Left to right: Old Station, Tintern Twyn Square, Usk
Industrial heritage in the Wye Valley George V Gold Freedom Casket
Bite-size news
UK’s favourite park: Tintern The Old Station in Tintern has been voted the UK’s favourite park in the annual People’s Choice Award public poll. Chosen from 1,290 green spaces that have the Green Flag Award, this former railway station, not far from the iconic Tintern Abbey, is cherished by locals and visitors. A grassy 10-acre site on the banks of the river Wye, The Old Station’s highlights include restored carriages housing a Wye Valley exhibition, children’s play area, Circle of Legends sculptures, miniature railway and a tea room that features in the AA guide to Perfect Places for Afternoon Tea.
monmouthshire.gov.uk/ oldstationtintern
circleoflegends.co.uk
No sweat We all know Wales is hilly – it’s part of its attraction. But it can also make you think twice about hiring a bike here. So the thoughtful people at Drover Holidays – Luke and Anna - have added some stylish Spencer Ivy electric bikes to their fleet. Hire one for half a day or more, or use it to get around on a guided or self-guided cycling holiday. They’ll deliver and collect the bike, transfer your luggage and even provide you with a packed lunch and a bottle of local mineral water. So you can face those hills and see the wonderful views from the top without getting too sweaty!
droverholidays.co.uk
Golden casket comes home The George V Gold Freedom Casket is back home in Newport thanks to the generous support of the V&A Purchase Grant Fund and the Art Fund. Given to controversial James Henry Thomas MP in 1924 when he was made a freeman of Newport, the casket has enamel panels depicting scenes from Newport’s landscape almost 90 years ago. Other significant social history collections at the museum are the Transporter Bridge archive and the Chartist archive including weapons used during the 1839 protest in Newport.
newport.gov.uk
Hidden industry revealed in the Wye Valley Known primarily for its beauty and ‘Picturesque’ viewpoints, the Wye Valley was the crucible of a technologically advanced metalworking industry from the 16th century up to the Industrial Revolution. Visitors can now discover some important industrial sites for themselves, following the completion of the 3-year Overlooking the Wye project, financed in part by the Heritage Lottery Fund. A series of walk leaflets help visitors explore the fascinating industrial sites around Tintern, including Abbey Furnace, the Limekilns and Lower Wireworks; they can be downloaded from
overlookingthewye.org.uk or
wyevalleyaonb.org.uk.
Miss January Drum roll, please. Our very own, beautiful Twyn Square in Usk is now a pin-up star. Because it has colourful historic buildings bedecked with floral arrangements and an elegant clock tower erected in 1887 to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria? No. Simply because it has a roundabout. Well, a noteworthy roundabout. It’s one of just twelve chosen to feature in this year’s (and the first ever) Roundabouts of Wales calendar, produced by the Roundabout Appreciation Society.
roundaboutsofbritain.com
On location These days you never know who you’ll bump into in Newport; it’s becoming a very popular location for filming. Recent productions include Time Team, Great British Railway Journeys, Being Human, Sherlock Holmes and Dr Who.
Bees for Development The international development organisation which offers training courses to UK beekeepers and works to alleviate poverty in the developing world through the promotion of sustainable beekeeping, has a new shop near Shire Hall in Monmouth. Opening in the spring, it has organic beeswax-based cosmetics, beekeeping equipment and an amazing selection of local honeys as well as exotic African honeys that raise incomes in Ethiopia and Zambia.
beesfordevelopment.org
visitwyevalley.com 17
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