There is no actual village sited at Bigsweir only a bridge with an ancient dilapidated abandoned and ruined toll house which reflects the fact that the bridge was built as part of the new turnpike road constructed between Chepstow and Monmouth to connect the Welsh and English sides of the border.
Crossing the Bigsweir Bridge built in 1827 that straddles the River Wye the twelve walkers who joined Joy entered Gloucestershire and parked in a small woodland car park at Slip Wood. The group followed the lower path through Wyeseal Wood which was covered with autumnal coloured leaves and made for easy walking. Then a steep short climb up rustic woodland steps placed in the hillside followed and a bit of a scramble half way up where the path was obstructed by two fallen trees before they joined part of Offa’s Dyke Path and crossed a stile.
After weeks of heavy bouts of rainfall, the boggy steep-sided fields ahead were running with miniature waterfalls and climbing gently the group entered the stunning Highbury Wood, a national nature reserve which for centuries before the 1950’s has been coppiced to provide wood for charcoal and fuel for the limekilns within the wood.
Having climbed, the bare trees provided some shelter from the cool breeze during morning coffee and scuffing their way through crisp dry fallen leaves they exited the wood from where there were glorious views to Monmouth and of the old railway bridge spanning the Wye below them at Lower Redbrook.
It is hard to comprehend that this quiet village standing beside the River Wye was an important copper smelting area during the 17th century when it contained two blast furnaces, two copper smelting works, two tinplate works, a paper mill and several corn mills. A furnace at Redbrook used coke for smelting iron ore from the Forest of Dean, as early as 1716 and it was one of the first in the world to do so. The copper industry at Redbrook failed when major works were built at Swansea but the tinplate manufacturing went from strength to strength and survived until the 1960’s.
A steep slippery path led downhill followed by steps which led to the village and from the road by the small village school they began to climb a lovely sunken path in Forge Wood where coats were soon discarded because of warm sunshine. At the top the pathway turned from mud into a small stream that was paddled through until they reached a quiet lane.
Climbing Savage Hill the group reached Newland and were surprised to see that Newland House a large mansion opposite the church and which for centuries had been the family home of the Probyn’s who were influential local landowners, had been completely gutted by fire. The original house dates back to the 17th century but has been altered during the 18th and 19th centuries and by November 1930 all the interior fittings except the staircase were removed and sold. One of the rooms ended up in America as it was sold intact to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston where it still remains today!
In the late 20th century the house was split into flats before being sold. Having a new owner who paid over two million for the property, the building was being renovated and therefore was unoccupied at the time of the fire which occurred in April of this year. The blaze raged through the night with more than fifty fire fighters being called upon to attend but the property could not be saved.
Entering the churchyard of the magnificent 13th century All Saints Church which is known as the ‘Cathedral of the Forest’ and dominates the centre of the village, the group utilised the old stone cross for seating during lunch break in bright warm sunshine.
The church was built by Robert de Wakering and patronised by many important men in the affairs of state which may explain the size of the building in relation to a normal sized village church. In 1305, King Edward 1 added a small chapel that adjoins the south porch and founded the charity of King Edwards Service.
Having eaten, the group ventured inside the church which seems to be in the throes of some kind of interior refurbishment to enjoy the many stained glass windows. Inside is an effigy of Jenkin Wyrall, Forester of Fee who died 1457 dressed in a hunting costume complete with hunting horn, knife and sword.
Having searched around the inside of the church eventually the famous ‘Miner’s Brass’ was located (well in fact two were found) This one foot high brass engraving set in stone shows a Forest (of Dean) miner holding a candle in his mouth a pick-axe in his hand and a hod.
To the south-west of the church stand the Almshouses founded in 1615 by William Jones a citizen and haberdasher from London to house eight people of both sexes who were parishioners of Newland with a piece added on at the end to house a lecturer. They were refurbished in 1954, but have now been gutted and are in the process of being turned into modern accommodation.
Returning back outside, the sun had disappeared and with grey clouds looming overhead they left by way of the lych gate passing the Ostrich Inn, renowned for its excellent food and variety of real ales, which is set in the centre of the village opposite the church and thought to have derived its name from the ostrich emblem of the Probyn family.
As they left Newland the air was suddenly filled with the loud honking of geese that someone seemed to have annoyed and followed a muddy sunken track they climbed gently uphill. A male pheasant caused a few laughs as he kept running ahead up the path then kept stopping to peep around the corners to see if the group were following. Exiting onto Rookery Lane the group passed Inwood Farm and stopped for a brief chat to the farmer who in his soft Gloucestershire burr advised them that all his fields were still too wet and muddy to plough and re-seed and that work was a standstill until the weather improved.
Following the lane for a short while some big black clouds which were looming towards them looked ominous and having crossed a stile into open fields they caught the tail-end of a short sharp shower of rain. Another short trek along a lane at Wyegate Hill led them past some lovely old stone cottages and a barn conversion into a green lane. Then trundling downhill through pretty pathways in Quicken Tree Wood with views down the steep valley to Mork they returned to the cars before continuous rain accompanied the journey back home.
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