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I LOVE WHERE I LIVE
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I love where I live…
Caerwent
With a fascinating history and beautiful setting, Caerwent also has a strong
community, where volunteering runs deep, says postmistress Angelique Gittings,
who enjoys running a business that’s at the hub of local life..
There are coaches to the primary school in Rogiet and to
Caldicot, Chepstow and Monmouth secondary schools.
We are lucky to have two community spaces in the village;
the village hall and the community centre. Between them
they host classes for all ages and interests, from archery to
Zumba, short mat bowls to historic sword fighting. The
community centre also has a newly-refurbished meeting
room, with excellent facilities. Both spaces are available to
hire for parties and sporting events.
Describe the vibe in your favourite local café
or pub…
The Coach and Horses is the only pub left in the village. It is
good for relaxed evenings and meals and also caters for wakes
and wedding parties and celebration afternoon teas.
The Baptist Chapel runs a village café on Friday mornings. It
is incredibly friendly and inclusive and brings young and old
together for a chat and some lovely food.
The Church runs a Community café on Monday mornings,
whose aim is the same, as well as running craft classes.
Further afield is The Marmalade House in Chepstow, which
has a vintage feel with excellent choices of tea and cakes, and
the Cwtch Cabin in Langstone which is very cosy, especially
in winter.
What leisure pursuits do you enjoy locally?
Eating out, walking, and volunteering.
So, where are your favourite places for eating
out?
For a celebration, Panevino in Chepstow. For a more casual
occasion, Ego at The Groes Wen Inn, Penhow; Los Reyes
Tapas & Wine Bar, Caerleon or the Rock and Fountain in
Penhow.
And your favourite walks?
I enjoy walking in Wentwood Forest, with a stop for a
yummy hot chocolate at The Glade Tearooms. I also like
walking in the Wye Valley around Tintern, with a stop at the
Wild Hare for excellent hot chocolate and some immense
sandwiches.
In what ways are you involved in your local
community?
I was a community councillor for two years and currently
serve on the Caerwent Village Hall and Playing Fields
Association committee.
As postmistress I am the collector of ‘things’. I sell tickets
for local events, collect items for tombolas, take in
donations for the food bank and collect subs for the village
newsletter, the Caerwent Meadows Project and the Church
200 club. The Post Office is the hub for anything local
that helps the village. We also recycle batteries and crisp
packets.
We always have a painted window for the living Advent
calendar and the Scarecrow trail and are a place to leave
donations of surplus produce to reduce waste.
What’s been the most exciting recent
development in the area?
Fibre!
Connectivity issues really came to the fore with the
blossoming of remote working in recent years. Half the
village now have it and it is gradually being laid in the other
part.
It will be amazing to have reliable, fast Broadband.
What’s the social life like in Caerwent?
Well, the Coach and Horses is open for food and drink
most days and evenings and the Caerwent Village Hall
and Playing Fields Association run monthly events at the
village hall. This year we have had a quiz night, Macmillan
cake and book fair, the village summer fete, family Friday
socials, car boot sales and coming up in November is our
Christmas shopping night and then two Christmas parties
in December for the over 60’s and the village children.
There is also the Caerwent Meadows Project which has
leased the CADW land around the roman ruins and has
managed this to make an old fashioned meadow. It was
recently awarded a Green Flag Award for environmental
excellence.
Which village events have you most enjoyed
recently?
One was the Caerwent Village Fete and Produce show in
the summer, for which we were blessed with beautiful
weather. As a committee we managed to pull off the right
mix of free and very low cost activities to draw in families
from the village and surrounds and it was a lovely relaxed
day with loads of smiley faces – an incredible team effort
that was appreciated by everyone.
I also enjoyed the Chapel wreath making event for the ladies
of the village, back in December. I am really looking forward
to this one again.
How would you advise someone new into the
area to get to know the locals?
Come to the Post Office! We advertise all the local events
and businesses in the window. Everyone is also very friendly
and chatty in the queue!
You could also go to one of the coffee mornings run by the
church and chapel or to the pub, where again people will
chat and make you welcome.
Tell me one fascinating fact about
Caerwent…
Roman Caerwent, or Venta Silurum, was established in
about 75AD as a settlement for the finally vanquished local
Silures tribe. The town was dissected by the Roman road
from Gloucester to the legionary fortress at Caerleon.
Photos of Caerwent: Sharon Chilcott and courtesy Angelique Gittings.
Photo of Angelique: Jacob Gittings
When I was made redundant from my last job, six years ago,
the opportunity arose to take over the Caerwent Post Office
and shop, with accommodation. I loved how the former
postmistress had transformed the shop and was really excited
to take over and carry on the ethos of the Post Office being
the heart of the community, supporting other local businesses
in the process.
What makes Caerwent unique?
The Roman ruins are spectacular. Caerwent was an important
town in the Roman era and had temples, shops, a forum
and fortified walls surrounding the town. The foundations
of many of the buildings have been excavated and are on
display, looked after by CADW. The walls form a great walk
around the village with spectacular views to Wentwood
Forest and beyond and at night the Severn crossing is visible
in the distance. The nearby forest has excellent trails for
walking, riding and mountain biking.
There is an army training base on the outskirts of the village
on the former munitions factory site. They regularly train
with helicopters and armoured vehicles lumbering into the
village are a regular sight. It can give us some very load
bangs at times but it soon becomes part of the soundscape of
the village and not intrusive at all!
For you, personally, what’s the best thing
about living there?
The community here is incredibly friendly and welcoming,
especially if you have dogs. Sebastien, our Post Office cat
holds his own with them, though and most know to give him
a wide berth when he is on the forecourt!
The community spirit was especially evident during the
pandemic years. Volunteering runs deep in this village, as
can be seen with the Caerwent Meadows project and the
Village Hall and Playing Fields Association, as well as all the
sports clubs. Villagers are very happy to give up their free
time to help, especially for the youngsters, and to make the
environment the best it can be for all of us.
What, if anything, spoils it for you?
Construction lorries using the village as a short cut and
vehicles speeding through the village. It is a perennial
problem that comes up in the community council meetings
on a regular basis but is very difficult to solve.
What sort of people does Caerwent attract? Is
it a good place to bring up a family?
Caerwent has a very mixed demographic with a good spread
of ages. There are lots of parks and green spaces and familyfriendly
facilities. It has a private nursery (Mathern Day
nursery at Caerwent); the Baptist Chapel run Little Fishes, a
baby and toddler group once a week in term time, and there
is a Monmouthshire-run youth club in the community centre.
Villagers are very happy to give up their free time to help, especially for the
youngsters…
Sharon Chilcott
Share the love
If you would like to share what makes your
home town or village a special place to live, then
Sharon would be delighted to hear from you. You
can get in touch by emailing: core.concepts@
btinternet.com, putting I Love Where I Live in
the subject line.