used as a prison as early as 1525. The building incorporates some of the cells of the former jail.

The former town hall, now also serves as a local museum and is open on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month from 10:30am until 04:00pm.

Cowbridge Walks

There are a number of walks that take in Cowbridge as part of its route lolo Morganwg Heritage Trail, The Vale Millenium Heritage Trail and Valeways Llanfair Walk

 For articles relating to areas near Cowbridge see Llanblethian and Llantwit Major.