Ross on Wye and the Wye Valley Home Page, Wyenot.com. Click here to watch high definition scenic video films of Ross-on-Wye, the Wye Valley and Forest of Dean.
The place for information on Ross-on-Wye and the Wye Valley

HISTORIC PLACES OF INTEREST IN AND AROUND ROSS-ON-WYE
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PREHISTORIC LOCAL OCCUPATION

King Arthur's Cave is just one of many small caverns which can be found at the Doward, close to both Ross-on-Wye and Monmouth. It was occupied by stone-age man during the upper palaeolithic period and may well have been occupied prior to that but the ice floe of the lower palaeolithic has removed any evidence of this. Past finds in the cave include a flint axe, a hearth, broken woolly mammoth and other large animal bones. Unfortunately however the cave was 'excavated' using dynamite in the 1870s, so what one sees now on visiting is not necessarily the same view that greeted the troglodyte people of the upper palaeolithic on returning home from a hunt.

The caves are not reachable by car but should you would wish to discover them on foot, the precise National Grid Reference is: SO 54574 15607. Please respect the remaining archaeology of the site however if visiting!

Historic Ross-on-Wye.
Entrances to the two caverns of King Arthur's Cave, spring 2002.
Historic Ross-on-Wye.
A view from the inside of King Arthur's Cave, spring 2002.
THE DOWARD AND KING ARTHUR'S CAVE IN HD VIDEO

Filmed mostly in May 2009 but also using photography taken over the years, this short high definition film shows King Arthur's Cave and some of the surrounding area of the Doward, near Symonds Yat and the Seven Sisters Rocks. The view of the river in the film is shot from the Seven Sisters.

The music, excluding the 30 second introduction over the narration, is my own composition and recording. I recorded 'Palaeolithic Storm' in 1999 but remixed the original instrumental tracks yesterday for this film. In case you are wondering, the 'caveman' voices are my own voice, reversed and pitch shifted.

The film can be watched full screen by clicking the button at the right hand side of the progress bar. More HD films covering the Wye Valley and forest of Dean can be found here.
STANDING STONES AND OTHER SACRED PLACES IN THE WYE VALLEY AND FOREST OF DEAN

This film shows some of the magical / spiritual places in the Wye Valley and Forest of Dean. Beginning with a visit to Arthur's Stone, a Neolithic burial mound in Dorstone, Herefordshire (not far from Hay-on-Wye) it then moves on to Trellech to show Harold's Stones, Tump Turret and the Virtuous Well before moving on again to the Queen Stone, the Staunton Longstone and finally May Hill. I shot the footage for this latest in the 'Wyenot' series of short films over the month of May and the first two days of June 2009.

Two other people appear in the film. Dr Keith Ray MBE, the County Archaeologist talks about Arthur's Stone. Also at Arthur's Stone you may notice a young lady sitting near the stone. I don't know her name. She was a nice young lady from near Peterchurch whom I met whilst filming and have since affectionately named, 'The X-Files Lady' as our conversation was about UFO sightings at sacred places such as Arthur's Stone and Warminster.

GOODRICH CASTLE

Located high above the river Wye near Ross-on-Wye, Goodrich Castle was a medieval fortified palace which is now owned by English Heritage and open to visitors. Mostly, the castle is still intact. Although unoccupied by the sixteenth century it was still able to withstand a major siege during the English Civil War. Built around 1150, the keep is the castle's oldest remaining section.

Historic Ross-on-Wye.
Goodrich Castle, photographed during the summer of 2000.
Historic Ross-on-Wye.
Goodrich Castle, photographed during the summer of 2000.

WILTON CASTLE
Located beside the River Wye at Ross, the ruins of Wilton Castle date from the 13th century but there has been a fort at the site since the reign of Stephen. Although the castle is private property, it is possible to follow the public footpath and view this fortress from the outside.
Historic Ross-on-Wye.
Wilton Castle, a view from across the River Wye, summer of 2002.
Historic Ross-on-Wye.
Wilton Castle, photographed during the summer of 2002.

ROSS MARKET HOUSE

Although Ross is a medieval market town, the current market house was built between 1650 and 1654, replacing an older building. Ross Market Building is still in use by local traders on Saturdays and Thursdays and also houses the Ross Heritage Centre, which is open to visitors during the summer months.

Historic Ross-on-Wye.
Ross Market House, photographed during the summer of 2000.
Historic Ross-on-Wye.
Ross Market House, photographed during the summer of 2000.

THE RUDHALL ALMS HOUSES AND PLAGUE CROSS
The Plague Cross marks the burial site of the town's 315 victims of plague in 1637 and is located within the grounds of St. Mary's Parish Church. Located close to the cross are the Rudhall Alms Houses, which probably date from the 14th century. According to the plaque on the outside, these almshouses were repaired by William Rudhall in 1575 and when restored again in 1960 the five almshouses were converted into three without altering their Tudor front.
Historic Ross-on-Wye.
The Plague Cross, photographed during the winter of 2002.
Historic Ross-on-Wye.
The Rudhall Alms Houses, photographed during the summer of 2002.

THE GAZEBO TOWER
The Gazebo Tower as it is now known was built, along with mock gothic town walls, during the 1833 construction of Wilton Road. It was built as part of Palace Pound the house of John Collins and originally known as "Collins Tower."
Historic Ross-on-Wye.
The Gazebo Tower, photographed during the summer of 2000.
Historic Ross-on-Wye.
The Gazebo Tower, photographed during the summer of 2000.

MORE HISTORIC PLACES OF INTEREST

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