Bulwark, Chepstow
| Bulwark | |
|---|---|
 Housing at The Octagon, Bulwark |
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 Bulwark
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| Bulwark shown within Monmouthshire | |
| OS grid reference | ST 53448 92564 |
| Principal area | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CHEPSTOW |
| Postcode district | NP16 |
| Dialling code | 01291 |
| Police | Gwent |
| Fire | South Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| EU Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament | |
| Welsh Assembly | |
Bulwark is a predominantly residential area of Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales, largely developed during the twentieth century. The area is so named because of its Iron Age fort, which is now maintained as a public open space. Substantial development in the area began during the First World War, with housing being provided for the military and civilian workforce brought to the area for the National Shipyard no.1 at Chepstow.
Bulwarks Camp, also known in the past as Hardwick Camp and locally as the Warren, is a small defensive hill fort, on top of cliffs overlooking the River Wye, the Beachley peninsula and the Severn estuary. It was probably built around the first century BC or the first century AD. The Romans called the inhabitants of the area the Silures; they would have spoken the language that became Welsh. The fort had cliffs to the east, a ravine to the south, and earthworks comprising a double rampart and ditch on the other two sides. Excavations in 1968 revealed traces of three buildings inside the ramparts, and indicated that it had remained inhabited after the start of the Roman occupation. The site is now in the care of Cadw and is used as a public open space.
Until the nineteenth century, the Bulwark area was generally known as Hardwick, a name given to areas of cattle farming in Saxon times. It may be the "hardwick" mentioned in the Domesday Book under the name of Lamecare, though other sites have also been suggested. The area was predominantly in agricultural use until the twentieth century, with farms including Claypits, St Tecla, and Burnt Barn. The manor house, Hardwick House, was in existence in the 14th century and was rebuilt several times; it was later known as Hardwick Court. The house was demolished in the 1960s, and some of its grounds then became a public open space, known locally as "Piggy's Hill". The area south of the A48 Newport Road contains a number of large 19th century villas which were on the outskirts of Chepstow when built, and commanded extensive views eastwards towards Sedbury. Nearby, on the road towards Mathern, Chepstow Cemetery was established in 1855, after the town’s churchyard was deemed to be overcrowded; it received its first burials two years later.
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Wikipedia