Monmouthshire Antiquarian Association Blog

The Caerwent Iron Age Head   This Celtic head was found during an excavation in Caerwent, Venta Silurum, the Romanised civitas capital of the Silures Tribe. The h ead was made of yellow quartz sandstone and was carved in a simple native Iron Age style. It was found in a shrine discovered in the garden area of a 4th century  Roman style dwelling,  House 8.  Copyright Newport Museum and Art Gallery Photograph taken at Newport Museum and Art Gallery by Steffan Ellis Stone Heads T his head may have already been very old in the 4th century and may have represented a local Iron Age deity. It was  never attached to a torso. It is known from ancient literary sources that the native Iron Age peoples, who originally occupied most of northern Europe from Hungary to the British Isles, represented human heads in their art. Possibly the human head represented the seat of mankind’s magical energy. Stone heads similar to ...

The Crumlin Branch of t he Monmouthshire Canal Many people have been using the canal system to carry out lockdown walks and the Crumlin branch of the canal is a favourite for people in and around Newport. Anne Dunton has sent some photographs of her daily walk during lockdown. She usually walks up to the top of Ridgeway in Newport and then takes the path down through the woods of  Allt-yr-yn Nature Reserve   to the canal . The reserve  occupies the 32 acre site of the former Allt-yr-yn House and lido, and an old stone quarry.  The lido has been turned into one of the ponds and only a few stones of the house remain .   Thus Anne is   walking through the grounds of  Allt-yr -yn house .    lt was  situated to the west of Newport and was surrounded by woodland and fields.   She remembers swimming in  Allt-yr-yn  lido  and this link is to a page from Newport Past. The lido was  opened by the Deputy-Mayor in...